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The Math Dude Quick and Dirty Tips to Make Math Easier

by QuickAndDirtyTips.com

The Math Dude makes understanding math easier and more fun than you ever thought possible. Host Dr. Jason Marshall provides clear explanations of math terms and principles, and his simple tricks for solving basic algebra problems will have even the most mathphobic looking forward to working out whatever math problem comes their way. If you're getting ready to take the SAT, GRE, or any of the other standardized tests; or if you're going back to school and need to brush up on the basics, Math Dude's Quick and Dirty Tips to Make Math Easier will strengthen your fundamental skills and help you understand the language of math. And if you just want to calculate the tip without using your iPhone and impress all your friends, his tips and tricks are for you too.

From the show's RSS feed, refreshed Apr 15, 2026. Source feed.

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Episodes

  1. 300 TMD Math Is a Playground…So Play!

    What’s the point of learning math? Why is it so important that kids are exposed to mathematical thinking? And what do parents and teachers need to know about learning real math? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2mINl8z

  2. 077 TMD How Are Distances and Absolute Values Related?

    Learn how to use absolute values to find distances between numbers and places. Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2lPuJQ7

  3. 299 TMD How to Use Math to Fly Rockets to Space

    What does it really mean for a satellite to orbit the Earth? What’s the math behind it? And what’s the math behind the rockets that get those satellites into orbit? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2l9sIAz

  4. 227 TMD Polygon Puzzle: How Many Degrees Are In a Polygon?

    How many degrees are in the interior angles of a pentagon? Or a hexagon? An octagon? Or any polygon? Keep on listening to The Math Dude to learn how to solve this polygon puzzle! Visit the website: http://bit.ly/1IF5Uu1

  5. 298 TMD The Simple Math Behind Crunching the Sizes of Crowds

    How large was the crowd at the recent U.S. presidential inauguration? Or the inauguration 8 years ago? Or at last Saturday’s Women’s March in Washington D.C.? Keep on listening to find out how crowd sizes are estimated. Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2kAq43R

  6. 226 TMD Math Tips for Smart Shopping

    Would you rather get a 33% bigger coffee for no extra charge or pay 33% less for the regular size? Do you know how to avoid being tricked into buying more than you need? Keep on listening to The Math Dude to learn about the numbers behind savvy shopping. Read the transcript: http://bit.ly/1FiHHNz

  7. 250 TMD How to Measure Time Without a Stopwatch

    How can you measure time without using a stopwatch? You could use the movement of the Sun across the sky, you could watch a pendulum swing, or you could burn some very special string. Keep on listening to find out how it works! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/1E8ZcuF

  8. 297 TMD 4 More FAQs About Percentages

    How do you quickly calculate 25% of a number? Or 33% of a number? Or 50%? And how can you quickly calculate percentage increases? Keep on listening to learn the answers to these frequently asked questions about percentages. Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2i46GPA

  9. 193 TMD The 5 Steps of Problem Solving

    Do "word problems" make you cower in fear? Do you ever find yourself stuck on math problems before you even get started? If so, keep on listening because Math Dude's simple 5-step method for solving math problems can help! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2hZORNn

  10. 296 TMD How Many Gifts Are In the 12 Days of Christmas?

    How many gifts should one's true love be given on each of the 12 Days of Christmas? If you stick to the recommendations from the classic song, the answer can be calculated using a bit of clever math. Keep on listening to find out how. Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2hDDkm7

  11. 179 TMD Christmas Math 101

    How long does Santa have to hang out when he's dropping presents off at your house? And how fast do his reindeer fly? Keep on listening to find out about the incredible math behind Santa's magical night! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2iEKwAa

  12. 295 TMD What Is the Probability that Alien Life Exists?

    Are we alone in the universe? If so, why? If not, where is everybody? Thankfully, math can help us with these astronomically profound questions. Keep on listening to learn all about the probability of extraterrestrial life. Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2isqx83

  13. 127 TMD How to Quickly Calculate Percentages

    Learn a quick and dirty tip to help you calculate pesky percentages in your head. Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2h6A1rU

  14. 294 TMD How Are Turkeys and Extraterrestrials Related?

    How many turkeys are consumed each year in the U.S. on Thanksgiving? And how many extraterrestrial civilizations might exist in the universe? Umm…wait…what?! Although these seem like unrelated questions, they’re not. As we'll soon find out, they’re united by math. Read the full transcript here:...

  15. 134 TMD What Are Mixed Fractions?

    Learn what mixed fractions are and find out how they're related to regular fractions.

  16. 293 TMD Why Were the 2016 U.S. Presidential Polls Wrong?

    The 2016 U.S. presidential election is over. And if you'd been following the polls, the results might have been surprising. What went wrong with those polls? It has to do with statistical and systematic uncertainties. Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2gnNRpX

  17. 206 TMD How Big Is the Universe?

    The solar system is big, the distances between stars bigger, and the distance to the center of the galaxy in which we live is even bigger than that. But all of that is tiny compared to the distance to the edge of the known universe! Just how big is that? The Math Dude breaks it all down. Visit…

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  18. 292 TMD How to Think About the Size of the Earth

    Do you have a good feel for the size of the Earth? If you’re like most people, you know that it’s big but you don’t have a sense for exactly how big. Today we’re going to change that! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2eVwubz

  19. 210 TMD 5 More Tips for Understanding Weights and Measures

    How much is a gram? An ounce? Or a ton? If you don't have an intuitive feel for exactly how much mass these quantities represent, keep on listening! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2dWyR0G

  20. 291 TMD How Does Geometry Explain the Phases of the Moon?

    What causes the Moon to change phases throughout the month? Why is it sometimes visible only during the day and other times only at night? What’s the relationship between these times and the Moon’s phases? The answer in all cases is geometry. Keep on listening to find out how it works! Read the...

  21. 221 TMD What Are Polygons? (Reissue)

    What do a triangle, a rectangle, and a pentagon all have in common? They’re all polygons. What makes a polygon a polygon? And why do they matter? Keep on listening to find out! Visit the website: http://bit.ly/1ANCZEg

  22. 290 TMD How to Win Every Bet

    Richard Wiseman, author of 101 Bets You Will Always Win, joins Math Dude, to talk about how to use probability and mathematics to win bets. Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2dkwBio

  23. 204 TMD What Is Angular Size?

    How good are your eyes at seeing really tiny things that are really far away? How much better is the Hubble Space Telescope at doing the same thing? What do these two questions have to do with the mathematical concept of angular size? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here:...

  24. 289 TMD How to Use Geometry to Calculate the Size of Earth

    Can you think of a way to measure the size of the Earth? Or the distance to the Sun? Or the nearest star? Want to know how ancient Greek mathematicians did exactly this over 2,000 years ago? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2duvgGw

  25. 257 TMD 3 Numerical Fun Facts About NFL Football

    What do uniform numbers tell you about NFL players? How can you estimate how fast a wide-receiver is running? Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/1Vc3ZZs

  26. 288 TMD What Is a Light Year?

    Do you know what a light year really measures? Do you know why so many people find it confusing? And why they shouldn’t? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2cRCALY

  27. 197 TMD What Are the Odds of Successfully Navigating an Asteroid Field?

    What are the odds of successfully flying through an astroid field like the one in the movie The Empire Strikes Back? Are they really 3,720 to 1 as suggested by C-3PO? Or are they much worse…or perhaps better? Keep on listening to find out. And May the 4th be with you! Read the full transcript…

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  28. 287 TMD Why Are There Ties in Olympic Swimming?

    Did you notice all the ties in the swimming events of this year's Olympics? Did you wonder why they didn't (or maybe couldn't) simply use more precise timing to break the ties? Not surprisingly, the answer is math. Keep on listening to find out why! Read the full transcript here:...

  29. 229 TMD How FOIL Can Help Your Math Skills

    Have you heard of FOIL? Not the aluminum kind, but the one that can help your multiply faster? Keep on listening to The Math Dude to learn more! Read the transcript: http://bit.ly/1K6g33D

  30. 286 TMD 5 Numerical Fun Facts About the Olympics

    How fast do Olympic swimmers swim and Olympic sprinters sprint? How do these speeds compare to the speed at which you could race walk to the games? Or fly there in an airplane? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2aVf5MZ

  31. 205 TMD How Big Is the Solar System?

    How big are the planets of the Solar System compared to the enormous Sun at its center? How far would you have to travel to reach each of them? And how can you build your own scale model of the Solar System to see all of these relative sizes for yourself? Keep on listening to find out!

  32. 285 TMD What Are Polynomials?

    What are polynomials? How are they built? What can you do with them? And why are they important? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2alOY5e

  33. 235 TMD Phone Keypad Number Puzzle

    You know your phone’s keypad is arranged into three rows and three columns of numbers, but did you know there’s a pretty cool math puzzle hidden in there, too? Keep on listening to The Math Dude to find out how to solve it! Read the transcript: http://bit.ly/1LqGcjm

  34. 284 TMD 4 Numerical Fun Facts About the Juno Spacecraft

    Did you hear the exciting news that NASA just successfully put the Juno spacecraft into orbit around Jupiter? Want to learn 4 super-cool numerical fun facts about this mission? Then keep on listening! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/29EqQdy

  35. 211 TMD How to Use Google as a Calculator

    What's the cube root of 29? The sine of 55 degrees? Or the value of π/4? Do you need to search for your trusty calculator or pull out your phone to find out? No—you can just ask Google. Keep on listening to The Math Dude to find out how. Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/29L8kiU

  36. 283 TMD How to Solve the Famous Coffee and Cream Puzzle

    Summer is brain-teaser season in my house. And since summer has now officially arrived, it’s officially brain-teaser season for The Math Dude. What’s the puzzle for today? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/29spCmZ

  37. 231 TMD What Is a Nautical Mile?

    Have you ever heard of a nautical mile? Have you ever wondered what in all the world’s oceans that could be? Keep on listening to The Math Dude to learn about the math behind the nautical mile - and its close seafaring relative, the knot. Read the transcript: http://bit.ly/1Cb0CTp

  38. 282 TMD How to Prove the Pythagorean Theorem

    What does the Pythagorean Theorem tell us about triangles? Is it always true? And how can you prove this famous theorem arts-and-crafts style? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/28OoVnq

  39. 234 TMD How to Estimate Hours Left Until Sunset

    Did you know that math can help you survive? I’m not talking about the jobs, money, and feeding yourself kind of surviving—I’m talking about the lost in the wilderness, life depends on it kind. How? Keep on listening to The Math Dude to find out. Read the transcript here: http://bit.ly/1GcVCUV

  40. 281 TMD How to Think About Division: Part 2

    What does it mean to divide an integer by a fraction? Or a positive number by a negative number? Or even a negative number by another negative number? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/1UjRl4y

  41. 216 TMD Why Does a Triangle Have 180 Degrees?

    How many degrees do the three angles of a triangle contain? They've got 180 of 'em, right? Why 180 and not some other number? And do all triangles really contain 180 degrees? Keep on listening to find out! Read the transcript: http://bit.ly/11fbwwv

  42. 280 TMD How to Think About Division: Part 1

    What does it really mean to divide two numbers? Or two variables? How can you visualize these processes? And how are they related to the process of multiplication? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/1Xqsr88

  43. 198 TMD The Equation for a Happy Mother's Day

    What's the most important holiday in May? Obviously it's Mother's Day. Did you know there's an equation that can help you celebrate? Keep on reading to find out what it is! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/1Og53su

  44. 279 TMD How to Think About Multiplication: Part 2

    What does it mean to multiply a positive number by a negative number? What does it mean to multiply two negative numbers? How about two variables? Or lots and lots of variables? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/1rqtjO9

  45. 129 TMD How to Simplify Fractions

    Learn how to simplify the fractions in your life. Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/1VGjSXN

  46. 278 TMD How to Think About Multiplication: Part 1

    What happens when you multiply one number by another? Is there a right answer to this question? What does it tell us about how you should think about multiplication? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/21oazeO

  47. 030 TMD How to Use Math to Send Encrypted Messages

    Learn what one-time pad encryption is, how it has been used throughout history, and how to use math to send your own encrypted messages. Questions go to [email protected]. Like what you hear? Help us out by writing a review at iTunes! Read the full transcript: http://bit.ly/UZqPpb

  48. 277 TMD 3 Numerical Fun Facts About the NCAA Tournament

    How can you quickly figure out how many games are needed to determine the winner of a tournament? What are the odds of predicting the winner of each and every game? And how does this explain why your NCAA tournament bracket was so wrong? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript…

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  49. 213 TMD What Are the Odds of Winning the Lottery?

    What are the odds of winning the Mega Millions lottery jackpot and striking it rich? How long would you need to play before having a 50-50 chance of winning? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/21M7fZl

  50. 276 TMD How to Think About Subtraction: Part 2

    Do you really know what subtraction is? By which I mean do you really feel it in your gut? Here's part two of the series that will help you do so! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/1q7Pus0

About this show

The Math Dude makes understanding math easier and more fun than you ever thought possible. Host Dr. Jason Marshall provides clear explanations of math terms and principles, and his simple tricks for solving basic algebra problems will have even the most mathphobic looking forward to working out whatever math problem comes their way. If you're getting ready to take the SAT, GRE, or any of the other standardized tests; or if you're going back to school and need to brush up on the basics, Math Dude's Quick and Dirty Tips to Make Math Easier will strengthen your fundamental skills and help you understand the language of math. And if you just want to calculate the tip without using your iPhone and impress all your friends, his tips and tricks are for you too.

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Frequently asked questions

How many episodes does The Math Dude Quick and Dirty Tips to Make Math Easier have?

The Math Dude Quick and Dirty Tips to Make Math Easier has 299 episodes on PodParley. The most recent episode was published on February 24, 2017.

What is The Math Dude Quick and Dirty Tips to Make Math Easier about?

The Math Dude makes understanding math easier and more fun than you ever thought possible. Host Dr. Jason Marshall provides clear explanations of math terms and principles, and his simple tricks for solving basic algebra problems will have even the most mathphobic looking forward to working out...

How often does The Math Dude Quick and Dirty Tips to Make Math Easier release new episodes?

The Math Dude Quick and Dirty Tips to Make Math Easier publishes weekly, based on its 299 episodes since January 2010.

Who hosts The Math Dude Quick and Dirty Tips to Make Math Easier?

The Math Dude Quick and Dirty Tips to Make Math Easier is created and hosted by QuickAndDirtyTips.com.
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