The government is about to talk balls | ...thanks to comedy mathematician Matt Parker

The government is about to talk balls

...thanks to comedy mathematician Matt Parker

comedyIt's probably not THE biggest scandal in football – but comedy mathematician Matt Parker has become vexed by the roadsigns directing fans to stadiums.

Parker, one third of the Festival of the Spoken Nerd team, is campaigning for a change in the logo used, because it is geometrically inaccurate.

The football shown on the signs is made entirely of hexagons – but it is mathematically impossible to construct a sphere using only hexagons; you need a mix of hexagons and pentagons.

And his campaign to bring about a change is gathering support. A online petition has reached 18,243 signatures – meaning it has exceeded the threshold needed to receive a response from government .

Parker argues that changing the sign will 'help raise public awareness and appreciation of geometry'.

If you agree, you can sign the petition here.

Here he is explaining the maths:

Published: 17 Oct 2017

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