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Marcus du Sautoy's Five Shapes

Mathematician Marcus du Sautoy tours the world to find some of his favourite forms: the cube, the pyramid, the sphere, the bagel and the blob.

Radio 4,5 episodes

Episodes

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The Blob
From globular cartoon characters to curvy cars, the blob has always been around.
23 Sep 2005,14 mins
The Bagel
The bagel is not just a good shape for baking. It's also good for office complexes.
22 Sep 2005,14 mins
The Sphere
The sphere's perfect form is the most economical shape for containing matter.
21 Sep 2005,14 mins
The Pyramid
The Pyramid: a classic shape to bury Pharoahs and an influence on modern designers.
20 Sep 2005,14 mins
The Cube
Why isn't the cube form used more often? And what does it look like in four dimensions?
19 Sep 2005,14 mins