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What is "rare"?
When we say something is rare what do we mean?
Fact-checking US gun-crime statistics
Tim Harford investigates the numbers in the debate on firearms deaths.
Numbers of 2012
Tim Harford and guests look back at the most surprising statistics of 2012.
The Parable of the Ox
Tim Harford tells us about a 'guess the weight of the ox' competition.
Food waste and Scrabble
Reports this week suggest that we are wasting 50 per cent of our food globally.
Indian Farmer Suicides
This week Ruth Alexander is looking at farmer suicides in India
Fat or Fiction
A 鈥榥ew鈥 BMI calculation has been proposed by Oxford Mathematician Professor Nick Trefethen
A case of statistical significance in Greece
The case of Andreas Georgiou, head of the Greek statistics agency, charged with treason
The end of the penny.
Canada has stopped distributing its smallest coin 鈥搕he one cent or the penny.
How many people support Manchester United ?
This week Ruth Alexander asks whether Manchester United claim 650 million fans worldwide.
Counting Catholics
Tim Harford asks how the figure of 1.2 billion Catholics world-wide is calculated.
Is the Kenyan election already decided?
Do Kenyans vote along ethnic lines? More Or Less investigates.
HIV in numbers
With the news that a baby has been 鈥榗ured鈥 of HIV we look at the numbers.
Are there more black men in college or prison in the US?
Last week the US Speaker said that there were more black men in prison than in college.
Can big data save lives?
Ruth Alexander speaks to Kenneth Cukier about how data can be used.
That's not much gold
What if a super-villain took control of the world鈥檚 gold and melted it into a cube?
Communicating Risk
It's the 4th anniversary of the earthquake which devastated the city of L鈥橝quila in Italy.
Margaret Thatcher in numbers
Baroness Margaret Thatcher, who died aged 87, was Britain鈥檚 first female prime minister.
Austerity: A Spreadsheet Error?
The story of the student who uncovered a mistake in a famous economic paper
Are Manchester United a one-man team?
Lead scorer power calculated; and, maths problems raised in the Kercher murder case
The Maths of Mozart and Birds
The maths behind Mozart's opera The Magic Flute
How do you calculate a dog鈥檚 true age?
It is often said that one dog year equals seven human years. But is it true?
Cancer Risk and Romanian crime
Assesing the probabilities of cancer and is the UK suffering a Romanian crime wave?
Ryanair punctuality; mistakes in academic papers
Ryanair claims that more than 90% of its flights land on time but do the numbers prove it?
The Maths of Spies and Terrorists
How feasible is it for the authorities to keep track of everyone on their watch list?
Sex on the Brain?
It is often said that men think about sex every seven seconds, but is it true?
Does a Child Die From Hunger Every 15 Seconds?
It is a popular statistic used by celebrities and charity campaigners but is it true?
Will 40 per cent of the world's workforce really be in Africa by 2050?
How do we calculate future population projections in Africa?
How Long Will You Live?
Why life expectancy around the world has increased by six years in the past two decades
Does sex really make the world wide web go round?
Is the internet really 37% porn and does American football have a crime problem?