The Random Request

The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry

• Episode: The Random Request
• Website: The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry
• Feed URL: http://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/b07dx75g.rss
• Duration: 00:26:07
• Published: 2018-08-31 07:00

Two random questions in this episode. "Is anything truly random, or is everything predetermined?" asks Darren Spalding from Market Harborough.

Hannah and Adam go in search of random events, from dice throws to lava lamps. Can we predict the outcome of any event? And "how do computers manage to pick random numbers?", asks Jim Rennie from Mackinaw in Illinois.

Joining them are a random selection of experts: mathematician Colva Roney-Dougal, technology journalist Bill Thompson, Science Museum Curator Tilly Blyth and quantum physicist Jim AlKhalili.

Presenters: Adam Rutherford, Hannah Fry Producer: Michelle Martin.