Maths Meets Christmas: Professor Cracks Festive Code
Oliver Johnson, a top Information Theory professor at the University of Bristol, made pandemic stats clear. Now, he’s turning his sharp maths skills to Christmas chaos in his debut book Numbercrunch, out next year from Heligo Books. From decking your tree with baubles to choosing your favourite chocolate, numbers play a bigger role in Christmas than you think – and even Santa’s logistics rely on some serious number crunching.
Deck the Tree – But Not at Random
Forget struggling with triangles; this festive maths is all about randomness and style. Professor Johnson reveals why tossing baubles on the tree randomly leads to bare patches and garish colour clumps.
“If you hang 100 baubles on 100 branches randomly, over a third of branches end up bare, and some get four baubles,” Johnson warns. “A ‘quasi-random’ approach – somewhere between strict pattern and chaos – looks best.”
Wrap Smarter, Not Harder
Who knew Isaac Newton could help you save on wrapping paper? Thanks to Maclaurin’s inequality, a cube-shaped present requires the least wrapping. “If you want to save paper, pick gifts close to cube shape — sorry, no sugar cubes!,” Johnson jokes. “Chocolate Oranges wrap easier than flat bars too, so keep Santa’s reindeer happy with those.”
The Maths Behind “The 12 Days of Christmas”
Think you know the song? Look closer and you’ll spot the hidden maths magic of Pascal’s Triangle.
“The number of presents each day matches the triangle’s diagonal numbers — 1, 3, 6, 10, and so on,” explains Johnson. “By Day 12, you’ll have 364 presents in total, with geese-a-laying and swans-a-swimming dominating.”
Santa’s Nightmare: The Ultimate Route Puzzle
Visiting every house in one night isn’t just magic – it’s a logistical nightmare known as the Travelling Salesman Problem. The best human algorithms took 136 years of computing power for 85,900 stops. “Santa might have secret weapons like a quantum computer to beat these odds,” suggests Johnson. “It’s the only way to calculate his super-speed route efficiently.”
Chocolate Box Odds: Beware the Unloved Last Piece
We all dread pulling out the least favourite chocolates. Johnson says maths can predict your chances.
“If your box has 24 nice and 6 nasty chocolates, the chance the last chocolate is nasty is 20%. But if people return bad chocolates back to the box half the time, that chance jumps to 64% – yikes!”
Stack Your Baubles Like a Pro
Fragile Christmas balls take up space, but there is a best way to store them efficiently.
“For centuries, the best pack is a hexagonal layered pattern. This was only proven by computer in 1998. And top mathematician Maryna Viazovska even won a Fields Medal for packing spheres in 8 and 24 dimensions!”
Not much use for baubles, but a cool fact to drop at your festive quiz.
