The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is an annual competition for the brainiest of high-school maths whizzes in the world. This animation from the US YouTuber Grant Sanderson, who creates maths videos under the moniker 3Blue1Brown, breaks down a question from the 2011 IMO that proved especially challenging to competitors. Between Sanderson’s methodical analysis and the nifty animations, the maths-minded might convince themselves that they would have come up with the answer all on their own. But Sanderson, ever the savvy instructor, crafts his lesson around how to find the solution as well as being mindful of how knowledge is obtained. In doing so, he transforms an algebra puzzle into a lesson on empathy, pedagogy and the nature of discovery.
Can you solve this slippery maths puzzle that doubles as a morality tale?
Video by 3Blue1Brown
20 September 2019

videoHistory of ideas
How to read ‘The School of Athens’ – a triumph of Renaissance art
25 minutes

videoTechnology and the self
Inside a tattoo parlour where hateful images are covered for free
11 minutes

videoKnowledge
A Kichwa activist on ayahuasca’s rise – and what it really means to her people
15 minutes

videoNature and landscape
Scenes from Aboriginal Australian pottery chart the turn of the seasons
7 minutes

videoMathematics
After centuries of trying, we’ve yet to arrive at a perfect way to map colour
20 minutes

videoHistory
In the face of denial, this film uncovers the hidden scars of Indonesia’s 1998 riots
21 minutes


