Published by ABC
Sum of All Parts tells extraordinary stories about the unseen influence that numbers have on the way we think, feel and behave.
Listen on Apple Podcasts27 min
How would you react if you received this SMS? BUSHFIRE WARNING. LEAVE NOW.When we evacuate from a bushfire, we fall into one of seven types of evacuee; from Threat Deniers, to Worried Waverers, to Experienced Independents. This is the story of a bad evacuee turned good.
25 min
During the recent Australian bushfire crisis, numbers gave us a sense of the unprecedented scale of the disaster; 12.6 million hectares burnt, 431 megatons of carbon dioxide emitted, one billion animals killed. But where do these numbers come from?
30 min
Is Benjamin Geen a killer, or the unluckiest guy in England?
25 min
Wally Conron invented the labradoodle, one of the world's most popular dogs. He now considers the breed his "life's regret".
22 min
Where and when did a digital computer play music for the first time?
26 min
How do you turn a Nintendo Game Boy into a musical instrument?
26 min
Who was the tattooist of Auschwitz?
33 min
Why does my three-year-old know more about dinosaurs than I do?
33 min
What can Radiohead tell us about our ancient connection to rhythm?
13 min
Professor Maryam Mirzakhani was the first woman to win the prestigious Fields Medal. She died in 2017.
18 min
Zillion. Squillion. Kajillion. What are these numbers?
28 min
From calls intended for a phone sex line, to mis-tweeted phone numbers, these stories are from the world of wrong numbers.
36 min
“Six degrees of separation” is the idea that you can connect any two people in the world by no more than six friend-to-friend steps. But how does the concept hold up when you dig into the science?
1 min
Coming in late 2018: Sum of All Parts season 2! But in the meantime, a special treat - SOAP presents.. A month of our favourite stories from the world of numbers made by friends of the show.
29 min
Two drugs; the old and the new, the known and the unknown. And the delicate tipping point between efficiency and chaos. This story was produced for the ABC podcast Science Friction.
10 min
Two Trains tells the story of income inequality along the New York City 2 Train.
25 min
Brant Guichard has heard The Music for as long as he can remember.
5 min
Did George Harrison "cheat" the solo to A Hard Day's Night?
22 min
No one’s sure exactly how the most famous chord in popular music was played. Until now.
Keep the useful structure, then change the audience, point of view, and voice until the idea is unmistakably yours.
Open a creative brief