Are there more possible games of chess than atoms in the universe?
We investigate how the vast possibilities in a game of chess compare to the vastness of the observable universe.
We investigate how the vast possibilities in a game of chess compare to the vastness of the observable universe.
Dr James Grime helps us understand the Shannon number – a famous figure on the chess side of the equation - and astronomer Professor Catherine Heymans takes on the entire observable universe.
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producers: Debbie Richford and Nathan Gower
Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Sound Mix: Andy Fell
Editor: Richard Vadon
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Broadcasts
- Sat 20 Jan 202405:50GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
- Sat 20 Jan 202411:50GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & Europe and the Middle East only
- Sat 20 Jan 202416:50GMTBBC World Service News Internet
- Sun 21 Jan 202409:50GMTBBC World Service West and Central Africa
- Sun 21 Jan 202411:50GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
- Sun 21 Jan 202422:50GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Mon 22 Jan 202400:50GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
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Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics used in everyday life
