Math on Trial #227

August 22, 2013

This episode was recorded when Science for the People was called Skeptically Speaking.

This week, guest host Rachelle Saunders explores the ways that math can help (and hinder) the pursuit of justice. She speaks to mathematician and University of Paris Professor Leila Schneps, co-author of the book Math on Trial: How Numbers Get Used and Abused in the Courtroom. And she’s joined by Patrick Ball, to talk about his work as Executive Director of the Human Rights Data Analysis Group.

Guests:

  • Leila Schneps
  • Patrick Ball
Listen Now

Featured Book

Math on Trial: How Numbers Get Used and Abused in the Courtroom

Written by Leila Schneps and Coralie Colmez

Book Blurb Find On Amazon

Other Episodes About Science & Culture

The Trouble With Passion

Choosing a career path is a big decision. In the modern western world a career is practically synonymous with identity: whether we like it our not, what we do is a big... Read More

February 18, 2022

Losing Our Minds

Mental illness is being discussed openly and publicly more than it ever has been, but our understanding of what it is and its impacts are still a work-in-progress. What is mental illness... Read More

March 29, 2022

Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains

We all know what a "pest" is. We can all point to creatures that are pests in our neighborhoods, those invasive hard-to-get-rid-of, disruptive animals that civilization seems to be in constant battle... Read More

November 10, 2022

Other Episodes About Science & Crime

Do You Really Want to Find Out Who's Your Daddy?

At least some of you by now have probably spit into a tube and mailed it off to find out who your closest relatives are, where you might be from, and what... Read More

July 05, 2019

Frances Glessner Lee and the Nutshell Studies

Around the end of the second world war, a set of tiny miniature dioramas depicting a variety of deaths were created to help teach investigators how to approach a crime scene. You... Read More

June 21, 2020

Furry felons and mammalian misdemeanors

Most true crime details the terrible deeds that humans do. But nature can be nefarious too. Animals and plants can kill, maim, or just make people deeply uncomfortable. Wild creatures can steal,... Read More

October 28, 2021

Other Episodes About Math

Weapons of Math Destruction

This week on Science for the People we look at the modern, inventive ways we try to use math and algorithms to make better decisions, and what happens when those solutions cause... Read More

March 31, 2017

Is Our Children Learning

This week on science for the people, we're taking on the educational system. We'll be talking with Ulrich Boser about what people think they know about education. It turns out that education... Read More

May 19, 2017

Knitting in PEARL

This week we're discussing math and things made from yarn. We welcome mathematician Daina Taimina to the show to discuss her book "Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes: Tactile Mathematics, Art and Craft... Read More

August 17, 2018
comments powered by Disqus