Sum of All Parts

ABC

Sum of All Parts tells extraordinary stories about the unseen influence that numbers have on the way we think, feel and behave.

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20 episodes
Updated Feb 20, 2020

Episodes20

Newest first

Feb 20, 2020 · 27 min
16.2 How we evacuate
How would you react if you received this SMS? BUSHFIRE WARNING. LEAVE NOW. When we evacuate from a bushfire, we fall into one of seven types of evacuee; from Threat Deniers, to Worried Waverers, to Experienced Independents. This is the story of a bad evacuee turned good.
Feb 14, 2020 · 25 min
16.1 Fact checking the fire season
During the recent Australian bushfire crisis, numbers gave us a sense of the unprecedented scale of the disaster; 12.6 million hectares burnt, 431 megatons of carbon dioxide emitted, one billion animals killed. But where do these numbers come from?
Sep 26, 2019 · 30 min
15.0 An unusual pattern
Is Benjamin Geen a killer, or the unluckiest guy in England?
Sep 19, 2019 · 25 min
14.0 The labradoodle of regret
Wally Conron invented the labradoodle, one of the world's most popular dogs. He now considers the breed his "life's regret".
Aug 15, 2019 · 22 min
13.1 Electronic music’s origin story [BONUS]
Where and when did a digital computer play music for the first time?
Aug 8, 2019 · 26 min
13.0 Chiptune
How do you turn a Nintendo Game Boy into a musical instrument?
Jul 4, 2019 · 26 min
12.0 The Tattoowierer
Who was the tattooist of Auschwitz?
Jun 25, 2019 · 3 min
11.1 The hidden extinction [BONUS]
Who knew there was a hidden dinosaur extinction?
Jun 20, 2019 · 33 min
11.0 Dino explosion!
Why does my three-year-old know more about dinosaurs than I do?
Jun 6, 2019 · 33 min
10.0 One, two, three, four!
What can Radiohead tell us about our ancient connection to rhythm?
Jun 29, 2018 · 13 min
9.4 Remembering Maryam Mirzakhani (SOAP presents.. Ockham's Razor)
Professor Maryam Mirzakhani was the first woman to win the prestigious Fields Medal. She died in 2017.
Jun 22, 2018 · 18 min
9.3 Zillions (SOAP presents.. The Allusionist)
Zillion. Squillion. Kajillion. What are these numbers?
Jun 15, 2018 · 28 min
9.2 Wrong Number (SOAP presents.. Twenty Thousand Hertz)
From calls intended for a phone sex line, to mis-tweeted phone numbers, these stories are from the world of wrong numbers.
Jun 8, 2018 · 36 min
9.1 Six Degrees (SOAP presents.. Undiscovered)
“Six degrees of separation” is the idea that you can connect any two people in the world by no more than six friend-to-friend steps. But how does the concept hold up when you dig into the science?
Jun 7, 2018 · 1 min
9.0 Presenting.. SOAP presents..
Coming in late 2018: Sum of All Parts season 2! But in the meantime, a special treat - SOAP presents.. A month of our favourite stories from the world of numbers made by friends of the show.
Dec 1, 2017 · 29 min
8.0 A tale of two drugs [BONUS]
Two drugs; the old and the new, the known and the unknown. And the delicate tipping point between efficiency and chaos. This story was produced for the ABC podcast Science Friction.
Nov 7, 2017 · 10 min
7.1 Two Trains [BONUS]
Two Trains tells the story of income inequality along the New York City 2 Train.
Nov 3, 2017 · 25 min
7.0 The sound of seizure
Brant Guichard has heard The Music for as long as he can remember.
Oct 31, 2017 · 5 min
6.1 Slow down, George Solo-son [BONUS]
Did George Harrison "cheat" the solo to A Hard Day's Night?
Oct 26, 2017 · 22 min
6.0 Magical Mystery Chord
No one’s sure exactly how the most famous chord in popular music was played. Until now.