Lateral with Tom Scott - 125: $7 bills

Episode Date: February 28, 2025

Hannah Crosbie, Katie Steckles and Geoff Marshall face questions about paper profits, moving markers and secondary splits. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderful answers, hosted by Tom Scott. For business enquiries, contestant appearances or question submissions, visit https://lateralcast.com. HOST: Tom Scott. QUESTION PRODUCER: David Bodycombe. EDITED BY: Julie Hassett at The Podcast Studios, Dublin. MUSIC: Karl-Ola Kjellholm ('Private Detective'/'Agrumes'), The Fly Guy Five ('Another Pineapple Please'), courtesy of epidemicsound.com. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS: Ingmar, Jordan Elder, Katherine Q., Joseph Robidoux, Ólafur Waage, Bob Weisz, Ryan. FORMAT: Pad 26 Limited/Labyrinth Games Ltd. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: David Bodycombe and Tom Scott. © Pad 26 Limited (https://www.pad26.com) / Labyrinth Games Ltd. 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In which two different games can you hit a 7-10 split? The answer to that at the end of the show. My name's Tom Scott, and this is LATTRAL. [♪ Music and intro music play. The LATTRAL theme song plays. The LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song plays. LATTRAL theme song you can now watch full episodes of Lateral on Spotify. We realize that some of you may not think that's a benefit when Lateral is just talking heads. So to tempt people into making the switch, or at least trying it, for video only, here's a new player to lateral. We have wine columnist for The Guardian and broadcaster Hannah Crosby. Welcome to the show.

Hello, thank you so much for having me. This is your first time here. You have been a listener for a while, I think? I have been a listener for a while. When I first discovered this podcast, I think I binged maybe about ten in a day. I was like, where has this been my whole life? I feel like I should apologise for that somehow. No, it's fine. It was a day very well spent.

To be honest, I'm just very surprised you got back to me. You are currently in South Africa? I am. The rumours are true. Yeah, I'm very lucky to do this for work. I have a very beautiful view right now. Including you guys, obviously. But the view is also great. I have a very beautiful view right now, including you guys, obviously. But the view is also great. I'm assuming it's wine tasting.

It's wine tasting. Today, well, I'm currently in the guest houses of Graham Beck, so we've been tasting a lot of sparkling wine today. So the enamel on my teeth is really, really suffering at the moment. So I might come back with, yeah, enjoy it while it lasts. That's another reason to watch. You can look at my teeth as they stand now before they erode away. Well, very best of luck to you and your teeth on the show. You are joined by two returning players. First, from his own YouTube channel about transport, trains and travel, Jeff Marshall, welcome back.

Hey Tom, good afternoon. Nice to be here again. I appreciate the lateral roundel in the back of shot. You can change the letters out, right? Yeah, well I just, I cut a template. It comes with a slideable plastic thing, and I thought I could just cut my own paper ones to shape. So if you'd like me to customise a name or something funny, I can do that. That's fine.

That's appreciated. What are you working on at the minute? I was travelling on a bus in Oxford last week, making a little documentary for them, 20 minute documentary, just highlighting an Oxford bus coach service. I like to travel around, as you are aware. You seem to be going more into big projects and filmmaking than vlogging as such at the minute. Because I'm getting old, Tom. Thanks for highlighting that. Yeah, no, no.

We went to the pub with a few folks the other week. We did, yeah. It's now the point where half of our conversation is about medical stuff, because we're that age. That's not a joke, it just happens. But with my ageing and maturity, I do find I'm getting away from, you know, I'm not a 20-year-old vlogger anymore, I kind of hate that expression, so I'm calling myself like a transport documentarian. That wasn't a word when we were 20, Geoff.

I know, right? I like being called like a filmmaker, because it's more befitting a man of my age. I think that's fair. Well, good luck with the show today. We are joined by someone who, when I asked what description that she wanted, just said, mathematician. So please welcome mathematician Katie Steckles. Hello.

Although you all said the finite Group was in there as well. I don't think we've mentioned that before. Yeah, this is one of my projects that started in the last year or so, but yeah, we're a community of maths people and we just do, like, live streams once a month and just hang out in Discord the rest of the time and it's quite good fun. How are you feeling coming back to the show as a returning player? Good. Like, it's always a fun time, I would like to say.

Like, there is struggle, but you feel supported, so it's fun. I mean, what can you ask for in life? Very best of luck to all three of you. Well, with the producers Bichon Frise sniffing round his legs, it's good to shake a paw with you all. Let us lie down, stay, and roll over to question one. Thank you to Oliver Vorge and Mike Salter for both sending in this question. In 2017, why did Fiji begin to circulate a $7 banknote?

I'll say that again. In 2017, why did Fiji begin to circulate a $7 banknote? My initial thought goes to the fact that you can get fake euro notes, which are sort of for their collectible tourist thing. So was it a tourist collectible note for some reason? No. And I think those notes, I saw one the other week, they're deliberately zero euros, just so they can never be called to have financial fraud or anything like that. So this was a genuine seven dollar note? this was a genuine seven, seven dollar note?

This was a legal tender, seven dollar note. Oh. I almost wonder if there's, like, something that people frequently had to buy that costs seven dollars, and everyone's getting fed up of giving three dollars in change if you paid with a ten dollar note. So, you know, they thought it was easier to just have a note that costs that, but I can't think what it would be that's exactly seven dollars. Is there a cable car?

No, not mainly. But did you know when in Japan, when the original Space Invaders arcade machine came out, like back in the 70s, they ran out of 10 yen pieces because so many people were putting them into arcade machines. And so the Japanese mint had to like make like a million extra 10 yen pieces. So yeah, is there something that is costing seven? What was it again? Seven feet, Fiji? Seven dollars. What costs seven dollars that everybody is spending?

I mean, I guess the question is, how much is seven Fijian dollars worth? Like in a currency that I have a handle on. Had anybody been to Fiji? No, no, no. Do they do they do they not do wine in Fiji, Hannah? Is that not a thing? Look, they do wine in pretty much every country in the world, but I've never come across it. And it certainly wouldn't be $7.

That would work out to about $3 US dollars. So it's the kind of amount you'd have a small note for. I'm wondering, is it something that's standardized nationally, like bus tickets or something like that? I was going to say bus or train ticket. I'm such a nerd. I feel like with Jeff, it would be a bit more of a big boy after all. That's exactly what I was thinking. I can't believe it took you so long, Jeff.

I was thinking, I just didn't want to be first to say it. There is a connection between the country and the number here. Is seven like a lucky number or an unlucky number? Yeah, it's lucky in some cultures, yeah. Is it one of those, or we must have seven somethings? How many points is the word Fiji on a Scrabble board? Oh, I don't think it's seven. I mean, j's gotta be like ten, right?

Yeah, that j's gotta be worth a lot. F is four and j is eight, so that's four. But you have absolutely worked out how this game works, Hannah. That is a very good play for a first-time player. And honestly, just kind of conceptually, starting to get just vaguely closer there, but very, very vaguely. Very vaguely. I mean, was it to celebrate 700 years of something, or seven...?

It was to celebrate something. This is one of those notes that is legal tender, but is probably not going to be found in too many actual transactions. Yeah, like when you get the £5 coin. Yeah. Was it £5 or £2 coin that we had that was really rare? Was it a £5 coin, Katie? I think there was a five.

There is a five. The £2 coin also briefly started to become rare after it came out, because people thought that the early ones were going to be collector's items. They weren't. The Royal Mint had made a staggering number of them, but enough people kept them that it started to cause a problem. This is collector's items. It was something like it was 100 years, they were celebrating 100 years or something,

and there were seven people in the Fijian government or something, and so seven pictures appeared on the note. Oh, there's seven people in something, yes. Ooh, ooh, ooh. Was it S Club 7? LAUGHTER I never knew that origin story, but I believe you. Seven. Are there seven? Is it to do with sport?

I'm thinking of seven members on a team of something. Keep going, Hannah. Oh, no, that's about as far as I can get. Oh, yeah. No, hang on. We're asking a mathematician, a transport nerd, and a wine expert a sports question. Mmm, OK. But that's not like rugby or soccer.

It's got to be like volleyball or netball. Geoff, what's the sport that's connected with Fiji, out of those you just said? What? No. Rugby? No. There are seven players on a rugby team, are there? Rugby sevens. Rugby sevens, you've got it, Katie. So, the last connection is, why was this in 2017?

Did they win a thing? Yeah. I have to be honest, I don't follow rugby sevens. As closely as I follow any other sport. What happened the year before, 2016? So, 2016 was a busy year, Tom. Some kind of Olympics? Yeah. Hannah's got it. The 2016 Olympics.

So this is... I think you have all the pieces now, and it's a sports question, so I will connect them for you. This was to commemorate the Fijian Rugby Sevens team having their first ever gold medal. And not just the team's first ever gold medal, the country's first ever gold medal. It was the first time that any sports team or person had brought home a gold medal for Fiji. And the way they commemorated that was their own seven dollar banknote.

They didn't just put them on a banknote, they put them on a banknote that had never been made before. I'm so proud of them. That's beautiful. They didn't just put them on a banknote, they put them on a banknote that had never been made before. Nice. I'm so proud of them. That's beautiful. Are they still in circulation today, or are they become collector's items? I think they were just one-off collector's items, but the coach who was British-born, Ben Ryan, also got his own 50-cent coin.

So that will probably still be in circulation somewhere. Nice. Wow. I mean, like, we did the gold postboxes thing, right? That was... We did! They're still one of those. In London, they're still one of those, and a few other cities.

If you won a gold medal for Britain in 2012, a postbox near your hometown got painted gold instead of red. And they keep that up to this day. Katie, it is over to you for the next question. Okay, so this question has been sent in by Jordan Elder. In November 2021, Graham put up a display of both Adele's and Ed Sheeran's solo albums in his vinyl record shop. Each artist's work was displayed in order of release. Why do collectors find this incredibly satisfying? So I read that again, in November 2021, Graham, you know, Graham, put up a display of both Adele's and Ed Sheeran's solo albums

in his vinyl record shop. Each artist's work was displayed in order of release. Why do collectors find this incredibly satisfying? That's classic Graham. I know, right? He's always doing stuff like this. I think, well, I think I might have a very good guess straight away. I've got a guess of the start of this, but I don't know what the satisfying part is. Well Adele's albums are all numbered, because they're like 1921, and Ed Sheeran's are all mathematical symbols.

So it's got to be a math thing, right? Where the albums line up to form a calculation or something, and that's probably wrong, is it right? I was figuring they were lining up to a calculation calculation or something. And that's probably wrong, is it right? I was figuring they were lining up to a calculation, but that doesn't count as satisfying. Unless the equation actually adds up. Equals... K...

Wow. Katie's just looking at us like, uh-huh. To clarify, to this point, they've both done four albums. So Adele's albums were definitely... She had a 19 and a 21. Has she had like a 24 and a 28 since or something? Those were her ages when they came out, right?

Yeah. And Ed Sheeran has definitely had plus, divide, I think he's had a cross, a multiply. It's gotta be, it's a math, it's Katie's question, it's a math thing, it's gotta be. Okay, does anyone know Ed Sheeran's albums in order? No. Plus is first, that's the... Because they're all colour-coordinated as well. So orange is plus, divide is blue, multiply is green. No one's stopping me, so I'm assuming these are right, but probably not. You're saying it with so much confidence Hannah, we're just like, yeah.

I can confirm those colours are correct. I'm not going to say whether the order is correct. Oh, okay. Does anyone know Adele's numbers for her albums? Can you remember how old Adele was in each year that she released an album? I'm fairly sure 18 was one and 21 was another, but that's it. But that doesn't explain why it's particularly satisfying, because if we've got... Wait, is Ed Sheeran's fourth album equals? It is.

Oh. So it's something plus something minus something plus something equals and then... The correct answer. That's not a complete equation. If we've got four numbers, three operators and an equals, we're missing the thing at the end. Katie did say it was November 21. Did it equal 2021? It did not equal 2021.

Oh, that was such a good guess! That was so good! I mean, would you like me to confirm what the albums were? Sorry, Katie, is the date relevant? Because you said November 21, which would be 1121. Is the date relevant? Because you said November 21, which would be 1121. Is the date relevant? It was, I think the date is relevant in the sense that by that point they each had four albums. Alright. Was it the number of Graham's shop, whoever Graham is, or his age, or something pertaining to Graham? I'm going to say it was not unrelated to Graham's shop, but it wasn't a specific thing about

Graham's shop. It wasn't kind of a local fact. Are there any shops which have numbers in their name? So it was the name of the shop somehow, and the name of the shop was a number. Oh, sorry, I'm just thinking, this is probably completely wrong, but I'm going to go for it anyway. That's what this show's about. That's what it's all about, baby. I'm thinking of the shops HMV as Roman numerals, and maybe it's like an enormous... No. That's good. Oh, that's really good.

But H is... But H is like a million-zillion... Yeah, I don't know. Well, it's not one of the standard Roman numerals. It might be a medieval Roman numeral, because they've got all sorts in there, but the standard Roman numerals don't include H as far as I know. That would have been so good! I'm writing Roman numerals down to see if I can make a word about music in there.

I've got some of the letters, but not all of the letters. I can make the word mild and civil and not much else off the top of my head. So Adele's albums are all kind of realistic ages for a human. Yes. and civil, and not much else off the top of my head. So Adele's albums are all kind of realistic ages for a human. Yes. So they're all in that kind of area. And off the Ed Sheeran albums, you've got a plus and a times and a divide. So the number isn't going to get that big.

That's fair, because those two aren't going to... They're not going to cancel each other out, but it's going to come close to it. You're multiplying by a number and then dividing by a very similar number. Which have to have some sort of factor in common, because it's not going to come out with some ridiculous fraction. So if it's something like... Was it Pi? That would have been incredible.

It was not bad. Let's assume that her first albums are something like 19 and 21. That's going to make 40, which is a number you can get a lot of things out of. Tell you something. Then you're going to multiply that by a number and then divide it by a larger number, if that's the order those albums are in. Yep. So you're going to end up with something like 25, 30, 32, some... I can't see any way to get any number out that isn't, like, in the mid-30s. What's 19 plus 21, Tom? 40?

40. Multiply that by... what's 4 times 25? Let's do 40 times 25. Well, it doesn't matter, because it's just got to be some factor in that. The maths nerds are on this, all right? We've got this. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. People are yelling at their phones right now. And then you divide it and it turns out to be a prime number, or it comes out to some amazing mathematical number.

Is it a prime number? But the question was, why was this satisfying? There's got to be a number. It's got to be a little bit less than 40, I think. You're in the right area. Is it something to do with either of the artists, Kay? Not specifically. I will say it was a number that was satisfying for Graham.

And Graham is not a mathematician, but Graham is the owner of a record shop. Oh, different vinyl. How are the different vinyl lengths? If they're all kind of like vinyls, what's the different inches? Ah, no. Not a 40-inch vinyl. Oh, but I'd love to see a 40-inch vinyl. How fast would the outside of that be going?

Yeah. Yeah, did it come out... Hang on, hang on. Did it equate to 33 or 45, which is the revolutions per minute of a vinyl record? Is it Graham's birthday? Has he just turned 35 and he's worked out that he can put all this up in the record shop? He owns it.

Instead of happy birthday on bunting, it's got that. It's not Graham's birthday. I'm going to go back to what Geoff just said. So, RPM of a vinyl record. Well, a 12-inch LP traditionally plays at 33 RPM, a 7-inch single plays at 45, so I'm going for 33. So is it something to do with 33? It's not exactly 33. Is it 33 and a third?

It is. Oh! That is the old rev... that's the revolutions per minute of a vinyl record. Of a long-play vinyl. It's not a... it's marked as 33, but it's 33 and a third. Is it really 33 and a third? Yeah. What? How am I so old and I don't know that? So this is an absolutely incredible fact that I guess no one could have predicted, because Adele was literally just naming the albums after her age at the time, and Ed Sheeran was doing something, I don't know what, but as a mathematician I'm very happy. And, yeah, this is the thing. So the albums were 19, 21, 25 and 30.

So your attempt at doing 40 times 25 was definitely in the right direction. If you'd pushed through with that you might have got... But I think Tom was in the right area with something between 30 and 40. Yeah, I'm sorry I cut you off there, Geoff. That would have been spot on because that would have been a thousand divided by 30, which would have been the absolute correct number. I just assumed it was going to be a whole number. Yeah.

And the solo albums were plus times divide and equals for Ed Sheeran, and if you do 19 plus 21 times 25 divide by 30, and you have to ignore kind of conventions about order of operations, you just literally go from left to right, you end up with 33 and a third, which is the number of revolutions per minute for a vinyl record. Wow. Oh, brilliant. Thanks, Katie. Well done. Top work on Graham for spotting this and being like, right, those are going up in the window. Done.

That's my favourite lateral question ever. That's fantastic. That's genius. We all thought as soon as that question appeared, oh, we know this. We didn't know that. You did not. It's so good, isn't it? Oh, the hubris, man. Yeah, it'll get you. If you like quizzes and trivia, then today's ad is for you. It's an invitation to join the many lateral listeners

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Back to the show. Thank you to Bob Weiss for this next question. In 2005, an employee handed an accountant a piece of paper with the word paper on it. This cost their company millions of dollars. How? In 2005, an employee handed an accountant a piece of paper with the word paper on it. This cost their company millions of dollars. How?

When was the financial crash again? Which one? Hey, look, who's counting? Is it maths or transport related? I mean, it feels maths related, but only the kind of very functional maths that accountants do. You know, not the fun stuff. I'm wondering whether it's a physical transaction that needed to happen.

So transfer of money needed to happen for a specific good. And then it just so happened to be a piece of paper marked paper. Are they trading in paper? Was it the price of paper here that was relevant? Millions. Paper as a commodity. Yeah. I'm just wondering why you would hand someone a piece of paper with the word

paper on it, like is that confirmation of the fact that paper is the thing that is in question? Is it like, you know, was the person needing to report, oh, which of our products is making the most money or whatever, and they brought back a thing and it said paper. For some reason. Is it a high stakes game of rock paper scissors? product is making the most money or whatever and they brought back a thing and it said paper. For some reason not. Is it a high stakes game of rock paper scissors?

You're playing paper scissors? I was just going there. I was just going to say that. Just the office party Christmas game of rock paper scissors. Keep going. Oh no. Right. And the boss got a bit tipsy at the party and decided to gamble.

No. Katie, how about I'm just going to go rock, paper, scissors now, if you're up for this one? Yeah, yeah, sure, why not? On four. One, two, three, go. Paper, obviously. Katie threw scissors, the two of you threw paper.

Katie, if we had points you would get the point for correctly identifying that this is a rock,paper-scissors match. Okay. But that's not quite the full story. How did that cost that company millions of dollars? Was it a match against a different company? Yes. Okay, were they using this to decide some kind of business thing?

Yeah. Yes, they were. You can tell how much I work in business by how I'm describing it as some kind of business thing. Yeah. Yes, they were. You can tell how much I work in business by how I'm describing it as some kind of business thing. You know, the business thing, so that business people do. Yeah. I get the sense it's two feuding rivals that knew each other from school or college, and years later in the business world they decided to settle like a multinational million-deal thing with a stupid game of rock, paper, scissors. Honestly, Geoff, I think you've brought it home there. This is...

This was a battle between Sotheby's and Christie's, the auction houses. There was a Japanese electronics giant, Masparodenko Corporation, they decided to auction off their, well, part of their art collection. They couldn't decide between the two companies, so they hired an accountant to run a game of rock-paper-scissors between the two auction houses.

Oh, brilliant. Do you want to speculate on the strategies that either company might have taken there? Did they hold a hundred games of rock-paper-scissors and see what people were most likely to pick? They'd watch the Mark Rober video that tells you how to win at rock-paper-scissors, so there's an actual strategy. Sotheby's thought it was just chance, so they randomly picked paper. The rep from Christie's researched the topic deeply. A colleague's daughter said, Rock is way too obvious and scissors beats paper.

Christie's went with scissors and won millions in commission as a result. Wow. Wow. Wow. I have to say, a few years ago, I don't know what happened to it, but I went to a pub in London where they ran a rock-paper-scissors tournament, and I believe it's like a yearly thing. And as a complete rookie, I got down to the final ten, purely on... Oh, wow!

Purely on... Yeah, but I beat last year's winner or something, who did not take it well. And then in the last ten, I then got decimated. I beat last year's winner or something, who did not take it well. In the last 10, I then got decimated. There were some very, very expert players of rock, paper, scissors here. Theoretically, it should just be chance, but I guess if you're playing repeated games, you sort of get to know the psychology of people. And there's lots of... There is a bit of a nitric. There is actually one point from that question we haven't covered. Why was the word paper on paper?

Because they had to post their offerings. Yeah, they needed to reveal at the same time so that they wouldn't be able to get any prior information. So they faxed it. It was 2005, clearly not. They handed it to an accountant, so there was absolutely no dispute over someone reading the other person or coming in late or anything like that. It was the most formalised, multi-million-pound game of rock-paper-scissors there has ever been. Hannah, it is over to you for the next question.

Fabulous. This question has been sent in by Ingmar. The traditional Swedish drink, Kaffe Kask, is made using coffee, a clear liquor, such as vodka, and a coin. What are the two-part instructions for making it? I'll say it again. The traditional Swedish drink, Kaffe Kask, is made using coffee, a clear liquor,

such as vodka, and a coin. What are the two-part instructions for making it? First of all, can I just say thank you for having my maiden question being related to you somehow? Alcohol-based, yep. Thank you, thank you. A coin, a coin, any coin, or specific. So coffee, liquor, and a coin. A clear liquor, specifically.

And the coins in the drink? Well, we don't know that yet. We don't know. Is it you have the two drinks and you flip the coin and if it's heads you get drunk and if it's tails you just have some coffee? It's another game of chance. Yeah. Or you flip the coin to see which you put in first, the coffee or the liquor. Does that determine the order?

Wouldn't make much difference, would it? Mmm. But you know, it's fun. For the person who doesn't really do alcohol or caffeine, I'm feeling kinda slightly out of depth on this question. Did you say it was Café Kask or Café Kask? Café Kask. K-k-k. With a K.

Yeah, so it's spelled K-a-f-f-e-k-a-s-k. It would help if I knew what the word Kask meant in Swedish. Is it just in Sweden? Is it any other countries? It's just a Swedish thing? Can we ask? It hasn't caught on internationally. You're probably not familiar with it. Does Sweden have the euro? Why do I feel like one of those countries doesn't have the euro? Sweden actually does have Swedish krona, rather than euros, but I don't think... Good to know. All good, but the actual currency isn't relevant, unfortunately. I'm very impressed. But is the fact that it's a coin relevant relevant that you either use it for heads and tails,

or is it just the fact that it's a bit of metal? Well, I'm going back to being a student, when the rule was if someone manages to slip a penny in your drink, you have to down the thing. Save the Queen. Right! Oh, guys save the King these days, isn't it? Oh, save the King, yes, of course. You know what? This is a sign of the university and the folks I hung out with. It was not some old Etonian slash Oxford,

oh, you must save the King. It was just, her, penny in your drink. We didn't do the classy part of it. Does the size of the coin match the size of the glass that the coffee is drunk in? Ooh! Is it to do with the circumference of the coin? Oh, because you could have a physics thing where they separate out, and then you have to

Nearly choke on a coin. Yeah, I realized since I said that that metal is heavier than both of those things Yeah, so I've had I will say that although you guys are talking about glass There is a standard rounded coffee cup that's used. Oh, okay Well, and you must use this standard cup to do this drink. Apparently so. You can use other variations, but this is the most common. Is it a tradition that comes from sort of tipping the person that served you a coffee in the restaurant or whatever?

And that's just tradition. Here's some booze! I will ask, yeah, maybe keep on rotating a few ideas of how the coin can be used with the cup. All right. It can go on the cup, but it can go under the cup. This could hide a coin under the cup, and you discover it when you take the coffee drink. I don't know where I was going with that, but it is jammed into the handle perfectly, so you can't pick the coffee cup up well. You tap the cup with it to make a tune.

And as you drink, the note gets higher and higher and higher. Okay, I'm going to say that you're sort of ambling towards the right frame of mind. Okay. I will say again that it's a two-part instruction on how to make it. Oh yeah. But the recipe doesn't require any weights or measures. So how would the coin help? Ah, does it show you the amount of vodka to put in one coffee?

Oh, the thickness of the coin. Katie, you are closer. Keep going. Go on, Katie. I don't drink coffee, so this is just... You don't need to. Vodka, on the other hand, all the time. Just absolutely. Yeah. What was your suggestion again, Katie?

I mean, you can use the coin somehow to determine when you've put the right amount of vodka per cup of coffee. Right. So what would the two steps be? Oh, I don't know. Put the coin in the cup and pour the vodka up to the... I don't know, because it wouldn't stand up, would it? I will say that the coffee must be poured first. So, do you pour the coffee over the coin? Do you put the vodka... how?

No, keep going with, do you pour the coffee over the coin? Is this one of those coins that has a hole in the middle? There are definitely currencies out there that have a coin with a hole in the middle. I will say that the thickness doesn't necessarily matter. You can use any kind of coin. I will also say that the colour of the two drinks is significant. Tom, you were so nearly there with pouring the coffee over the coin.

The coffee is dark brown, the liquor is clear. Have we ever had a question that they just had to tell us the answer? It's been a while since we've had a complete panel, Stumper. We might need the next clue here. We've got one more, actually. It says the coin helps get the balance right. So all of you individually have said something quite helpful. It is about the colour of the two liquids.

You do pour onto the coin, but how would that help you do the recipe? Like, when you put enough vodka in, does the coffee get pale enough that you can see the coin through it in the bottom of the cup? Yes, so what would step one be? You said you put the coffee in first. So coffee then- Put the coffee in first.

Then coin, then put in enough vodka that you can see the coin? Yes! Well done! That's a lot of vodka! Yeah, it depends on how strong the coffee is, right? I guess it's not like you can see it clearly. I guess it's like once you can start seeing the coin in the bottom. But that's diluting your coffee with a lot of vodka.

That's a lot of vodka. So step one is pour coffee so you can't see the coin. And step two is pour vodka so you can see the coin. In my head, this was a massive mug of coffee with a massive amount of vodka being added. It's... right, okay. That makes more sense. Yeah, so this drink has been consumed throughout Scandinavia.

As I said, it hasn't caught on internationally. There are different variations. Some call for silver or copper coins. So a cup with a rounded bottom is advisable, so the coffee is diluted at a faster rate, so you aren't getting completely trollied. The cask, part of Cafe Cask, comes from the lower German for strong or astringent, which, yeah, probably is.

Strong coffee. Very strong coffee. I'm wondering if you can determine how strong your drink is by how similar in colour the coin and the cup are. So if you've got a grey cup, you're just like, sure, this is going to work, and you just put a silver coin in it. You're like, nope, still can't see it. Thank you to Ryan for this question. to put a silver coin in it. You're like, nope, still can't see it.

Thank you to Ryan for this question. In 1918, the US Geological Survey placed a marker near Lebanon, Kansas. In 1962, they installed a new one, 442 miles to the northwest in Belfouche, South Dakota. What is this marker for, and why was a new one needed? In 1918, the US Geological Survey placed a marker near Lebanon, Kansas. In 1962, they installed a new one, 442 miles or 711 kilometers, to the northwest in Belfouche, South Dakota. What is this marker for, and why was a new one needed? I'm just thinking historical events. So obviously end of First World War and then 1962, I think is just before the end of Krushchev. Obviously a lot happening in between those two

dates. But I'm wondering whether the marker was installed after the First World War, because they now knew that they needed to know something or track something because of what happened. And is it something that changes over time so you need to re-update the marker? Like a geography thing, like a magnetic fields thing or something? Mason – I want to say, is it like a tourism thing? Someone's decided that something is here, but it then got laid to move to somewhere else?

Niamh – Like the centre of something. Mason – Yeah, the centre of the… Isn't that a thing in America? That like the centre of the universe is here. Niamh – Oh, there's like 10 different places that claim to be the centre of the... isn't that a thing in America? They're like, the centre of the universe is here. Oh, there's like ten different places that claim to be the centre of the USA. Right, OK. And then, didn't Hawaii get accepted as a state much later on, so then the centre would be completely off. And that's the last thing I needed!

Absolutely right between you! Congratulations! It was! I've not seen teamwork like that in a while. We just got that in 30 seconds! Yep. This is the US Geological Survey marking the geographic centre of the United States. And the last thing I've got here is Alaska and Hawaii joining the USA moved that midpoint.

Good stuff! Well done, everyone! I am going to ask you to figure out how did they work out in 1918 where the centre was? Google Maps! They did not have that sort of mathematical modelling, so how do you work out the midpoint based on just that technology? You take the whole of the US, you hang it from a piece of string, and you draw the vertical down through the centre of mass, and then you hang it from a different corner, and then where those two lines cross.

Yeah, you get two people to stand at either end and walk really slowly into the centre, and wherever they met. Or just a really long piece of string, right? Mmm, yes. And then you take the really long piece of string, fold it in half, and that's saved by the middle. Of those many guesses, Katie's first one was actually the closest? No way. I mean, you sort of want a line with an equal amount of America either side of it,

which you could sort of do on a map or... No, you were talking more about... I mean, it wasn't like they were suspending the entire US on a piece of string, but how might the US Geological Survey have tried to estimate doing that? Because they were going for that sort of centre. Oh, just cut out a piece of paper with a map of the US. Do it with a piece of paper. Yeah, they took a cardboard model of the US and balanced it on a point.

And the place where it balanced, they said that is the centre of the United States. Oh, amazing, like a flat thing on a... Oh, really so good. With a little thing in the middle. Flat thing on a point. Yep. More modern methods say they're out about 20 miles there, but for 1918, on some of the scale of the US, that's actually pretty accurate.

So yes, this was the US Geological Survey, who placed a marker in the centre of the US as they calculated, and then had to move it because Alaska and Hawaii had joined. Jeff, it is time for your question. Take it away. In November 1938, BBC Radio broadcast a dance match from a pub in Eastbourne and Sussex. But why did the match coverage contain long, repeated sections of silence? Shall I read that again? Go for it. It's November 1938 on the radio on the BBC.

A darts match was broadcast from Eastbourne, but the coverage contained, this is an important bit, long repeated sections of silence. Why was that? How long is an average darts game? Quite long, right? Or quite short? Again, another sports question. A very different sport.

I'm going to get complaints if I say that dance is leisure, not a sport. That's... I've not taken it personally. Yeah, I mean, my initial instinct here is, it's during the Second World War. Could it be some kind of blackout-related, like, noise something? It's just before. It was 1938. Oh, 1938, yeah. 1938, yeah.

I'm wondering whether the long pauses are an opportunity for people to do something that they wouldn't. So obviously they're not watching it on demand. Is it an opportunity for them to do something? Hannah, keep going with that. Oh yes. Okay, okay. She's on to it straight away. I'm going to throw out my terrible idea of first, because I've got a darts fact, which is that they have to specially mic up the dartboard.

So that thunk you hear when a dart hits. They have four microphones literally contacting the back of the dartboard, because otherwise the microphone can't pick anything up. And they throw the dart, and it's just silence, and it doesn't feel right. It's not that. Okay. There was also a rumor that they were sweetening it with kick drum samples at one point. They just had a little sensor at the back, and what was actually happening was the dart hit in silence, a little sensor went off and it just played the kick drum.

But... In 1938, there's somebody with a Roland drum machine pressing the snare cymbal every time it... No, no, no. It's 1938. It's just a Welsh guy who's known as Roland drum machine. He's just there, ready with a drum. Roland drum machine. That's his nickname, the drum machine. Hannah, you are definitely on the right path there, so keep going down that path. So it's giving enough time for the...

For what? For the listeners to do something, make a cup of tea. Go with that, not tea. Is it just when the players went and got a pint? I wish, but no, it's not that. You've got it, the listeners were doing something, but what were they being allowed to do? Oh, wait. Is it maths?

I was going to say, is this an answer that Katie should have? Is, wait, would... Is it maths? I was going to say, is this an answer that Katie should have? Is it like, do all the calculations for the... Like, they didn't have someone at the darts match who was doing the sums, so you were actually required to do the mental arithmetic at home. No, it's not, sorry Katie, it's not maths. It's just, it's much more straightforward and simple. What would I want to do during a darts game? So you're listening to a darts match, right?

Which is already slightly unsatisfying, because you can't just see what's happening. Yeah, I mean, that's a funk, and hopefully a commentator going, oh, I just missed the treble 20 there. Is it something to do with the radio? Is it something that people are doing to the radio? Are they needing to, like, readjust? Or, actually, it's just going to be the one channel, isn't it? If they're trying to recreate the atmosphere of a darts match, is there something that you'd do at a darts match?

I mean these days it's dress up in fancy dress and put costumes on and drink a lot of beer and sing. But what would it have been in 1938 that you were doing at a darts match that you'd also want like the audience at home to do? Sing the national anthem? I don't know, after every round. Oh, yeah, important part of darts. Regular singing the national anthem, yeah. Yes, yes.

Now I'm thinking of those, you know how it's like, wrestlers, they come onto their own songs, maybe it's an opportunity for people to sing their own song at home. No, the darts folks do that as well. Darts get their own entry music, yeah. Ah, yes, that's why I was thinking that. Yeah, maybe it's an opportunity for people to add... You can do that on the radio.

...on Dick and Singalong at home. That wouldn't be silence. Yeah. I'm wondering if it's like, go and get the darts back from the darts board, but that's not a thing you'd have to do if you're watching either. The date included a month. Geoff, I'm going to meta-game this slightly. Is November important here?

No. Oh. Okay. It just happened that that's when it was. Put away their Halloween decorations. So the radio coverage was just following this one player's throws. There was no prize or recognition for the winner. But Hannah, you did say earlier the listeners were doing something.

What were they doing? Hold on, hold on, hold on. Darts competition. We have assumed that this is a Radio Darts competition. This is two players both throwing at the same board, like we'd see now. But it could be a competition for the listeners. I'm not quite sure how that would work. Oh, brilliant.

Yeah, I think you're there. How does that even work? So you would score against to see if you could beat the darks player who's? Brilliant oh That's funny One of my next clues was it's an early experiment in interactive media Wonderful exactly what it is All right, give me the answer. So it's November 1938. The BBC got the dart champion F.H. Wallace to play a regulation game of 301 darts from the Alexander pubs.

Listeners could hear the three darts being thrown at the board, along with the Roland drum machine sound effect, and the resulting score was announced. The pause then allowed the listeners to throw their own darts at home and see how they did compared to the player on the radio. If the listener completed the 301 points necessary before Mr Wallace, then they were their own self-proclaimed winners. Oh, that's really lovely. That's so nice.

Isn't that great? At the start of the show, I asked a question that was sent in by Joseph Robidoux. In which two different games can you hit a 7-10 split? It is another games question. Does anyone want to take a shot at that before we give the answer? Another 7-10 split, so like in ten-pin bowling you can split? That is one of the games, yes. I'm wondering if it's something like snooker when you break,

but they're obviously not going to just take out the middle ones and leave two balls where they were. What is a 7-10 split in bowling, for the folks who... It's when the two pins are at either side or at the back, and you can't hit back. If you number them from the front, one, two, three, four, five, six, all the way back, then 7-8, 9-10 is the back row,

and it's those two on the back row. It is theoretically possible to get both of those, but you have to power the ball down the lane as fast as possible, whack a pin into the backboard and hope it bounces off and hits the other. And it is incredibly difficult. That is one of the games. That is 10-pin bowling. What is the other where you might have a 7-10 split?

What other things do you need to knock over? Gymnastics, where you can do a splits at an angle of 7 over 10. 7-10 split, you could knock over both players marked 7 and 10 in rugby? If the players numbered 7 and 10 who were in a relationship have a massive fallout during a game. Yes. I did say it was a games question, a massive fallout during a game. Yes! I did say it was a games question, not a sports question. Electronic game. Not really. I'm using games as like a superset of sports here.

Scrabble? The numbers are printed out. Cards. Uno. Just imagining serious Uno tournaments where people have terminology for... Yeah. Oh, this can be a very serious game. Poker.

Where might you play poker? In a casino. Blackjack? What other… Is it roulette? Katie, keep going. Where you get a 7 and a 10 on the wheel? Yep, why might it be called a 7-10 split? A 7 and 10 next to each other on the wheel?

Not on the wheel. Oh, on the side? That's where you place your tokens, whatever they're called? Yep. Are they numbered, those spaces? Yes, they are. Ah. Can you bet on both 7 and 10 by putting a token on the middle?

Yes, you can. Spot on. A 7-10 split is where you can put your chip on the borders of 7 and 10. They are next to each other on a roulette table, and that will let you bet on both of them for worse odds. Congratulations to all three of our players. What's going on in your lives? Where can people find you? We will start with our new player, Hannah. Yes, sir. I've just started as the new Wine Critic columnist at The Guardian, so if you could read my musings every single week on the magical world of drinks that would be amazing. Katie?

I'm all over the place. I'm just writing another book. And my previous books, the ones that are out in the UK, include 100 Ideas in 100 Words, Maths and Shortcuts Maths. They've all got maths in the title. So look out for those and for the new one, which will be out this year or next year. But yeah, Finite Group is the best place to find me and what I'm doing. And Geoff. You'll find me on YouTube making wonderful nerdy transport travel documentaries, not vlogs, tracking documentaries. Geoff with a G, Marshall.

Hello, thank you. And if you want to know more about this show, you can do that at lateralcast.com, where you can also send in your own ideas for questions. We are at Lateralcast basically everywhere, and there are regular video highlights at youtube.com slash lateral cast Thank you very much to Jeff Marshall. Thanks Tom. Thank you Katie Steckles. Thank you Hannah Crosby. Thank you I've been Tom Scott and that's been lateral Yeah.