36 min listen
Cautionary Conversation: Flying on Empty
Cautionary Conversation: Flying on Empty
ratings:
Length:
32 minutes
Released:
Sep 9, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
A meter is shorter than a yard. An ounce is heavier than a gram. We harmlessly mix them up sometimes, but a "unit conversion error" when you're filling up the fuel tanks of an airliner can be fatal. Which is exactly what happened to Air Canada Flight 143.
Tim Harford talks to mathematician and comedian Matt Parker about how the aircraft came to take off without the proper fuel load, how no one noticed until it was too late, and why such errors give us an insight into just how important maths is to keeping our complex world working as it should.
For more "unit conversion errors" check out Matt's book Humble Pi.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tim Harford talks to mathematician and comedian Matt Parker about how the aircraft came to take off without the proper fuel load, how no one noticed until it was too late, and why such errors give us an insight into just how important maths is to keeping our complex world working as it should.
For more "unit conversion errors" check out Matt's book Humble Pi.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Released:
Sep 9, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Buried by the Wall Street Crash: A tale of two men who faced ruin because they thought they could predict the financial future... and how one bounced back. by Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford