15 Times Math Helped In Very Non-Mathy Situations

With data analysis becoming increasingly prevalent in society, it was only a matter of time before it began to revolutionize the world of soccer. Soccer has always been a game that relies heavily on instinct and split-second decision making; however, with the introduction of detailed performance analysis, players are now able to make more informed decisions on the pitch. This shift has resulted in strikers shooting less from a distance and wingers passing instead of crossing, as they look to capitalize on their teammates' strengths.

While some older athletes may be resentful of this nerd takeover, there is no denying that data-driven methods have yielded better results than traditional ones. In fact, data has actually enhanced the viewing experience by providing new ways for us to understand and appreciate sport. For example, concepts like 3 > 2 would not have existed without SportVU cameras tracking player movements throughout an NBA game. These little cameras sparked a whole decade worth of changes in how basketball is played; we see pace acceleration and record numbers of three-point attempts per game, because coaches can now rely on concrete evidence when making strategic decisions regarding playing style.

15 The 'Futurama' theorem: no matter how many mind swaps have been made, they can all be undone with only two extra people.

n I CFi i A 1-dt The Futurama Theorem. Created by Futurama writer Ken Keeler for the Season 6 episode The Prisoner of Benda, this states that regardless of how many mind switches between two bodies have been made, they can still all be restored to their original bodies using only two extra people. CRACKED — *Comedy Central*
The Infosphere

14 Apple's shuffle function was "too random," so they changed the probability math to make it less random.

Apple's shuffle function had to be de-randomized. True randomness is hard to synthesize, but Apple may have cracked the code. They've repeatedly tinkered with their shuffle feature, based on user feedback that it was sometimes too random. P A = (2 EOQ = CRACKED — *Kaspars Grinvalds/Shutterstock*
Maths Careers

13 The data on IMDb can be used to see how successful a particular concept will be.

- - P - - - - - S = Andor - - - n 1-nd CFi H P IMDb data is used for film research. The data on IMDb can be theorized through tables, graphs, and charts, from broad to highly specific categories. Studios can get an idea of whether a particular concept will be leading the box office charts, or crashing before it even starts. I - - - - - adidas - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . - - I - - (2 I - - EOCRACKED — *IMDB*
Analytic Steps

12 The NBA has changed a lot in the last decade, all thanks to some little cameras.

The NBA installed I I tons of tiny cameras. i - 8an MP P=S(1-n-d) Since 2013, SportVU cameras have tracked players' movements, which has led to an almost unrecognizable pace of acceleration and record numbers of 3-point attempts per game, thanks to the concept of 3 > 2. CRACKED — *Alex Kravtsov/Shutterstock*
*Sports Illustrated*

11 This scientist is all about population genetics and understanding how variations occur over time.

dFB W Extrapolating evolutionary fitness. Dr. Fern Hunt's work focuses on applying probability to understand how genetics are transmitted within a population. Combining information about genetics with how populations move and the rate at which they reproduce, biologists can hypothesize about the evolutionary fitness of a particular group. CRACKED — *Ondrej Prosicky/Shutterstock*
ORIGO Education

10 . It takes five good things to make up for one bad thing in a marriage, according to researchers.

CRACKED -n.d. Marriage mathematics. It takes five positive interactions to overcome one negative interaction in a marriage. Researchers Gottman and Levenson found this ratio may be key to happy, stable marriages. 12xFx0 EOQ — *Sanja_85/Shutterstock*
The Gottman Institute

9 XronoMorph can create new musical structures based on two mathematical models.

TRACKS 5 P M FingerSining 2 5 P g FingerString S P g RideCrash b 8 P M Ridelle S P M BassPlak S P g BassThumb 7 S P с HHatClosed E я P M HiTomFon S P 1 C LoTomCong 10 S P E Glas 11 S P M HiTomFon 12 R P M Kick ILL DE UR UC eventeer note dur (mo) via chn send to Tracks POLYGON xxxx 13 8 R C 1.50 a 100 A44 200 94 3 2 I . 5 R с 1.67 0.986 03 80 100 2 E F 5 3 R — *Viachaslau Kraskouski/Shutterstock*, *XronoMorph/YouTube*
*The Conversation*

8 This new approach could be a game-changer for skin graft patients.

n 1 2 = E I i A Ip Math can improve skin graft procedures. Studies have found that, by using mathematical models, success rates for this extremely complicated reconstructive surgery could be boosted. CRACKED — *Gerain0812/Shutterstock*
Maths Careers

7 Data is changing the face of soccer, from how transfers are made to how coaches make decisions.

P CFi m Z E Data is changing the way soccer is played. Performance data is sent to players within minutes of the final whistle, giving them detailed feedback. These insights have caused strikers to shoot less frequently from a distance, and wingers to pass more often. CRACKED EOG — *EFKS/Shutterstock*
*Nature*

6 Jocks get a boost from math nerds.

Jocks get a boost from math nerds. Motion analysis is used to understand how an athlete's foot moves within a running shoe, allowing for shoes with better mechanical properties to be created. P A IL 1-dt +i) p PTP-LO A CRACKED — *Just Life/Shutterstock*
*Plus Magazine*

5 This class is for music and math nerds who want to nerd out even more.

Harvard's Applied Mathematics 141г: Computational Music Theory This class combines math, programming, and music theory to produce a uniquely quantitative study of what has traditionally been perceived to be a humanist field. 1-dt Service mont 1001 - - L.1.00 0:00.000 ame AND - - P LC A T (2 EOQ CRACKED = — *Filippo Carlot/Shutterstock*
*The Harvard Crimson*

4 Hollywood is using data to make better decisions about films.

P S P 10.0000 - / - - - - Data is essential throughout the filmmaking process, Hollywood is analytics to help determine which scripts to greenlight, who's chosen to direct, etc. In order for different companies to share information without running into siloed data problems, they've had teams clean up and organize decades worth of data. CRACKED — *Nicoleta Ionescu/Shutterstock*
Towards Data Science

3 There's a website for people who want to analyze films with numbers and get nerdy about it.

Cinemetrics, a website devoted to the quantitative study of film. Film historian Yuri Tsivian believes statistical analysis of quantitative elements in films can offer new insights. His site gives researchers access to open- source film measurement software and publishes the data for scholars around the world. Cinemetrics CINEMETRICS Number of shots: 17 Last shot's length: 0.7 see Average shot length: 1.7 Sec BCU CU MCU MS MLS FS LS Other Pause End & Save (2xF 00:00:33.4 EOQ = T1 CRACKED — *zef art/Shutterstock, Cinemetrics*
University of Chicago News

2 Whoa, physicists just figured out how to make information more robust by shooting lasers at atoms in a Fibonacci sequence.

CRACKED Scientists used lasers and Fibonacci to create a new phase of matter. A= I de Physicists shot a laser at atoms in a Fibonacci sequence, and found that it created a new phase of matter. This new phase is more robust in preserving information than the current methods used. — *Andrey VP/Shutterstock*
The Byte

1 Nerds are slowly taking over professional sports in America, to the chagrin of some older athletes.

The nerds are coming for American sports. n m 2 27 5 Data-driven analysis is yielding better results than traditional methods, which has enhanced the viewing experience by unearthing new ways of understanding and appreciating sport. CRACKED — *Eugene Onischenko/Shutterstock*
*The Guardian*

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