Q On CBS’ Numb3rs, math wizard Charlie Eppes (David Krumholtz) helps his FBI-agent brother Don (Rob Morrow) catch crooks using elaborate mathematical formulas to predict what the bad guys will do next. Do the numbers on Numb3rs add up?
A They do. Producers hired Caltech math professor Gary Lorden, who specializes in statistics and probability, to ensure Numb3rs’ calculations aren’t just scribbles on a chalkboard. ”I select formulas that reflect the problem Charlie is trying to solve,” says Lorden. ”But my goal is that some high school math student who pauses the VCR can also understand the logic behind it.” Mathletes, have at it!