Avsnitt
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đ€« Which synonyms are Caesar ciphers of each other?
đš Bec and Matt attempt to help a listener decorate their home.
đŒ The tax business briefcase is wide open.
âïž And battleships heats up.
Itâs time to go see âBec Hill: Guess Who's Bec, Bec Again?â at The Adelaide Fringe! https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/bec-hill-guess-who-s-bec-bec-again-bec-hill-s-bec-tell-a-friend-af2025
You can see Matt Live! https://festivalofthespokennerd.com/tickets/
Here are just some of the sources that inspired Becâs answer to Paulâs problem:
https://www.geekwire.com/2018/tiny-seattle-apartment-bed-ceiling-thats-part-makes-smart-home/
https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/saving-space-4-5e43ab2209c96-jpeg__700.jpg
https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/1552627931/laptop-desk-designed-for-lying-down?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_au_en_au_a-electronics_and_accessories&utm_custom1=_k_CjwKCAiA2JG9BhAuEiwAH_zf3h029YOcWlhpb2hPKJIRRlzC875u1Xd05jQ5wcB1pKVfiPHBIgyWSBoCSsAQAvD_BwE_k_&utm_content=go_22104612603_176942312567_728668009637_pla-315906365651_c__1552627931enau_102845289&utm_custom2=22104612603&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA2JG9BhAuEiwAH_zf3h029YOcWlhpb2hPKJIRRlzC875u1Xd05jQ5wcB1pKVfiPHBIgyWSBoCSsAQAvD_BwE
https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/N4OkvQNSSYkvAIQvyEpZjg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNjAw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/architectural_digest_422/b0e714e92e546a10087be8044b839f94
And The World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things: http://www.worldslargestthings.com/mobilemuseum.htm
If youâre on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the âSup âZardsâ pinned post!
If you want (weâre not forcing anyone) to leave us a review, show the podcast to a friend or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.
Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord. -
â Whatâs the best way to leave your mark?
đïž Can Saturday Night Live be on Every Day?
đ And there are some big locations in AOB
Top Marks: https://neatnik.net/steganographr/#results
SNL Spreadsheet: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/i9leqlafx0orjfp6l8a6t/weekend_whatdate.xlsx?rlkey=vetpi2qg9etbb35jq0zculjt1&e=1&st=q5vl7052&dl=0
Big Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/8kf2XcYPXWnqGqn88
See Matt Live! https://festivalofthespokennerd.com/tickets/
See Bec Live! https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/bec-hill-guess-who-s-bec-bec-again-bec-hill-s-bec-tell-a-friend-af2025
If youâre on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the âSup âZardsâ pinned post!
And if you want (weâre not forcing anyone) to leave us a review, show the podcast to a friend or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.
Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord. -
Saknas det avsnitt?
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đș What are the most âinterestingâ years?
đ Bec goes big on Big Things
đ When Party Tricks Go Wrong
đą And there's some numerical AOB
Hereâs Max-maticsâ video that Matt mentioned - Turning a 2024 Ball Pyramid in to a 2025 Ball Square for NYE 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXUlKCIgV8U
Some further reading on the 2025 maths https://aperiodical.com/2025/01/numerical-coincidences-for-2025/
Itâs a banger - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJS3xnD7Mus
Some further reading on BIG THINGS -
https://www.spottobooks.com.au/shop/p/bigthings
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/figure/10.1080/14443058.2022.2144928
If youâre on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the âSup âZardsâ pinned post!
And if you want (weâre not forcing anyone) to leave us a review, show the podcast to a friend or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.
Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord. -
Hello you wonderful listener,
Welcome to a new year. 2025 - has a nice ring to it doesn't it?
This is a short announcement to say that there will be a very short feed break - just an episode or two, don't worry - to allow us all rest for the first two weeks of January.
Matt will tell you everything you need to know in his very organised PSA. Have a listen.
Thank you for your continuted support and understanding. We love you very much.
Bec and Matt.
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To celebrate A Problem Squaredâs 100th episodeâŠ
đŒ What is the least popular instrument in an orchestra?
đ Matt is appalled.
đź Another unplanned, unexpected mystery segment!
đŒ And the business briefcase is (briefly) open.
A big thank you to Katie Steckles for her brilliant contributions to this episode. You can find more from her on her website: https://www.katiesteckles.co.uk/index.html, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stecks?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor, or on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/katiesteckles.
If youâre on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the âSup âZardsâ pinned post!
And if you want (weâre not forcing anyone) to leave us a review, show the podcast to a friend or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.
Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord. -
099 = Most Watched Films and Homonyms
âïž What single word in the English Language has the most different meanings?
đș Is the most consumed media of all time a holiday movie or song?
đ Thereâs some Any Other Business!
âïž Battleships continues.
If you want to find out more about the Royal Flying Doctor Service, do that here: https://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/nswact/visit/broken-hill-visitor-centre/
You can see the full contents of Becâs new outback first aid kit here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPuwoOtTFV8
If you want to learn more about WordNet (as mentioned in Mattâs problem) follow this link here: https://wordnet.princeton.edu/
If youâd like to see the trailer for what is apparently the most watched film of all time, you can do that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXqjcDchr14
And if youâd like to hear the most streamed song of all time, you can do that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHI8X4OXluQ&ab_channel=TheWeekndVEVO
Finally, IF youâre on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer for Bec and Matt, please comment on the âSup âZardsâ pinned post!
Perhaps you want to leave us a review, show the podcast to a friend or give us a rating? If youâd like to, please do that. It really helps.
AND if you want even more from A Problem Squared (and who doesnât) you can connect with us and other fantastic listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and Discord.
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098 = Something Blue and Diamond Birthdays Too
đWhat are the most extreme examples of something old, something blue, something borrowed, something new?
đWhatâs up with diamond birthdays?
đ„A new special one-time bonus section from Matt.
đŒAnd a look into the business briefcase.
For the Diana Spencer Tiara, look no further:https://www.sothebys.com/en/digital-catalogues/power-image-royal-aristocratic-tiaras/the-spencer-tiara-r-s-garrard-1930s
Hereâs an image of Ezra Jack Keatsâ childrenâs story TheSnowy Day:
https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/galleries/childhood/item/11304.Selected from the millions of books that have been checked out of the library since 1895, Ezra Jack Keatsâ childrenâs story The Snowy Day, described as a âcharming, beautifully illustrated tale of a child enjoying the simple magic that snow brings to his city,â tops the list.
And, perhaps the best suggestion from Bec, the BlueâPantheonâ aka Meteor 3200:https://www.space.com/42236-weird-blue-asteroid-phaethon.html#:~:text=Asteroid%203200%20Phaethon%20is%20a,typical%20for%20comets%20than%20asteroids.
Finally, this is the Diamond Birthday Tik Tok trendmentioned in Mattâs dinglett: https://www.tiktok.com/@misshaleymichelle/video/7196331969838566702?lang=en
If youâre on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the âSup âZardsâ pinnedpost!
If you want to leave us a review, show the podcast to afriend or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.
Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared youcan connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.
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097 = Number of Maps & Numbered Pads
đș Are there enough OS maps to cover Great Britain?
0ïžâŁ Why does zero come after nine on a mobile phone?
đ° And, of course, some AOB!
If you want to see Becâs friend Amyâs summary of accessibility in Thorpe Park and theme parks more generally, head on over to her instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/longcovidrockstar/
Here is a picture of The Big Tractor: https://amp.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/oct/08/giant-red-tractor-carnamah-wa-australias-big-things
You can watch a brilliant Phone Phreaking Documentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FufYSx2_6Bg&ab_channel=RCW39RJ
Hereâs that Numberphile vid about Phone Buttons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCSzjExvbTQ&ab_channel=Numberphile
And the 17 Designs That Bell Almost Used for the Layout of Telephone Buttons: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/08/the-17-designs-that-bell-almost-used-for-the-layout-of-telephone-buttons/279237/
Please send your problems and solutions into the website: www.aproblemsquared.com.
If youâre on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the âSup âZardsâ pinned post!
And if you want (weâre not forcing anyone) to leave us a review, show the podcast to a friend or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.
Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord. -
đ Why would competing studios release movies in the same year that have the same concept or plot?
đ Why are we seeing the Aurora Borealis in the UK?
đ Business of an any other nature.
If you want to have a listen to Bec on Tom Scottâs podcast âLateralâ you can do that here, at some point soon: https://open.spotify.com/show/1TthQOE4Fx6gBPW8l48cfN
Their book can also be brought here! Itâs really good: https://lateralcast.com/book/
To see a history of solar flare data going back to 1700, follow this link here: https://www.sidc.be/SILSO/ssngraphics
Please send your problems and solutions into the website: www.aproblemsquared.com.
If youâre on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the âSup âZardsâ pinned post!
And if you want (weâre not forcing anyone) to leave us a review, show the podcast to a friend or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.
Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord. -
đ Does the 13th really fall more frequently on Friday?
đż How do you make a giant disco ball wearable?
đ© And we have some any other doughness.
If you want to find out more about the cardboard related event (called Number City!) Matt attended on Orkney Island, have a look at this link: https://oisf.org/fest-event/number-city/.
Do send your problems and solutions to the website: www.aproblemsquared.com.
If youâre on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the âSup âZardsâ pinned post!
And if you like, leave us a review, pass the podcast onto a friend or give us a rating! Every little helps.
If you want even more from A Problem Squared, you can find us onTwitter,Instagram, and on Discord.
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đż What did the first ever podcast sound like?
đł How do you REALLY lose an election in the US?
đ° Business will be closed, and opened.
Thank you to Emily for the Maths mittens! To see pictures of those, head over to APS socials.
You can see the incredible Agree to Disagree podcast pages from 1999 here:
https://web.archive.org/web/19990914040650/http://www.thealph.com/agree/
https://web.archive.org/web/19991004035401/http://thealph.com/agree/about.shtml
There is also a file, but we donât think it contains any data. Can someone help find an original review?
https://web.archive.org/web/19991103231714/http://thealph.com/agree/episodes/6x02.shtml
Do send your problems and solutions to the website: www.aproblemsquared.com.
If youâre on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the âSup âZardsâ pinned post!
And if you like, leave us a review, pass the podcast onto a friend or give us a rating! Every little helps.
If you want even more from A Problem Squared, you can find us on Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord -
â Circle Can Tic-Tac-Toe ever be fun?
đ€What is the smallest Neil called?
đThereâs some Any Other Business!
âïžBattleships continues.
If you want to read the works referenced by Matt in his tic-tac-toe / naughts and crosses problem, take a look below:
Solo Noughts and Crosses, James Grime: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10724117.2023.2168434 Tic-tac-tome, Willy Yoners: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tic-Tac-Autonomous-Playing-Book/dp/1594746877 A Knowledge-based Approach of Connect-Four The Game is Solved: White Wins, Victor Alis: https://disi.unitn.it/~montreso/asd/docs/connect4.pdf Is ultimate tic-tac-toe solved? https://www.joachim-breitner.de/blog/604-Ultimate_Tic_Tac_Toe_is_always_won_by_XPlease send your problems and solutions to the website: www.aproblemsquared.com.
If youâre on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the âSup âZardsâ pinned post!
And if you like, leave us a review, pass the podcast onto a friend or give us a rating! Every little helps.
If you want even more from A Problem Squared, you can find us on Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord
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đ How many colours are really in a rainbow?
đ° How often is a broken clock is right?
đŒ The Any Other Business briefcase is open. Briefly.
đŽâ And we have a NEW POST CREDITS easter egg.
To hear more about the brilliant and terrible Emily In Paris premier, listen to this episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/point-break-pt-1-season-04-episode-01/id1720149980?i=1000666164553
If you want to see where the Mattparker asteroid / minor planet is in the universe, you can locate it on this NASA database: https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=314159&view=VOP
A full circle rainbow was captured by aerial photographer Colin Leonhardt while flying through a rain shower just above Cottesloe Beach in Western Australia: https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/cn_round_rainbow_australia_jc_141010_16x9_992.jpg?w=1600
And if you want to be even more wowed, you can see a reflective rainbow (or six!) in Norway: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0709/sixrainbows_nordvik_big.jpg
Finally, send your problems and solutions to our website: www.aproblemsquared.com.
If youâre on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the âSup âZardsâ pinned post!
And if you like, leave us a review, pass the podcast onto a friend or give us a rating! Every little helps.
If you want even more from A Problem Squared, you can find us onTwitter,Instagram, and on Discord
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đŻ What is the optimal layout for a dart board?
đŠ How soon after a cut does a shark smell your blood?
đ And thereâs some AYE-YOOO-BEEEE.
To see the Percy Arrangement mentioned by Matt follow this link: https://www.globaldarts.de/globalDartsEN/sport/Percysboard.html
And for the âOptimal Dartboard Designâ reveal, see here! https://journals.indexcopernicus.com/api/file/viewByFileId/1980058
If you want to learn more about shark senses, check out Sensory Biologist Dr. Lauren Eve Simonitisâs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oceanexplauren/?hl=enAnd if you like, leave us a review, pass the podcast onto a friend or give us a rating! Every little helps.
Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared, you can find us on Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord
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đ§ș Why is the cycle time on my washing machines always wrong?
đȘ How long will it take to sell 400 Lincoln memorial pennies for $20,000?
đ We have DINGS!
𧳠And the business briefcase is open!
Disclaimer: You may hear a slight change in tone on Matt's audio at points throughout, that's back up audio which sounds different.
If you want to find out more about the IMO, or International Mathematics Olympics, you can do that here: https://www.imo-official.org/
And if youâre in London and you want to experience the janky eclipse, why not visit Novelty Automation! You can find details about this gem of a place here: https://www.novelty-automation.com/10_current-machines.htm"
Finally, send your problems and solutions to our website: www.aproblemsquared.com.
If youâre on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the âSup âZardsâ pinned post!
And if you like, leave us a review, pass the podcast onto a friend or give us a rating! Every little helps.
Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared, you can find us on Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord
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On this episode...
đIf you pooled up all the snake venom in the world would it be enough to kill all the non-immune mammals?
đąDo dogs have 2 arms? Or do we have 4 legs?
đAnd we open the business briefcase.
If you want to know more about lizard sampling, do that here: âHierarchical distance sampling to estimate population sizes of common lizards across a desert ecoregionâ: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.4780
Thereâs a great video by Technology Connections to turn signals and specifically syncing them up, you can find that here: https://youtu.be/2z5A-COlDPk?si=SWSE_FX3fuyLH1X0
You can find the rude praying hands here: https://www.reddit.com/r/teams/comments/xvpefh/can_we_please_talk_about_the_praying_emoji_on/
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/hand-gestures-in-microsoft-teams-free-ff2354cd-17fa-44fc-80c9-3d88c577a1ad
As always, send your problems and solutions to our website: www.aproblemsquared.com.
And, if you want more from A Problem Squared, you can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and on Patreon.
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đ What happens when tires get tired?
đ§ What is the equation for the curve on a spinning Ruibikâs cube?
đ And thereâs some pin related AOB!
Find out more about the counting crows here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl0984
You can hear Bec on Ali Plumbâs podcast âScreen Timeâ here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02r4zfx/episodes/downloads
If you want to learn more about the EMF Festival, follow this link: https://www.emfcamp.org/
To read âWhere the tire meets the road: Emerging environmental impacts of tire wear particles and their chemical cocktailsâ, go here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171153
For more information on the cones, ruled surfaces, hyperbolic paraboloids and more, have a look at the links below!
https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Hyperboloid.html
https://mathworld.wolfram.com/RuledSurface.html
https://mathworld.wolfram.com/HyperbolicParaboloid.html
You can see some nice hyperboloid structures here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperboloid#Hyperboloid_structures
As always, send your problems and solutions to our website: www.aproblemsquared.com.
And, if you want more from A Problem Squared, you can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and on Patreon.
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đ§ Is it possible to climb every mountain?
đ Can you simulate an eclipse if you miss the real thing?
đ And some loose ends (and change), in AOB!
If youâd like to enter the very same gravel race as Matt Parker, you can find out more details here: https://sevengravelrace.com/the-race/
You can listen to âClimb Any Mountainâ from the Sound of Music soundtrack here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKuqySkqhHw&ab_channel=COSMOTOPPER777
And to watch the 1991 The Shamen hit âMove Any Mountainâ referenced by Matt (which we later discovered was made by our very own Producer Laurenâs dad!) Follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpjnzxtZ6Qg&ab_channel=Vesanorabonah
You can find details for Mattâs Peak data here: https://peakvisor.com/
https://peakvisor.com/en/news/how_many_mountains_on_earth.html
https://peakvisor.com/en/news/unnamed-mountains.html
In our Dinglett this week Matt referenced JHelioviewer, where you can access real time solar image data. Do that here: https://www.jhelioviewer.org/
And Becâs very sensible suggestion for Problem Poser Aaron, to watch the Oculusâ broadcast of the 2024 total eclipse: https://www.oculus.com/experiences/event/1074832456934803/
SFX for Becâs victory can be found at Fresound.org, âVICTORY CRY Reverb 1â was made by chripei and âMusic: Orchestral Victory Fanfareâ was made by Sheyvan.
As always, send your problems and solutions to our website: www.aproblemsquared.com.
And, if you want more from A Problem Squared, you can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and on Patreon.
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đ Is this emoji praying hands or a high five?
đ What's the best present for celebrating a billion seconds?
đŒ For the first time we have Any Other Business WITH SPECIAL GUESTS!
If you want a collectable (and mistake-ridden) copy of âLove Triangleâ, with a special, limited edition book cover designed by print-artist Paul Catherall. You'll get one free while stocks last. Head over to MathsGear! https://mathsgear.co.uk/products/love-triangle-by-matt-parker-signed
Hereâs some background on the âFolded Handsâ emoji mentioned in Becâs problem: https://blog.emojipedia.org/emojiology-folded-hands/
This is the pixelated 2001 Softbank version of the Folded Hands emoji: https://emojipedia.org/softbank/2001/folded-hands
Hereâs the KDDI emoji from 2003, where someone is literally praying: https://emojipedia.org/au-kddi/type-d-1/folded-hands
You can find the âglowingâ folded hands emoji put out by Apple in 2008 here: https://emojipedia.org/apple/iphone-os-2.2/folded-hands
You can find some more variations of the folded hand emoji (including with faces) here: https://b1681952.smushcdn.com/1681952/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Early-Versions-Folded-Hands-Emojipedia-1.jpg?lossy=0&strip=1&webp=1
There were some fascinating early issues with Unicode (which made emojis universal), where âyellow heartsâ sent by iOS users would show up as âhairy heartsâ on Android phones. You can read about that here: https://web.archive.org/web/20140502051433/http://www.tuaw.com/2014/04/30/you-may-be-accidentally-sending-friends-a-hairy-heart-emoji/
You can find the Unicode emoji design guidelines here: https://unicode.org/reports/tr51/#Design_Guidelines
And if you want to find out whether youâve already passed your 1 Billionth Second, you can do that here: https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=10%5E9+seconds+in+years+and+days
If you want to find out whether youâve already passed your 1 Billionth Second, you can do that here: https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=10%5E9+seconds+in+years+and+days
As always, send your problems and solutions to our website: www.aproblemsquared.com. And, if you want more from A Problem Squared, you can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and on Patreon.
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đȘ How many coins would you need to sort through to collect all commemorative âŹ2 coins in circulation?
đHow do you display enamel pins?!
đŒ The Any Other Business briefcase isâŠmostly open.
Hereâs the Coupon Collectorâs problem video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BstloCx8KDk
You can see more on the âNumber of banknotes/coins returned from circulation in Euro Area, Euro area (changing composition), Monthlyâ here: https://data.ecb.europa.eu/data/datasets/BKN/BKN.M.U2.RE10.C.20P0.AS.F.E
And, Wiki Sources: â2 euro commemorative coinsâ on good old Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_euro_commemorative_coins
As always, send your problems and solutions to our website: www.aproblemsquared.com.
And, if you want more from A Problem Squared, you can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and on Patreon.
- Visa fler