12/06/2013

The Simpsons’ Secret? It’s Written by Math Geeks

34:17 minutes

For 25 seasons, The Simpsons writers have been smuggling math onto Americans’ TV screens. Author Simon Singh helps Ira decode the show’s numberplay, while former Simpsons writer David X. Cohen remembers how he helped Homer solve Fermat’s Last Theorem (sort of).

Segment Guests

Simon Singh

Simon Singh is a science journalist and author of The Code Book: The Secret History of Codes and Codebreaking (Fourth Estate, 1999) in London, England.

David X. Cohen

David X. Cohen is the executive producer of Futurama and former writer for The Simpsons, based in Los Angeles, California.

Meet the Producer

About Annie Minoff

Annie Minoff is a producer for The Journal from Gimlet Media and the Wall Street Journal, and a former co-host and producer of Undiscovered. She also plays the banjo.

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