The Numbers Behind Numb3rs: Solving Crime With Mathematics

The companion to the hit CBS crime series Numb3rs presents the fascinating way mathematics is used to fight real-life crime

Using the popular CBS prime-time TV crime series Numb3rs as a springboard, Keith Devlin (known to millions of NPR listeners as the Math Guy on NPR's Weekend Edition with Scott Simon) and Gary Lorden (the principal math advisor to Numb3rs) explain real-life mathematical techniques used by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to catch and convict criminals. From forensics to counterterrorism, the Riemann hypothesis to image enhancement, solving murders to beating casinos, Devlin and Lorden present compelling cases that illustrate how advanced mathematics can be used in state-of-the-art criminal investigations.

Dr. Keith Devlin is a co-founder and Executive Director of Stanford University’s H-STAR institute, a co-founder of the Stanford mediaX research network, and a Senior Researcher at CSLI. He is a World Economic Forum Fellow, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. His current research is focused on the use of different media to teach and communicate mathematics to diverse audiences. He is co-founder and president of an educational technology company, BrainQuake, that creates mathematics learning video games. He also works on the design of information/reasoning systems for intelligence analysis. He has written 33 books and over 80 published research articles, and is recipient of the Pythagoras Prize, the Peano Prize, the Carl Sagan Award, and the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics Communications Award. He is known as the Math Guy on National Public Radio.

Gary A. Lorden is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Executive Officer for Mathematics at Caltech. He heads the team of Caltech mathematicians who serve as consultants for the show NUMB3RS.