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Math! Science! History!

Math! Science! History!

By: Gabrielle Birchak
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Math! Science! History! is a podcast about the history of people, theories, and discoveries that have moved our scientific progress forward and spurred us on to unimaginable discoveries. Join Gabrielle Birchak for a little math, a little science, and a little history. All in a little bit of time.© 2025 Mathematics Science World
Episodes
  • FLASHCARDS! You Are a Game Theorist!

    FLASHCARDS! You Are a Game Theorist!
    Jun 19 2026

    What if the negotiation strategies, workplace rhythms, and relationship instincts you've relied on your whole life already had names in mathematics? In today's FLASHCARDS! episode of Math! Science! History!, I break down three foundational concepts from game theory: dominant strategy, tit for tat, and Nash equilibrium, and connect each one to the everyday decisions, compromises, and unspoken social contracts you navigate all the time. Whether you're a math enthusiast or someone who swore they "weren't a math person," this episode reveals that you've been doing game theory your entire life without even knowing it.

    🃏 In This Episode, You Will Learn:
    • What a dominant strategy is and how to recognize when you're already using one, from sending that follow-up email to ordering your favorite dish at a restaurant.
    • The fascinating history of tit for tat, the surprisingly simple strategy that beat out complex algorithms in Robert Axelrod's famous 1980s tournament, and how it mirrors the unspoken rules of your closest relationships.
    • How a Nash equilibrium shows up in everyday conflict, and why the moment you and someone else silently agree to "stop pushing" is actually a mathematically stable outcome.

    📚 Sources

    • Von Neumann's 1928 minimax theorem is widely considered the founding document of modern game theory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimax_theorem
    • John Nash received the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 1994 for his pioneering analysis of equilibria in the theory of non-cooperative games. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/1994/nash/facts
    • Robert Axelrod's landmark book The Evolution of Cooperation (1984) explored how cooperation can emerge among self-interested agents, using his famous computer tournament in which tit for tat won. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Evolution_of_Cooperation
    📣 Calls to Action

    Subscribe & Review: If today's episode made you see your everyday decisions in a whole new light, please subscribe to Math! Science! History! and leave a review wherever you listen. It helps more curious minds find the show!

    Share This Episode: Know someone who loves psychology, strategy, or really nails the follow-up email? Send them this episode; they're already game theorists and don't know it yet.

    Keep Learning: Catch up on last week's full episode on the birth of game theory and Monday's episode on using these strategies in the workplace!

    🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com
    📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h

    🎧 Enjoying the Podcast? 🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com

    ☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal

    Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show!
    Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs!
    Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.

    Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store

    Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved.
    Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers

    Until next time, carpe diem!
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    8 mins
  • MOMENTUM! 3 Game Theory Power-Ups to Hack Your Daily Routine

    MOMENTUM! 3 Game Theory Power-Ups to Hack Your Daily Routine
    Jun 15 2026

    In this episode of Momentum Monday, I cover the unexpected power of game theory, not just for economists or chess players, but as a practical toolkit for smarter decisions in work, relationships, and personal habits. I break down three game-changing strategies:
    1) Know Your "Game" (mapping players, rules, and payoffs)
    2) Build Your BATNA (your secret weapon for negotiation leverage)
    3) Tilt the Game in Your Favor (shaping interactions for win-win outcomes)

    Whether you're negotiating a raise, handling a tough conversation, or just trying to stick to your gym routine, these tactics will help you design your environment for success. Learn more about game theory's real-world applications here and how to apply BATNA in negotiations here.

    What You'll Learn:

    • How to map your interactions like a game, identifying players, rules, and payoffs to make smarter decisions. (Source: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
    • Why BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement) is your negotiation superpower, and how to build one. (Source: Harvard PON)
    • How to shape your environment and incentives to tilt outcomes in your favor, even in everyday situations.

    Call to Action:
    🔹 Try it this week: Pick one interaction where you'll apply one of these power-ups. Notice how it changes your approach, and your results!
    🔹 Share your win: Tag me on social media @Math.Science.History with #MomentumMonday and tell me which strategy worked for you!
    🔹 Subscribe & Review: Help more people discover Momentum Monday by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Every review fuels the momentum!

    🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com
    📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h

    ☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal

    Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show!
    Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs!
    Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform

    Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store

    Music: All music is Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal and has no Copyright and no rights reserved.
    Selections from Violin Machine: A Deconstruction of the Bach Concerto by Lloyd Rodgers

    Until next time, carpe diem!
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    7 mins
  • Game Theory Explained: The History, Math, and Masterminds Behind It

    Game Theory Explained: The History, Math, and Masterminds Behind It
    Jun 10 2026
    In this episode, I'm covering the fascinating origin story of game theory, the mathematical framework that explains how we make decisions when our choices depend on what others do. From the chess board to the Cold War, from traffic jams to Nobel Prizes, game theory is hiding everywhere in plain sight. I explore the brilliant, sometimes tortured minds of John von Neumann and John Nash, walk you through the elegant math of the minimax theorem and Nash equilibrium, and show you how these ideas have shaped economics, artificial intelligence, biology, and even nuclear diplomacy. Whether you're a math lover or just someone who's ever wondered why traffic jams form out of nowhere, this episode will completely change the way you see strategy, competition, and cooperation in everyday life. What You'll Learn · The historical and mathematical context of the early 20th century that made game theory possible · What a "game" actually means in the mathematical sense, and why it's about far more than chess or poker · Who John von Neumann was and how his 1928 minimax theorem became the cornerstone of game theory · How John Nash, a young Princeton doctoral student, revolutionized the field with the Nash equilibrium · Why the Prisoner's Dilemma shows that rational individuals can end up with collectively bad outcomes Quote from the Episode "As far as I can see, there could be no theory of games without that theorem … I thought there was nothing worth publishing until the Minimax Theorem was proved." - John von Neumann Episode Resources · von Neumann, John. "Zur Theorie der Gesellschaftsspiele" [On the Theory of Games of Strategy]. Mathematische Annalen 100 (1928): 295–320. · Nash, John F. "Equilibrium Points in N-Person Games." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 36 (1950): 48–49. · Nasar, Sylvia. A Beautiful Mind: The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash. Simon & Schuster, 1998. · The Nobel Prize, 1994 Economics Prize Press Release: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/1994/press-release/ · Google DeepMind, AlphaGo at 10: https://deepmind.google/blog/10-years-of-alphago/ · Springer Nature, Quantum Game Theory Review (2025): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11128-025-04913-4 · Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Evolutionary Game Theory: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/game-evolutionary/ · MathWorld, Minimax Theorem: https://archive.lib.msu.edu/crcmath/math/math/m/m254.htm 🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com 📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h 🌍 Let's Connect!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/math.science.history Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathsciencehistory LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/math-science-history/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@math.science.history Mastodon: https://mathsciencehistory@mathstodon.xyz YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mathsciencehistory 🎧 Enjoying the Podcast? ☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show! Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs! Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers I Love Math by Gabrielle Birchak – all rights reserved The Secret to Growing Up by Lee Rosevere - public domain from Pixabay Until next time, carpe diem!
    Show More Show Less
    17 mins
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