THE SIMPSONS AND THEIR MATHEMATICAL SECRETS
Simon Singh
Bloomsbury, London
253 pages
Simon Singh is making a habit of this. He picks a subject of interest, draws the connections to mathematics, and writes a thinly disguised ode to the ultimate subject.
His first book, Fermat's Last Theorem, dealt with one of the most famous unsolved (until 1991) problems in mathematics. His second book, The Code Book, provided a history of cryptography, or the art of sending and receiving coded messages. His third book, The Big Bang, had to do with the intellectual debate on the origin of the universe, and how the currently accepted theory eventually won out.
And now, if you discount an attempt at writing on alternative medicine, this is his fourth book - connecting one of the world's most popular television shows with mathematics.
This is not the first book on the Simpsons. Nor is it the first by an academic - take, for instance, The Simpsons and Philosophy or The Psychology of the Simpsons.
Such books have drawn connections between the plots of episodes, and the dynamics of the family members, with deeper issues in philosophy or even the human mind. So in that regard, a book connecting The Simpsons with mathematics is not out of place.
On the face of it, a show featuring characters like Bart and Homer Simpson seems far removed from intellectual pursuits. But Mr Singh, through conversations with the team that writes the episodes, brings out just how mathematically minded they are and how it permeates the scripts they write.
The five "nerdiest" writers on the show have degrees that range from MS in mathematics and computer science to PhDs in the subjects. As Mr Singh argues, they could have been doing something more scientific instead of comedy writing.
Instead, they bring science to the show.
Over the course of the book, Mr Singh discusses specific episodes with significant mathematical references. The number "pi" features often, sometimes directly in the plot. As will be clear to a fan of the show, Lisa features heavily in maths-related storylines.
Not that Bart or Homer is left out. One entire episode is devoted to Bart fooling his school into thinking he is a mathematics prodigy, an episode littered with maths references; another deals with Homer's travels into some other dimension. While these are essentially comedic gags, the attention to detail is what makes the show remarkable, and the details are elaborately described by Mr Singh.
The writers often use the freeze-frame gag to display their mathematical ideas. The Simpsons, being animated, is a particularly enthusiastic proponent of this technique in general, whereby some item in the shot will contain a joke that is only apparent when you take the time to pause the show at the exact scene.
So books that are lying around the scene, or things written on the blackboard - all of which could easily be missed by a viewer intent on the storyline - will often reveal little gems, several of which are mathematics related, like theorems, formulae and so on.
Though the book title only refers to The Simpsons, a significant portion of the second half deals with the sister show, Futurama. Futurama is a sci-fi animated comedy about a pizza delivery boy who wakes up centuries into the future. Futurama features mostly the same writing staff. It also features arguably the only mathematical theorem that has ever been written for a television show.
In one episode, various characters exchange bodies, for different reasons, via a mind-switcher device. As the episode unfolds, the characters have exchanged bodies several times over, and it is increasingly hard to keep track of whose mind is in whose body. The theorem, worked out by the writers as they discussed how to proceed, has to do with how to efficiently return the various minds to the correct bodies.
On reading this book, though, it is hard not to think that Mr Singh has fallen between two stools. Yes, there is a connection between The Simpsons and mathematics. But is it deep enough to write a whole book?
Clearly not, since he also writes about Futurama. But even otherwise, the book seems to do full justice to neither the show nor the subject.
Perhaps understanding this, Mr Singh liberally sprinkles the books with mathematics humour. Some of these maths riddles and jokes have now begun doing the rounds on the internet. In case you've missed them, here's one.
An Indian chief had three wives, each of whom was pregnant. When the first one delivered a baby boy, the chief was so elated that he built her a tepee made of buffalo hide. Soon after, the second one gave birth to a boy as well. Out of sheer happiness, the chief built her a tepee made of antelope hide.
When the third one gave birth, the chief kept the details a secret, but built her a tepee of hippopotamus hide, and challenged the tribe to guess the details of the birth. Many tried and failed.
Finally, a young brave named Pythagoras announced that the third wife must have given birth to twin sons. "Correct!" cried the chief, "but how did you know?"
"Simple," said Pythagoras. "The value of the squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides."
For more, read the book.
