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Clutching at Random Straws, Matt Parker | LMS Popular Lectures 2010

London Mathematical Society

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  • Recommended by 2 people: 2 on Hacker News.
  • A classic. People kept recommending it from 2017 to 2024.
  • Presented by Matt Parker, mathematician and communicator

Beginner. No background in the topic needed.

600K views12 years ago2 recommendations

Computer scienceMath for programmersComputation and complexity

Matt Parker explores how humans actively pattern-match random data, demonstrating how seemingly incredible alignments are actually mathematically meaningless.

Did aliens help prehistoric Britons find the ancient Woolworths civilisation? And what does tying your shoelaces have to do with DNA? Matt Parker explores how seemingly incredible results can actually be meaningless random patterns. ========== The London Mathematical Society has, since 1865, been the UK's learned society for the advancement, dissemination and promotion of mathematical knowledge. Our mission is to advance mathematics through our members and the broader scientific community worldwide. For further information: ► Website: lms.ac.uk ► Events: lms.ac.uk/events ► Grants and Prizes: lms.ac.uk/grants-prizes ► Publications: lms.ac.uk/publications ► Membership: lms.ac.uk/membership Follow us: ► Twitter: twitter.com/LondMathSoc ► Facebook: facebook.com/londonmathematicalsociety ► LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-london-mathematical-society/ ► Youtube: @LondonMathematicalSociety

Why it's here

2 people recommend this

What people say. Recommended as an entertaining and informative explanation of how the human brain falsely perceives patterns in random data.

Tistronon Hacker News • Recommends

On “FBI Investigation: “Louie Louie”, The Song (1964)”

Matt Parker (standupmath at youtube) does a presentation he calls "Clutching at Random Straws". It doesn't, as far as I can recall, specifically deal with Mondegreens, but about 38 minutes in he does a fun demonstration of how perception is a process of actively patternmatching for what we expect: link to this video
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OnACoffeeBreakon Hacker News • Recommends

On “Saint Michael Sword: Are the cathedrals really on a straight line?”

Matt Parker ("Stand up Maths" channel on YouTube) gave a very informative and entertaining lecture in 2010 titled "Clutching at Random Straws" 0, which, among other things, covered something similar. From the subtitle of the video: "Did aliens help prehistoric Britons find the ancient Woolworths civilisation?" The answer is "no". Given enough data points, you can find all sorts of patterns. 0: link to this video
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rgoulteron Hacker News • Mentions

On “To be energy-efficient, brains predict their perceptions”

One more demonstration like this is in Matt Parker's "Clutching at Random Straws" lecture. link to this video
View on Hacker News