Numberphile

Numberphile is a maths channel made by the video journalist Brady Haran since 2011. Each video features a mathematician explaining one idea, usually by writing on brown paper.

The topics range widely. Some videos tackle puzzles and games, others explain famous unsolved problems or recent research. Guests include university researchers and well known maths communicators. The interviews are relaxed and conversational, and viewers are encouraged to follow the reasoning rather than memorise results. Many videos run for ten to thirty minutes, giving time for a proper explanation.

Some highlights include:

A wartime problem shows how statisticians estimated the number of enemy tanks from their serial numbers.

A discussion of recent AI-assisted work on the Navier-Stokes equations, which describe how fluids flow.

The board game Catan is simulated billions of times to see what the numbers say about winning strategies.

The channel has over 4.7 million subscribers.

Maths is the language of engineering, and this channel shows it as something alive and surprising. The Navier-Stokes equations are used every day by aerospace and mechanical engineers to model air and water. The tank problem shows how statistics turn limited data into useful estimates. It suits anyone weighing up A level maths or further maths. Many videos also show mathematicians talking about how they got into the subject, which helps viewers picture where a maths-heavy course could lead.