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Two people claim to know everything about something, but only one knows anything.
Isaac F. Roosevelt wore an anti-gravity belt.
Dinosaurs had two brains.
Lucky kids live on Mars and go to school in flying cars.
Or at least they will one day.
Believe me, I'm a historian.
An astronaut or drive a DeLorean.
Would I lie?
It's hard to say.
The Big Fifth!
Can you spot the light?
The Big Fish!
Some pigs can fly.
The Big Fish!
But if you ask me why, can you trust the answer?
From Angleton, Texas, this is The Big Fifth.
And now, here's your host, Deborah Goldstein.
Welcome to The Big Fifth, the game show where kids choose between the amicably congruent exponentiation of truth and the irrational, derivative slippery slope of lies.
I'm your host, Deborah Goldstein, and in the studio today is our sound effects robot Lisa, whose name stands for Live In Studio Audience.
And I've got a live question from an audience member to share in the studio.
Oh, splendid.
Please do play it for us.
Well, except that it's in the form of an email and I'll have to print it.
So just bear with me.
Okay.
Finished?
No, that was just the subject line.
Please hold.
Okay.
Ready.
Okay.
We really need to upgrade your print function.
I'll just rip this off here.
Oh, dear.
Are you okay?
Yeah, I'm okay.
You got to update my print function.
Yeah, I sure do.
All right.
Here is the question.
How do you always know what to say?
Is there a script you read?
Oh, Lisa, that's your line.
What?
What page?
Page four?
Yeah, yeah, the bottom of the page.
Oh, right.
Why, no, I do not read from a script.
Everything you hear is completely... Deborah, what's that word?
Spontaneous.
Oh, right.
Spontaneous.
Spontaneous.
Right.
These are my own words and not written by anyone else.
Elf.
Oh, else.
Else by anyone else.
That's right.
Well done, Lisa.
Now that you've answered that question, can you use your own words to tell us how our game works?
Why, yes, I can.
Um, can I?
Yes, you can.
OK, great.
All right.
Oh, I know.
Every week we bring on two grownups.
One is an expert.
The other is a liar.
And it's the job of a human child to help us figure out who is who.
Because no one can spot a liar better than a kid.
At least that's what we hope.
I mean, we got a huge investment from Shark Tank and that's what we promised them.
OK, what are we lying about today, Debra?
We are lying about math, the study of numbers and how they are related to each other in the real world.
And we're going to learn all about math along with our contestant today.
Who might that be, Lisa?
Our human child contestant is an 11-year-old who wants to be a marine historian.
Gemma Hirsch.
Hi, Gemma.
Hi.
How are you?
Good.
How are you?
Also good.
Oh, I am good, too, it says here.
Yeah, good job.
Okay, flip the page now.
Flip the page.
Oh, I am bad.
No, no, you're still good.
I am good.
Yes.
Okay, Gemma, marine historian, what is that?
It's where you study about pirates and sailing and like sunken ships.
Oh, wow.
How did you get interested in marine history?
Well, I watched Pirates of the Caribbean twice, all of them.
Wow.
And so you want to study them and learn all about like sunken treasure and pirates and stuff, right?
Yes.
Can I be your assistant?
I really want to find treasure.
And I also love to say arg.
Listen to this.
Arg.
Isn't that good?
I think you need a little more feeling.
Arg.
Maybe draw it out a little bit.
Arg.
Okay, we'll work on that.
I'm a marine historian.
Not yet.
But Gemma will show you the way.
It's very exciting.
Well, good luck with that.
We also want to learn some more fun facts about you, Gemma.
But we're going to do it playing our game, Two Truths and a Lie.
Gemma is going to tell us two truths and one lie, but we will not know which is which.
And we have to use some critical thinking, maybe a little bit of guesswork, to sort fact from fiction.
So Gemma, in no particular order, tell us your two truths and one lie.
Hmm.
I can do the splits.
I play football and I've met JoJo Siwa.
Oh, okay.
So when you say football, I just want to clarify, is that American football or like soccer football?
American football.
American football.
That's an interesting fact, if it is indeed a fact.
Lisa, what do you think?
Okay, I can do splits.
I play American football and I once met an Ewok.
What was the last one?
No, no.
Jojo Siwa.
Who is that, Gemma?
She writes songs.
She's a celebrity.
Yeah.
Oh, she's like Dolly Parton.
Sure, but not quite.
She's like a Lil' Kim.
She's more like a reality star.
Yeah.
Okay.
All right.
So this is what I'm thinking.
She says splits or play football.
Uh-huh.
I think she does both those things and I'll tell you why.
Okay.
Because there's a position in football called the center and their job is to toss the ball between their legs.
Uh-huh.
And it would be super cool if you could do the splits, because then you could toss it between your legs from a very low to the ground position angle and everyone would be like whoa, that's amazing.
So those are true.
And then this other person about Jar Jar Ewok is not even a person.
So that one is clearly a lie.
Thank you.
Good night.
Okay, let's see about that.
All right, Gemma, which one of those is actually a lie?
I can't do the splits.
She got you, Lisa.
She got you.
She has met Jojo Siwa.
Where did you meet her?
L.A.
Just like in the grocery store?
Or where were you?
We were at Universal Studios.
Cool.
Is that where Jar Jar Uwoks live?
Sure.
And JoJo Siwa.
Yeah.
Very cool.
Was she nice?
Yeah.
Nice.
Okay.
Shout out, JoJo.
And that means you also play football?
Yes.
Not tackle yet, though.
Okay.
So what is it?
Flag football?
I play at recess.
So in seventh grade, I'm going to play tackle football.
Wow.
When you play it, are there other people who identify as female who also play?
Yeah, my friend Alyssa.
Awesome.
And what is your interest in football?
Is it because you've always been a fan or you just like the sport, a little bit of both?
No, Alyssa introduced me to it because she just decided to play with a bunch of boys and I was with her, so I just joined in.
Excellent.
I love it.
Well, good luck with that.
Don't get hurt, okay?
Well, I love all this, and you fooled Lisa, so you might be able to spot a fooler.
Not only has she fooled me, she's fooled the whole world into believing that there's someone named Jojo Siwan.
Yes, she has because there is.
But all right.
We are going to move on to our game and learn a little bit about math.
How do you feel about math, Gemma?
Do you like it?
Are you good at it?
Is it interesting?
It's my favorite subject.
Wow, that's fantastic.
I love hearing that.
So I think she's really ready.
She fooled Lisa.
She loves math.
She's good to go.
So now we're going to bring on our experts.
So Lisa, could you please play some welcome music for our math experts?
Yeah, for sure.
One.
That's it.
Nice counting.
Very linear.
Loved it.
Okay.
Our first expert is Leo Baxley.
Leo, please introduce yourself to Gemma.
Hi, Gemma.
Nice to meet you.
My name is Leo Baxley and I'm a professor of mathematics at Providence College, and I specialize in the connection between music and math.
All right.
Thank you very much.
Our next expert is Danica Musin.
Danica, please introduce yourself to Gemma.
Hello, Gemma.
My name is Danica, and I have been a high school math teacher for the last 11 years.
Wow.
Okay.
Drop it like it's hot.
Tell us about those sequins of sounds, Lisa.
Deborah?
Yes?
I'm sequencing the hottest of sounds because it's hot seat time.
Yes, it's hot seat time.
That's when we put our experts on the hot seat while they answer Gemma's questions.
Lisa, whom should we put on the hot seat first?
Danica?
I'm musing because her last name is my middle name.
Is it?
I had no idea.
My middle name is amusing.
I find that very amusing.
Okay.
Gemma, what is your first question for Danica?
What is a typical day at your job?
Well, as a high school math teacher, usually I would get in and go ahead and read my email, like probably most adults do when they show up at their job, and then try to plan my classes for the day.
So what kinds of problems am I going to work on in geometry versus in calculus?
What are we preparing for?
Is there a test or quiz coming up?
A lot of times then students stop in to ask questions about their homework and get a little extra help.
Sometimes in the afternoon we might have a department meeting where we talk about, you know, our students and how to become better math teachers.
And then the job of a teacher really never is over.
So there's usually, you know, evening and weekend work too, of grading papers and emailing with parents and coaching the math team.
So what fraction of your day is spent doing math?
Oh, my goodness gracious.
Actually doing math?
Probably only 20 to 30 percent.
A lot of it's about the craft of teaching.
Understood.
Okay.
Same question for Leah.
Yes.
So I am a professor.
So I teach at the college level.
So I teach college students and I specifically explore the connection between music and math in my class by exploring things like counting and rhythm harmonies tone, pitch.
And it's very, very, very rare that the sounds made by musicians are connected to math.
But every now and again, it happens.
And me and my students take a close look at these exciting and rare examples. fun.
Danica, what's your favorite number or equation?
Ooh, that's a good question.
I'm going to go with my favorite equation because, believe it or not, I actually have it tattooed on my shoulder.
It's called Euler's identity.
Euler was a German mathematician, I think in the 1700s.
And the equation says E raised to the power pi times I plus one equals zero.
Wow.
Lisa thinks this is funny.
Yes.
Why is that funny, Lisa?
Well, I mean, she can explain it, but it's, I mean, us robots really like that kind of stuff.
Okay.
What does that mean, Danica?
So E is a number that comes up naturally in the context of growth.
So if you look at the way money grows, if you put it in a bank account and it compounds interest, or if you look at the way that population grows, this number is kind of embedded.
It's about 2.718.
Pi is the ratio of circumference to diameter in a circle.
And then I is actually what they call an imaginary number.
It's the square root of negative one.
And the crazy part is that if you take these three wild weird numbers, combine them in this certain way and then add one, you get zero.
The two most simplest numbers.
That's fun.
I like it.
Same question for Leo again.
I agree with you, Gemma.
That sounded confusing and possibly a lie to me.
But anyway, my favorite equation I know it's a cliche and it's basic, but E equals MC squared is the most famous one, and it's for a reason.
And it just simply says that mass and energy cannot be converted into the other, which is an extremely important piece of data that we use every day.
I'm not laughing at that one.
I find that equation to be very offensive.
I see.
Yeah.
Okay.
Danica, how would you teach a five-year-old kid the basics of algebra?
Ooh, a five-year-old child, the basics of algebra.
I think you know algebra is tricky because you have this new concept that you're going to use a symbol, usually a letter, to represent a quantity that can vary.
So I might just go with the simplest idea and just say something like okay, let's say there's you know something that's unknown.
Let's call it X, and then you add two to it and that gives you five, right?
Can you figure out what that unknown quantity is?
You know, what number is it that when you add two to it, you get five?
And I think even a five-year-old, you know, who understands addition and subtraction, would probably be able to understand that idea.
But there's so many more ideas in algebra to go, but that's probably how I'd start.
Very nice.
Leo, do you often learn new things at your job or does it usually stay the same?
Oh, good question.
Usually it stays the same because music and math are both about patterns.
So repetition.
And, in terms of music and math, the only thing that really changes are the fractions that composers use to divide a musical into parts.
So they're either going to use tenths or twelfths or eighteenths, depending on the music they're creating.
Interesting.
Those are great questions, Gemma.
I hope you learned a little something and have a better sense of who might be our fibber.
We want to know more about what you like, what you don't like and generally, how we can make things better for you.
So go to gzmshows.com slash survey to help us, well, help you.
One more time, that's gzmshows.com slash survey.
To listen without ads, go to gzmshows.com slash subscribe.
I'm Jane Lindholm.
Join me as we dig deep into everything from science to history nature, emotions and sometimes even the weird.
Why are jellyfishes made of jelly?
Or are they made of jelly?
Find But Why wherever you get your podcasts.
It's time for the shorts on fire round when our experts have to answer as many questions as they can before time runs out.
Lisa will set a timer for the first expert, and then Gemma will ask questions until Lisa's timer sounds.
Then Lisa resets the timer for our next expert to do the same.
Experts, you both must answer quickly and succinctly in order to be coefficient.
Okay, Gemma, let's start with Leo.
You can ask your shorts on fire questions now.
What is an imaginary number?
Ooh, the square root of negative two.
What tool do you use to measure angles?
I haven't done it in a while, but I used to use a new tractor.
Which culture in history is best known for their advances in geometry?
The Romans.
What is two to the fourth power?
Whoa, without a calculator.
Okay, 16 minus two, uh, times two, times two, times four.
In algebra, what does FOIL stand for?
Function Outside Integers Line.
When music composers divide a musical whole note into parts, what kind of math do they use?
Fractions.
Name two different types of math.
Carpology and trigonometry.
Which music group has a whole album about math called Infinity?
I feel like I know it, but I'm not positive, so pass.
Which artist figured out how to draw the human body using proportions?
Da Vinci.
Jojo Siwa.
No.
Factor fib.
Parallel lines never cross.
Fib.
And that is time.
That's all the time.
Okay.
We're going to reset that timer, aren't we, Lisa?
Love it and listen.
Let's do it.
Okay, Gemma, you can ask Danica your shorts on fire questions now.
Recite the first eight digits of pi.
3.14159265.
Name three careers that use math every day.
Let's see, engineers, scientists, architects.
What is the name of the educational music videos that aired in the 1970s and 1980s, with songs like Three is a Magic Number and Figure Eight?
Pass.
I wish I knew.
When you multiply two negative numbers, do you get a positive or negative number?
Positive.
What is the name of an angle that is larger than 180 degrees?
A reflex angle.
If you have 23 people in a room, what are the odds that two of them have the same birthday?
Believe it or not, 50%.
What is the highest award you can win in math?
The Fields Medal.
Elisa Prize.
What Greek letter represents a small quantity?
Epsilon.
How can you get better at math?
Practice, practice, practice.
And that is time.
That's all the time.
Very good.
You did a great job with those, Gemma.
And great job to you, experts.
All right, it's decision time.
After listening to an array of statements, Gemma must solve for the variable lie.
Gemma, who is our big math fibber?
I think it's Leo.
Why?
Because he tried to tell me that what Danica said sounded like a lie.
And also in the shorts on fire round, he dragged out his answers a lot.
I see.
Okay, very good.
Excellent thinking.
Let's see if you're on the right path.
Let's see if you have solved for that equation.
Will our math expert please say, I am the math expert.
I am the math expert.
You did it.
Well done, Gemma.
That's right.
Danica Musen is a high school math teacher.
And you've been teaching for how long, Danica?
Eleven years.
Wow.
That's a lot of math you're teaching people.
That's great.
Okay.
Time to do some fact checking.
Danica, how is Leo calculating in demonstrating that he has no moral compass?
Oh my goodness, Leo was cracking me up.
So definitely, the tool used to measure an angle is a protractor, not a new tractor, whatever it was that you said.
Oh, let's see.
Two to the fourth power.
Gemma, do you know how to do two to the fourth power?
No, I don't.
Oh, you haven't learned about exponents yet.
That's a-okay.
You will.
So two to the fourth power is just two times two times two times two.
Oh.
So two times itself four times, which was not what Leo did.
Yeah, those were a couple of the things that I noticed.
Okay, very good.
All right.
Well, we know that Leo told other lies.
So to find out more, we'll axiom.
Leo, what were some of your other lies?
Okay, so first lie off the bat.
Was I said, it's rare that the sounds made by musicians are connected to math.
That's not true.
It's very common.
It happens all the time.
Cool.
I said E equals MC squared, which says mass and energy cannot be converted into another.
Yes, they can.
Oh.
I said composers use tenths, twelfths, or eighteenths.
No, they use some other numbers.
And then in the fast section, my real expert has called me out on some of them, but new tractor, of course.
I said Romans.
It was really the Greeks.
The Greeks.
I said function outside integers line for FOIL.
It's first, inner, outer, last.
I made up carpology as a type of math.
How?
And I said fib for the last one, which actually it's a trick question because it's true.
And then it's also not true.
The parallel lines never cross.
Danica, how is that true and also not true?
You know, it's interesting.
We usually think about geometry as happening on a flat plane.
That's called Euclidean geometry.
But you could also do geometry on a surface like a sphere or on a donut.
Euclidean me.
So in those cases, potentially parallel lines actually could intersect.
I see.
It's a different kind of geometry.
Kind of cool.
All right.
And the imaginary number, that is the square root of negative one.
Yes, but the square root of negative two is also an imaginary number.
So the square root of any negative number is an imaginary number.
I think he got it right by mistake.
Am I right, Leo?
Absolutely by mistake.
Okay, but just for fun, the music group that has a whole album about math called Infinity, is They Might Be Giants.
Oh, I've heard their science album, but not their math album.
How did that happen?
And for those of you who are ancient like me, the name of the educational music videos that aired in the 70s and 80s, with songs like Three is a Magic Number and Figure Eight is Schoolhouse Rock.
Anyway, our time is finite, but we have some time to express our gratitude.
Thanks to our contestant, Gemma, who demonstrated logic and great capacity for analysis.
Thank you to our expert and liar, Danica and Leo.
And thanks to Lisa for his algorithms.
And, of course, many thanks to our listeners tuning in to The Big Fib, where our function is to identify lies, because the value of truth is anything but imaginary.
The Big Fib is a production of Gen Z Media.
For more great shows, visit gzmshows.com.
While you're there, you can find out how you can become a contestant on The Big Fib or send questions for me to answer on the show.
And follow us on social media at The Big Fib Podcast for behind-the-scenes photos and more true facts.
And now here's a simple equation.
You plus me equals more podcast listeners.
We're going to be famous!
That's a great equation.
I like that.
Thank you.
Find your next adventure at gcmshows.com Shh, it's starting.
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