The numbers game

Succeeding in love and business, roulette or a pub quiz is easy. You just need to know the right mathematical formula...

- Marcus du Sautoy

NAVIGATING YOUR WAY THROUGH LIFE CAN OFTEN FEEL LIKE PLAYING A COMPLEX BOARD GAME. Every scenario you encounter has a set of rules that represents some sort of obstacle to you arriving at your destination. Indeed, it has been suggested that the human species started playing games as a safe space for experimenting with the best way to plan a strategy to get to our goals in life.

As soon as we began to realise that the universe was governed by rules, we started to create games to explore those rules. Many animals play games when they are young, but our species is probably unique in continuing to play games into adulthood. The role of games in the evolution of our species has even led to the proposal that we be called Homo ludens rather than Homo sapiens.

Alongside the games we have created to explore our place in the universe, we have also developed a powerful tool to get us to the winning square quickly and efficiently and, more importantly, in front of our fellow players: mathematics. Because games are defined by a set of rules that constrains the way you play the game, mathematics is a very natural language to explore the logical implications of these rules and to find the optimal path to get to your destination.

Since life is itself simply a game in disguise, having a few mathematical tricks up your sleeve can also give you an edge in the game of life. Let me share with you some of my mathematical hacks for tackling some of life's challenges and coming out on top.

How to win your millions

The casino is usually a place to lose millions. But, armed with some mathematical calculations, there are ways to try to beat the bank, or at least lose your money as slowly as possible.