The mathematically impossible ball that shouldn’t exist.

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  • Опубліковано 21 тра 2024
  • Sign the petition now! mathsballs.com/
    Pre-order Love Triangle to read about the Impossi-ball. mathsgear.co.uk/products/love...
    All UK options: www.penguin.co.uk/books/44315...
    All USA options: bit.ly/3wCTesR
    Check out Jon-Paul's balls: / jonpaulsballs
    Huge thanks to Jon-Paul and Allison for making the ball and inviting us to their studio. 12p.com/
    Thanks to everyone at Liverpool FC for being so accommodating and friendly.
    Tim's home sustainability tech channel: / @timandkatsgreenwalk
    And his foot donut game: stone-baked-games.itch.io/foo...
    Humble Pi stand-up special is on Maths Gear as a download, and all the other places.
    mathsgear.co.uk/products/humb...
    www.amazon.co.uk/Humble-Pi-Co...
    This was my original video from 2017: • All UK football road s...
    The UK government parliamentary petition and official government response: petition.parliament.uk/archiv...
    Huge thanks to my Patreon supporters. This would be impossiball without you. / standupmaths
    CORRECTIONS
    - None yet, let me know if you spot anything!
    Filming and editing by Alex Genn-Bash
    Written and performed by Matt Parker
    Produced by Nicole Jacobus
    Maths of the Day music by Howard Carter
    Design by Simon Wright and Adam Robinson
    MATT PARKER: Stand-up Mathematician
    Website: standupmaths.com/
    New book: mathsgear.co.uk/products/love...
  • Розваги

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,4 тис.

  • @unvergebeneid
    @unvergebeneid 24 дні тому +2644

    You should've told them the sign embarrasses football, not geometry. Nobody cares about education but make a video go viral of tourists laughing at the English for not knowing what a football even looks like and you'll have even the old signs ripped out by next Tuesday.

    • @trwn87
      @trwn87 23 дні тому +26

      No comment!? Let me fix that.

    • @SamuelGeist
      @SamuelGeist 23 дні тому +70

      That's a good call!

    • @ZapOKill
      @ZapOKill 23 дні тому +95

      i would instantly cross the channel to make some fun of brits, having no clue about footbals or geometry!

    • @dodaexploda
      @dodaexploda 23 дні тому +68

      This is me realizing that Canada is better than England in soccer. We can at least draw the actual ball.

    • @TaylorXIV
      @TaylorXIV 23 дні тому +27

      no wonder they havent won a trophy since 66

  • @zlate42
    @zlate42 23 дні тому +1362

    I just looked it up on Google street view: in Italy the signs show a correct football and Italy has won more titles than England - coincidence? I think not!

    • @christophstahl8169
      @christophstahl8169 23 дні тому +63

      The german signs are proper too.

    • @fademejake
      @fademejake 23 дні тому +165

      But at what cost? What about the millions of unnecessary Italian deaths due to accidents caused by those correct signs?😢

    • @CraigChrist8239
      @CraigChrist8239 23 дні тому +84

      This is the way to get the signs changed. Other players in press conferences should say "Well I was worried until we saw their "football" signs, and realized no one in England has ever seen a football, so I think we'll do alright"

    • @saoirsedeltufo7436
      @saoirsedeltufo7436 23 дні тому +6

      @@fademejake worthwhile for the recent Euros I'd say - those pour lost souls would agree

    • @christophstahl8169
      @christophstahl8169 23 дні тому +17

      @@fademejake Oh no, that is only dangerous for people who drive on the left side of the roads.

  • @Loncouverite
    @Loncouverite 23 дні тому +756

    As an ex civil servant, try with the department of digital culture, media & sport. You’re more likely to get them onside and then the request to DfT will be harder to ignore.

    • @danielchan1668
      @danielchan1668 23 дні тому +35

      Signal boosting

    • @jackboggess3251
      @jackboggess3251 23 дні тому +9

      @@danielchan1668adding controversy 😡👿

    • @ArcheoLumiere
      @ArcheoLumiere 23 дні тому +9

      Beep Boop I am an engagement bot
      Just kidding :v

    • @robodragonn9506
      @robodragonn9506 23 дні тому

      ​@@jackboggess3251i am refuting the controversy!!!!

    • @karlneff
      @karlneff 23 дні тому +16

      I reckon a model of a geometrically correct football that is identical in line thickness and scale to the current model just fixing the geometric representation should be enough to convince most rational people.
      "You want me to fix this? You'll be happy if we import this model you provided and use it instead of the current one? Fine."

  • @jpdemer5
    @jpdemer5 23 дні тому +225

    There's only one thing left to do: print up adhesive stickers that show an actual soccer ball, and start plastering them on the street signs.

    • @alexanderbrinkley4332
      @alexanderbrinkley4332 23 дні тому

      A larger scale decal for creatively harmless vandalism in spirit of Rudolphing the deer crossing signs throughout much of the US with red dots.

    • @thomasmiller8289
      @thomasmiller8289 23 дні тому +15

      Exactly, and it would look so natural noone would ever think to question it!

    • @Smallpriest
      @Smallpriest 23 дні тому +9

      Dude that's vandalism

    • @jpdemer5
      @jpdemer5 23 дні тому +30

      @@thomasmiller8289 I wonder how many accidents it would cause.

    • @Kyle-nm1kh
      @Kyle-nm1kh 23 дні тому +1

      ​@Smallpriest and they'll know the culprit

  • @qwertyfinger
    @qwertyfinger 24 дні тому +3511

    tfw you love geometry so much that you go into fits and crash you car upon seeing a geometrically accurate football

    • @hornylink
      @hornylink 23 дні тому

      and that feeling? ~~Albert Einstein!~~ I mean, whiplash

    • @LSA30
      @LSA30 23 дні тому +260

      If anything, noticing the abominably-wrong one would make me crash faster😂

    • @FHL-Devils
      @FHL-Devils 23 дні тому +131

      That they also noted that drivers would not be able to see.

    • @orang1921
      @orang1921 23 дні тому +94

      iirc, they were talking about the construction to replace the signs being what distracted drivers, which implied that they clearly didn't read the full appeal because made clear that he only calls for the change to be made when the old signs needed to naturally be replaced, meaning no extra effort would be necessary

    • @EebstertheGreat
      @EebstertheGreat 23 дні тому +66

      @@orang1921 No, the concern is that any unnecessary change in signage could distract drivers who are used to the old sign. Even if it only occupies their attention for an extra half second, that's a nonzero risk. These departments also have limited budgets and specific mandates, so they can't justify spending money designing and testing a new symbol with no plausible safety benefit. That's what the "the purpose of a traffic sign is not to teach geometry" stuff was about.
      Now, I'm not sure I totally buy that. Because their own point that the change would barely be noticeable in a car contradicts their claim that it would distract anyone, and I tend to agree with that one. Also, the ball is just wrong, and fixing a wrong sign isn't completely pointless, even if it's not very important. And I think the current sign is more confusing than they give it credit for.
      But I'm sure they didn't think Matt was proposing they replace perfectly good signs for that before their end of life. That would be insane; no one would do that.

  • @frederf3227
    @frederf3227 23 дні тому +3083

    "The worst they can say is no." Government proceeds to lie to your face, invoke public safety, insult your intelligence.

    • @larswilms8275
      @larswilms8275 23 дні тому +147

      Sounds about right. Normal service.

    • @0LoneTech
      @0LoneTech 23 дні тому +239

      And demonstrate they didn't even read the proposal properly.

    • @notar2123
      @notar2123 23 дні тому +28

      You do realize writing such an absurd request is literally an insult to their intelligence?
      I guess Matt was playing a meta-joke to see if anyone will find him serious and you all fell for it.

    • @pkuvincentsu
      @pkuvincentsu 23 дні тому +154

      @@notar2123 Is it even an insult, if their response is proving exactly their lack of intelligence?

    • @ahettinger525
      @ahettinger525 23 дні тому +74

      @@notar2123 I don't know, expecting your local MP to know that "Geometry" isn't a plant is really giving them far more credit then they deserve.

  • @greedyProphet
    @greedyProphet 23 дні тому +165

    Honestly, if I saw the impossible football on a sign while driving, *that* would be distracting. It looks immediately incorrect in a way that is not immediately obvious. That would definitely distract me as I tried to figure out what's wrong.

    • @steviesteveo1
      @steviesteveo1 23 дні тому

      The more you've seen an actual football the more uncanny it looks, too. The Government is basically trying to kill the England team on their drive to work

    • @TheLastPhoen1x
      @TheLastPhoen1x 7 годин тому

      Would be nice to have some psychologist / neurophysiologist to write couple of sentences about the way the incorrect visual representation comes into dissonance with an engram of the real ball, making drivers subconsciously focus on the sign instead of the road and increasing probability of the accident, if just for expert opinion with credibility that is not so easily ignored.

  • @loganstrong5426
    @loganstrong5426 23 дні тому +103

    On the one hand, I understand why this issue wouldn't be a priority to them and they'd want to just say "no, go away." However, once there was a fully signed petition, why nobody used this as a "do something effortless to get good PR" opportunity is beyond me. They don't even need to change current signs, just add one sentence that says "if replacing the sign, replace it with this version instead."

    • @Insan1tyW0lf
      @Insan1tyW0lf 23 дні тому +35

      Well, not "effortless" - they'd still need to prepare and approve the updated symbol and update, communicate, and distribute the associated standards documentation. But certainly less effort than doing that AND replacing existing signs.
      Honestly, even if Matt provided a new, perfectly functional graphic in all appropriate formats along with a legal transfer of all rights to the image, the updating of standards docs to use the new image would still be a non-trivial cost. Not "unreasonable" or "unjustified", but non-trivial.
      Status quo has a lot of inertia but I for one do hope this does get done. Of all the things to spend money on, this is far from the worst and makes a fun story.

    • @demonicsquid7217
      @demonicsquid7217 23 дні тому +7

      The current government would need to find a company connected to a wealthy donor that deals with signs and geometry. At that point, multiple contracts would be drawn up so that said companies would be able to milk as much revenue from it as they could before they got rumbled...

    • @geekjokes8458
      @geekjokes8458 21 день тому

      dude, governing isnt like writing code, you cant just "if then" stuff
      (sorry, i rambled quite a bit, so TL;DR it's not a simple task)
      as insanitywolf said above, you need to prepare and approve and communicate, but even that can be a mess by itself - so lets imagine a scenario
      who's gonna design it? how much should they be payed? should it be proportional to the number of signs? should it be a single payment based on projected numbers of new signs? who's gonna make those projections? should they be payed each time a new sign it put up? ... "why not use pre-made images?" well, how much should the treasury spend on THAT? and even if it is a supposedly free image/drawing, who says the distributor and/or "artist" that created it wouldnt attempt a lawsuit if, for example, they _simply dont like_ that their image is being printed on millions of signs without credit? ... should we use AI? then people who oppose its use might fear creating a precedent and protest against it ... will people complain that we're debating minor issues when there are other pressing matters?
      et _motherfucking_ cetera, but most important question "we" would ask is *would we lose votes over this?*
      so even IF the MPs were dilligent workers and actually CARED about this, it could still take MONTHS
      governments have bureaucracies to make sure that (most) forseeable (as in, not dependent on new event/tecnologies, but adapting to those is a whole other can of worms) working on serious issues do not stem precedent-causing loopholes, but doing so obvously restricts the speed and light-heartedness you can take something; then there's the issue that you are (hopefully) representing a generally *inconcievable* amount of people, unique people, who might as well take issue with the dumbest things, from whether the signs are mathematically correct to whether the mathematically incorrect one is _better_ - but also trivial-sounding debates that are complicated enough to have warranted sectors/secretaries/ministries in the past: like traffic sign _font and colour_ design

    • @sakesaurus1706
      @sakesaurus1706 20 днів тому +4

      ​@@geekjokes8458i mean at some point you begin to wonder if government is even worth it with so much slog in every initiative

    • @Richard-dc5he
      @Richard-dc5he 17 днів тому

      @@geekjokes8458 It actually is trivial. Traffic signage is updated regularly by statutory instrument (minister fiat).
      Several of the symbols and wording have been changed since the petition closed, and the documents are updated every year.
      - The latest edition of the official "Know Your Traffic Sign" is dated 2023.
      assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/656ef4271104cf0013fa74ef/know-your-traffic-signs-dft.pdf - page 119

  • @MyChevySonic
    @MyChevySonic 24 дні тому +2159

    The sign is both too small for drivers to see details, but it also would be potentially dangerously distracting to drivers with the correct geometry.
    Schrodinger's football.

    • @FathDaniel
      @FathDaniel 24 дні тому +74

      Keep Schrodinger out of this. This is just Idiocratic government.

    • @rmsgrey
      @rmsgrey 24 дні тому

      Is that what illegal immigrants use for a kickabout while they're lazily on universal credit while stealing all our jobs?

    • @knickohr01
      @knickohr01 23 дні тому +76

      But wouldn't wrong geometry be more dangerous? I'd imagine that I would start thinking about geometry and lazy politics everytime I'd drive past one of those signs. Luckily I don't live in the UK, so this has never happened to me

    • @PSUQDPICHQIEIWC
      @PSUQDPICHQIEIWC 23 дні тому +60

      "We're right, but even if we're wrong, we're right."

    • @0LoneTech
      @0LoneTech 23 дні тому +54

      @@knickohr01 I agree. In fact, the current design is fundamentally wrong on *more* levels. Why the heck are the polygons closer to center *smaller* than the ones toward the edges? Are we looking at a concave bowl?

  • @Jimorian
    @Jimorian 23 дні тому +1702

    The UK government just called for an election, so time to ask every politician how they stand on this touchstone issue!

    • @foobar476
      @foobar476 23 дні тому +55

      I guarantee that they will give the answer to an entirely different question that they prefer to talk about.

    • @EebstertheGreat
      @EebstertheGreat 23 дні тому +44

      @@foobar476 I don't think they could weasel their way out of this one. It's all the world wants to hear about!

    • @palpatinewasright
      @palpatinewasright 23 дні тому +15

      How great would it be if this was a question to a candidate

    • @oblivion_2852
      @oblivion_2852 23 дні тому +3

      Lol funny to see you here Jim. Used to watch you play Factorio

    • @hedgehog3180
      @hedgehog3180 23 дні тому +15

      Ask Count Binface.

  • @Firebird1005
    @Firebird1005 23 дні тому +86

    I must infer that the reason England has not won the football world championship since 1966 because of the utter confusion of players being confronted with a different ball on the playing field then the one they just saw on the sign directing them to that same field.
    That might be an useful argument.
    Also getting stressed trying to find football stadiums abroad might negatively influence their performance.
    Btw the football ⚽️ in the emoji has the right configuration.

  • @markpolo97
    @markpolo97 23 дні тому +73

    I have to admit that despite only having been in England twice, each time for less than a day, I was unduly distracted by these footballs. "That doesn't look right". "Wait, it's all hexagons!". "Don't they know about the Euler characteristic of a sphere?" Good thing I wasn't driving.

  • @voidmayonnaise
    @voidmayonnaise 24 дні тому +963

    Nobody would notice the sign difference.
    But also, the change would be so shocking it would distract drivers.

    • @alexsorin9346
      @alexsorin9346 23 дні тому +69

      Behold the power of subliminal geometry.

    • @louisvictor3473
      @louisvictor3473 23 дні тому

      Proof that UK politicians are in fact Lovecraftian eldritch horrors, whose non newtonian geometry is both imperceptible and highly distracting without contradiction!

    • @SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648
      @SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648 23 дні тому +4

      It would soccer it to 'em.

    • @p_Hak
      @p_Hak 23 дні тому +8

      void mayonnaise, you made me lose 75 energy. not cool bro

    • @kvdrr
      @kvdrr 23 дні тому

      Ever heard of angular distance? You would need to move your entire head (and lose sight of the road) if you were to notice the change only up close, possibly hit brakes to look at it a bit more too. If you could tell the difference from far away then the angular distance is small enough for you to not lose sight of the road when looking at the sign.

  • @Tker1970
    @Tker1970 23 дні тому +549

    The emails reminds me of one of my favorite Onion headlines "CIA finally realize they've been using black highlighters"

  • @the_reto5195
    @the_reto5195 23 дні тому +144

    "Like our models, it works perfectly from one angle" the man just summarized ALL of science in one sentence.

    • @user-ix6gx1gp6k
      @user-ix6gx1gp6k 21 день тому +1

      Yeah… :)

    • @fetB
      @fetB 12 днів тому

      erm no. Science is science because it works from all angles. Everything else in sonsense

  • @HebaruSan
    @HebaruSan 23 дні тому +79

    The next petition should request updating the sign to show the side with the octagon

  • @AFastidiousCuber
    @AFastidiousCuber 24 дні тому +1015

    I was driving when the notification for this video came up. Fortunately, the football in the thumbnail is geometrically incorrect. Otherwise, I could have been in a serious accident.

    • @FathDaniel
      @FathDaniel 24 дні тому +38

      Luckily I was driving a bus. So once I crashed it due to sheer geometric beauty, I boarded an oil tanker. Sadly I had this video on pause, so I crashed the tanker as well.

    • @c.jishnu378
      @c.jishnu378 24 дні тому +5

      ​@@FathDaniel Guess i am not alone.

    • @publiconions6313
      @publiconions6313 23 дні тому

      Lol

    • @tonnenpanda
      @tonnenpanda 23 дні тому +12

      Who came up with that line of text and thought it is a good argument. That is one of the most random things I've heard in a long time. 🤣

    • @FathDaniel
      @FathDaniel 23 дні тому +7

      @@c.jishnu378 greetings fellow geometric enthusiast. Do you too enjoy realistically styled pictures of geometric polyhedron and crash vehicles wherever you see one? I too love doing perfectly human things, with my friends and their perfectly fine human larvae.

  • @hannahwatermelon
    @hannahwatermelon 23 дні тому +523

    Classic government move saying both "it doesn't matter at the distance that drivers would see it" and also "seeing a geometrically accurate football will cause an increase in the risk of accidents" in the same document LMAO

    • @glub1381
      @glub1381 23 дні тому +14

      I can see a case being made that most people wouldn't notice it, but those who signed the petition or are very interested in geometry might get distracted if they did change the signs. And the change is subtle enough that they'd have to take their eyes off the road and focus on the ball for a few seconds, which could cause an accident.

    • @xenmaifirebringer552
      @xenmaifirebringer552 23 дні тому +49

      ​@@glub1381 but those interested in accurate geometry can also get distracted by the wrong and confusing current version

    • @nicholaslau3194
      @nicholaslau3194 23 дні тому +7

      @@glub1381 The sign impedes vision of the road ahead, thus increasing the risk of accidents

    • @smallwisdom8819
      @smallwisdom8819 23 дні тому +9

      @@nicholaslau3194 Just getting rid of all signs, would reduce accidents, including those distracting yield and stop signs.

    • @PrograError
      @PrograError 23 дні тому

      @@smallwisdom8819 [ Crash rate suddenly increases _-100%_ ]

  • @kaitlyn__L
    @kaitlyn__L 23 дні тому +51

    Wait, they both said the change would be unnoticeably insignificant AND dangerously distracting? Simultaneously? Incredible.

  • @424ever
    @424ever 23 дні тому +163

    > The incorrect geometry is not noticable while driving
    > The correct geometry would be so distracting it would cause accidents
    It feels like only 1, if any, can be correct

    • @trinidad17
      @trinidad17 23 дні тому +15

      Covering all bases to attempt to justify saying they just don't want to.

    • @SWalkerTTU
      @SWalkerTTU 23 дні тому +2

      @@trinidad17 It would’ve been simpler to give him the Arkell v Pressdram response.

    • @Pedro_MVS_Lima
      @Pedro_MVS_Lima 22 дні тому

      Let's see then if both can't be correct (which I believe it's your conclusion as how it feels?)
      Assume the 1st statement to be true. We then know the incorrect geometry is not noticeable while driving, and we can also derive that if the geometry is noticeable while driving, then the geometry is correct. Considering now the 2nd statement, we can see there is no contradiction.
      Let's see it from the other end now, assuming the 2nd statement to be true. So we know that the correct geometry is so distracting that it would cause accidents. So if there were no accidents at all, then there had been no distractions and therefore the geometry is incorrect. Which doesn't contradict the 1st statement.
      So yes, it would seem both could be true, even if they are nonsensical.

    • @daviddegeorge2667
      @daviddegeorge2667 21 день тому

      No no! You cannot get that "if the geometry is noticeable then it is correct" from the first statement. You're clearly confusing "this specific incorrect geometry" for "all incorrect geometry". They are saying the current football like depiction's flaws are unnoticeable, which is already false because they got a petition from people who noticed. However, I do feel that the idea that a depiction of an actual football might not confuse and startle Brits. If it's too convincing they may well stop their vehicles at random and attempt to kick the realistic image, causing chaos in the roadways. Also. ⚽.

    • @Pedro_MVS_Lima
      @Pedro_MVS_Lima 19 днів тому +1

      @@daviddegeorge2667 Haha, well, maybe not. I was taking the statements at face value, with no particular relation to the video. In that sense, "The incorrect geometry" is equivalent to "Any incorrect geometry". But let's go a step further then. Considering the video, it is reasonable to assume that, regardless of which incorrect geometry, the authorities answers would have been the exact same, which would then generalize the situation to "All incorrect geometries". What I was trying to address was that although it feels like the statements can't both be true (I feel it that way, too), that feeling may very well be in error. On another note, I'll be driving soon, so I shouldn't have seen your emoticon as it might cause me an accident from memory. As I drive on the other side of the road, I can only hope that particular chirality doesn't affect me. Cheers!

  • @derosterhase1
    @derosterhase1 24 дні тому +1019

    In contrast to fixing some street signs in the UK, fixing all footballs in the world sounds like a reasonable task (I guess)

    • @foldionepapyrus3441
      @foldionepapyrus3441 23 дні тому +17

      Only have to fix all the balls for which the stadium they will be used in there exists a road sign. Which is very much the Premier League and perhaps one step down, as I rather doubt many of the smaller fixtures have the geometrically incorrect road signs. (At least in the UK, I don't know what the roadsigns look like for every other nation)

    • @phiefer3
      @phiefer3 23 дні тому

      No no no, the plan isn't actually to try to get the balls changed. The plan is to convince the Premier League to convince the government to fix the signs so that they don't have to change the balls.

    • @gdclemo
      @gdclemo 23 дні тому +2

      or in contrast to changing the design for future signs, changing the design for future footballs. Though that would involve talking to a greater number of suppliers I guess, who probably also sell to other markets than the UK. So possibly changing the design for the entire world. That might be a harder sell.

  • @afluka
    @afluka 23 дні тому +182

    You'd think that the intersection between people who don't care for football and people who don't care for maths would be very small (especially in the UK), but I'm not surprised that those few people work in the government.

    • @apmcx
      @apmcx 23 дні тому +8

      I laughed really hard at this thanks

    • @0LoneTech
      @0LoneTech 19 днів тому +5

      Nor accuracy. Their care is exactly sufficient to produce bullshit excuses to avoid work.

  • @ralphmay3284
    @ralphmay3284 22 дні тому +8

    2:56 Love the condradiction, "It wouldn't be visible to drivers" and "It would be so distracting drivers would have accidents" is just so Town Council that it's kinda inspiring in a way.

  • @chrisckelly
    @chrisckelly 23 дні тому +18

    Over here in Ann Arbor, Michigan, there's a mural featuring a Rubik's cube that is impossible to solve due to having two white centerpieces. The mural also includes the phrases "Challenge Everything" and "Create Anything," which offer a reassuring message and diminish the frustration upon reading them. 🤷‍♂️

    • @LeonCoretz
      @LeonCoretz 19 днів тому +3

      Remember when "Challenge Everything" spoken in a whisper was Electronic Art's slogan? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

  • @timetraveller6643
    @timetraveller6643 24 дні тому +218

    Nowhere on the sign does it claim to be a football. Perhaps it represents a frisbee.

    • @jpdemer5
      @jpdemer5 23 дні тому +34

      No other country has 80,000-seat frisbee stadiums.

    • @jamesmnguyen
      @jamesmnguyen 23 дні тому +33

      ​@@jpdemer5 Then it's time for a change.

    • @nathangamble125
      @nathangamble125 21 день тому +14

      @@jamesmnguyen I always wondered what "FC" stood for, obviously it means frisbee club! If we're still not able to get the government to fix this issue ourselves, perhaps we need to get the WFDF (the governing body of frisbee sports) involved?

    • @Bear-re5xm
      @Bear-re5xm 20 днів тому +2

      Hrm... can you have a completely hexagonal frisbee??? that sounds like a new video!

    • @jpdemer5
      @jpdemer5 20 днів тому +1

      @@Bear-re5xm Where's Steve Mould when you really need him??

  • @JavSusLar
    @JavSusLar 24 дні тому +220

    Add an argument to your case: in Spain, traffic signs DO RESPECT geometry.

    • @DanielHarveyDyer
      @DanielHarveyDyer 23 дні тому +40

      That's very much not in our favor. Do you think the Brexit loving public would stand for us adopting European Road Sign Standards! Good lord no.

    • @uIteriormotives
      @uIteriormotives 23 дні тому +10

      I never noticed the geometry of a football on the street signs here in Portugal lol, definitely will check soon

    • @stechuskaktus8318
      @stechuskaktus8318 23 дні тому +11

      In Germany, they do too. Whether that's a pro or con, that's another issue.

    • @abydosianchulac2
      @abydosianchulac2 23 дні тому +7

      ​@@stechuskaktus8318 I don't know either, how's the traffic incident rate around your football pitches?

    • @stechuskaktus8318
      @stechuskaktus8318 23 дні тому +10

      @@abydosianchulac2 Not sure. But I asked ChatGPT about this, and that's the first time I got a very clear and one-sided response. The AI thinks a mathematically impossible football is more distracting than a correct one.

  • @reddcube
    @reddcube 23 дні тому +22

    Matt should sell stickers that have the correct pentagons. And then just let vigilante nerds fix the signs.

  • @TheXtrafresh
    @TheXtrafresh 23 дні тому +15

    I just LOVE how changing these signs is at the same time devastatingly trivial and a reason to systematically hound the government for YEARS.

  • @gordonwiley2006
    @gordonwiley2006 24 дні тому +83

    Personally I think that the footballs should be even more geometrically complex. I think it should be like those naval ships that got covered with weird shapes and colors to confuse enemy spotters. We need antagonistic sports equipment.

    • @johnladuke6475
      @johnladuke6475 20 днів тому +1

      Antagonistic sports equipment sounds like boxing gloves.

  • @ajaxmajor
    @ajaxmajor 24 дні тому +381

    wait a minute they can't say that it's such a small change that it would only be noticeable up close AND it'll be so distracting that it'll cause accidents pick one buddy

    • @oijosh6286
      @oijosh6286 23 дні тому +27

      That's government logic that is.

    • @kamo7293
      @kamo7293 23 дні тому +8

      government logic: I made it the f up

    • @GryphLane
      @GryphLane 23 дні тому +5

      Department for Transport in a nutshell

    • @nochsta
      @nochsta 23 дні тому +7

      Of course they can.They’re politicians.

    • @GryphLane
      @GryphLane 23 дні тому +2

      @@nochsta Not all of them. Mostly civil servants. Pen pushers that only have the Traffic Signs Manuals on their desk for the pretty pictures

  • @spelcheak
    @spelcheak 22 дні тому +7

    “Appreciation for geometry” was the wrong direction to go in, it should have been “to not look like idiots” from the start.

  • @QuantumHistorian
    @QuantumHistorian 23 дні тому +135

    The funniest thing to me is someone from Liverpool FC inviting Matt to see some of the players, and him turning them down in favour of the analytics team. Bet that's never happened before.

    • @zinsch5588
      @zinsch5588 23 дні тому +11

      It was a joke.

    • @QuantumHistorian
      @QuantumHistorian 23 дні тому +6

      @@zinsch5588 No, really? A funny bit in a video was a joke? I bet no one had any idea that was the case until your enlightened us

    • @Kyle-nm1kh
      @Kyle-nm1kh 23 дні тому +2

      I think it's happened before. Plenty of people just go to talk stats I bet.

    • @brois841
      @brois841 21 день тому

      @@Kyle-nm1kh pretty sure this is the first and only time

  • @NoNo-nr2xv
    @NoNo-nr2xv 23 дні тому +53

    5 years later
    "So Premier League got back in contact with me about changing the ball, aaand it's a no"

    • @JohnSmith-ie8ir
      @JohnSmith-ie8ir 23 дні тому +9

      "So, what does this mean for our petition?"
      "Well here we are today in New York, USA, standing in front of the UNHQ; right on time, just as the 2029 General Assembly--"

  • @euti
    @euti 23 дні тому +105

    That jersey is so fitting to Matt because at least they tried to get the initials right. One could say it's a Parker jersey.

    • @samvknip3297
      @samvknip3297 23 дні тому +2

      Underrated comment

    • @andrewkepert923
      @andrewkepert923 23 дні тому +29

      They won’t change the initials on the jersey - it would be too distracting and cause accidents. The only way for the jersey to make sense is for Matt to change his name.

    • @brenthooton3412
      @brenthooton3412 23 дні тому +10

      One could say the signs have an image of a Parker football.

  • @Crayonberry1212
    @Crayonberry1212 23 дні тому +16

    Only the govt would argue that it's too insignificant of a change AND the change would be too distracting.

  • @astropgn
    @astropgn 23 дні тому +13

    17:22 the famous Parker Kick

    • @sakesaurus1706
      @sakesaurus1706 20 днів тому +1

      he's moving on from math to more fields
      He's such a polymath

  • @rsyvbh
    @rsyvbh 23 дні тому +49

    2:53 if i noticed the wrong geometry while driving it would be way more distracting than the correct geometry

  • @Mulakulu
    @Mulakulu 24 дні тому +91

    Arguably, due to your obsession and influence, the sign has spread more awareness of footballs and their geometry than if it was correct in the first place. Keep up the great work

  • @jupitahr
    @jupitahr 22 дні тому +5

    Some: We met in real life
    Others: We met online
    Matt: We met through a foot donut

  • @Impossiblah
    @Impossiblah 23 дні тому +4

    "You wouldn't be able to see the detail from the road. Also the design would distract drivers."
    Incredible

  • @adamboyd1132
    @adamboyd1132 24 дні тому +45

    The correct approach is obvious.
    The UK government clearly does not care enough about football to GET IT RIGHT.
    How can you call it your national pastime if you don't get the SIMPLE details right on the signs?

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L 23 дні тому +4

      Of course the Tories don’t care about football, they only care about hobnobbing at cricket and the derby 😂

  • @oristur3443
    @oristur3443 24 дні тому +53

    The octagon could have been cut in half, forming two hexagons, and transforming the adjacent pentagons into hexagons too as a bonus.

    • @Pystro
      @Pystro 23 дні тому +16

      That would make it a 12-pentagon 36-hexagon ball. Which is in between the counts for regular "footballs" (12pentagons + 20 hexagons, 12 pentagons + 80 hexagons, ...)

    • @sydhenderson6753
      @sydhenderson6753 23 дні тому +4

      @@Pystro Chemistry fans recognize buckyballs.

    • @Kyle-nm1kh
      @Kyle-nm1kh 23 дні тому +3

      I agree the octagon could have been dealt with better

    • @MikewareXGR
      @MikewareXGR 21 день тому +1

      Came here to say the same thing. Bisect the octagon and pull the seam in a bit, then you're making the adjacent pentagons into hexagons as well.

  • @stechuskaktus8318
    @stechuskaktus8318 23 дні тому +10

    I know a sign with a perfectly fine football, and I can tell you, the pentagons make me want to drive into the opposite lane every time.

  • @Gunbudder
    @Gunbudder 23 дні тому +10

    where i live, we have citizen's initiatives! this means that when a petition reaches the number of signatures required for the state government to respond, it just goes directly to a vote on the next ballot. The state government has nothing to do with it and can't even stop it if they wanted to!! then the people vote in the next ballot if the initiative should become law or not. we have had a lot of awesome things passed directly into law this way, like the registration fee for all vehicles was reduced to about 20 bucks (down from hundreds of dollars). the state couldn't stop us and they just had to find that funding for road repair somewhere else. initiatives are amazing

    • @yaitz3313
      @yaitz3313 23 дні тому +1

      Where is this? Switzerland? I know they're big on citizen democracy in Switzerland.

    • @illdeletethismusic
      @illdeletethismusic 19 днів тому

      Switzerland doesn"t use dollars

  • @DuelScreen
    @DuelScreen 24 дні тому +43

    I suggest you try again but this time include this video AND include a 2D suggested replacement football icon to make it as easy as possible for the committee to accept your changes.

    • @trwn87
      @trwn87 23 дні тому +6

      Good idea!

  • @HebaruSan
    @HebaruSan 23 дні тому +22

    Enjoyed the cameo by Matt's hair

  • @existenceisillusion6528
    @existenceisillusion6528 23 дні тому +8

    Should get that ball into actual play in the World Cup ... for maybe 2 minutes. Then have everyone sign it and auction it off, and give 200% to charity.

  • @danaclass
    @danaclass 23 дні тому +6

    Someone should make up a bunch of stickers that are the right colors for the signs of a correct ball and slap them on all the signs..

  • @MyChevySonic
    @MyChevySonic 24 дні тому +65

    If the government can't fix a small problem, what hope do they have in fixing big, exit related problems?

  • @natecurley3090
    @natecurley3090 24 дні тому +85

    Bullying a multi-billion dollar organization is hilarious and would be a perfect intro to a comedy sketch.

  • @giteausuperstar
    @giteausuperstar 23 дні тому +3

    So the new sign would be simultaneously too subtle to notice a difference and also so distracting that it could cause more accidents? That’s truly impressive.

  • @thorongil9
    @thorongil9 20 днів тому +1

    I love that changing the signs would simultaneously be so subtle drivers wouldn't notice, and so distracting it would cause accidents! lol

  • @VivekYadav-ds8oz
    @VivekYadav-ds8oz 23 дні тому +15

    Honestly, the government should really listen and change the sign. It's just an appreciation and acknowledgment of the nerd culture.

  • @PleegWat
    @PleegWat 24 дні тому +16

    Checking a few Dutch football stadiums, I found several (different) icons of footballs and they all had black pentagons.

    • @N0zer0
      @N0zer0 23 дні тому +8

      Even the soccer ball Unicode character has black pentagons. It's so trivial that you need to be British to get this one wrong.

  • @oflameo8927
    @oflameo8927 23 дні тому +3

    Another option is to put stickers on the old signs to fix them.

  • @htfx11
    @htfx11 20 днів тому +2

    The ball displaying a nice impossibility on the front only to have to compensate with lovecraftian abominations on the back is such a good metaphor for the state of the government these days

  • @bretscofield
    @bretscofield 24 дні тому +73

    I'm not even a fan of football, but I'm convinced!

    • @lars_larsen
      @lars_larsen 20 днів тому

      I think government-endorsed misinformation is a big NO. The signs need to change.

  • @davidstigant9466
    @davidstigant9466 23 дні тому +24

    This seems like a great opportunity for a guerilla art project. Print a bunch of sheet magnets of the right size and design and just cover up all the signs you can find with the correct geometry. You could sell them to raise money for charity etc.

  • @needamuffin
    @needamuffin 23 дні тому +3

    I love that you argument isn't "we'll get it to match the other direction", it's "getting it match the other direction would be a significantly larger task".

  • @bungalo50
    @bungalo50 23 дні тому +6

    Really a missed opportunity to have some pros kick some free shots and look at the weird aerodynamics

    • @danaxtell2367
      @danaxtell2367 23 дні тому +1

      Yes! I was hoping for a corner kick to see it curve. Because it's not tri-laterally symmetrical, the curve will change depending on the axis of spin (much like a baseball). And a kick with little spin should get a knuckleball effect.

    • @chasingwildlife6584
      @chasingwildlife6584 23 дні тому

      Exactly what I was thinking, getting Trent to curl it miles wide of the top corner would have proved a point.

  • @bergerniklas6647
    @bergerniklas6647 24 дні тому +23

    in switzerland, schools use unsymetrical footballs to level the playingfield during sportsclass between the football kids and the unsporty kids.

    • @RedHair651
      @RedHair651 23 дні тому +3

      Interesting!

    • @ahettinger525
      @ahettinger525 23 дні тому +8

      In the US we use asymmetrical footballs at all levels...
      (okay, bad sportsball joke)

    • @beagleboy31
      @beagleboy31 23 дні тому +2

      ​@@ahettinger525no it's good actually

    • @louisvictor3473
      @louisvictor3473 23 дні тому +5

      @@ahettinger525 I mean, they're symetrical though. Not infintielly symmetrical, but they're symmetric in three perpendicular axis.

    • @ahettinger525
      @ahettinger525 23 дні тому +1

      @@louisvictor3473 are you sure? are you counting the laces?

  • @Alex-js5lg
    @Alex-js5lg 24 дні тому +42

    Make the ball out of the standard panels, then _print_ the Parkerball pattern over it. The aerodynamics will stay the same and the ball will match the sign.

    • @chasingwildlife6584
      @chasingwildlife6584 23 дні тому +2

      the visual spin will make it much harder to understand where the sides are and so the milimeter precision of professional free kicks will become impossible.
      For me though it would make no difference, I completely mishit 50% of shots anyway 😂

    • @Firebird1005
      @Firebird1005 23 дні тому +3

      This sounds too much like a reasonable solution. I'm not a fan.

  • @gregory596
    @gregory596 23 дні тому +2

    Congrats to Jon-Paul. He did a great job.

  • @t5tom
    @t5tom 23 дні тому +3

    Arne Slot off to a strange start

  • @Morbius907
    @Morbius907 23 дні тому +21

    Having a slightly incorrect picture of a football should not be an issue for the inventor of the Parker square.

    • @Ditocoaf
      @Ditocoaf 23 дні тому +3

      The Parker Square represents "giving it a go". The incorrect football represents "couldn't be arsed". Trying something hard and enjoying partial success for the sake of interest, versus total disinterest in addressing a situation one way or another. Total opposites.

    • @Morbius907
      @Morbius907 23 дні тому +1

      @@Ditocoaf The person who designed the football image did "Give it a go" and had "Partial success."

  • @damadmax
    @damadmax 23 дні тому +13

    What about a kickstarter campaign on printing accurate stickers to put onto the wrong signs? Guerrilla style!
    ps: any chance on a followup video giving some detail on this data-collecting-during-soccer-games topic?

  • @frenkgoes
    @frenkgoes 23 дні тому +4

    Liverpool: That's incredible. Come on in, we'll get some players and...
    Matt: No I want your analytics!

  • @DubioserKerl
    @DubioserKerl 23 дні тому +4

    Matt plays 6D hexagonal chess with the government

  • @fieora
    @fieora 24 дні тому +9

    I can't believe we got a parker jersey... close, but not quite his initials

  • @ericherde1
    @ericherde1 23 дні тому +11

    Talk to the opposition if the government won’t listen. Surely you have some viewers who live in the constituency represented by the Shadow Minister of Transportation. Ask them to connect you with their MP!

  • @benjaminpedersen9548
    @benjaminpedersen9548 23 дні тому +5

    I would argue that being geometrically inaccurate is making it more likely to distract drivers, however, it is also more likely to spark curiosity of geometry.

    • @BaldorfBreakdowns
      @BaldorfBreakdowns 23 дні тому +1

      I mean, that's basically this video in a nutshell, right? This guy has been so distracted by the sign he's made multiple videos and petitions in an effort to change it.

    • @benjaminpedersen9548
      @benjaminpedersen9548 22 дні тому +1

      @@BaldorfBreakdowns Exactly!

  • @SuperMegaCoffeeGuru
    @SuperMegaCoffeeGuru 23 дні тому +1

    I appreciate that their answer was indeed "It's not something drivers would notice" and "It would distract drivers" simultaneously without any sense of irony.

  • @kaspernr.18
    @kaspernr.18 23 дні тому +11

    The bigger Problem with the signs is how bad the P on the Parking sign is centered

    • @sakesaurus1706
      @sakesaurus1706 20 днів тому +2

      wtf it kind of is
      Can't unsee

    • @illdeletethismusic
      @illdeletethismusic 19 днів тому +1

      time to update the petition to include all grievances with the current signage

  • @Schrotkehlchen
    @Schrotkehlchen 23 дні тому +8

    Looking at the positioning of the P for parking in its box in the background, they really don't care about the symbols on their traffic signs

  • @the_jono
    @the_jono 23 дні тому +1

    I was looking at the thumbnail for a while, wondering if I should watch the video, then I noticed the ball was only hexagons. Had to see how you did it at that point!

  • @RaindropsBleeding
    @RaindropsBleeding 23 дні тому +3

    Matt, I have several friends who have worked for the government in the past. If you make a replacement image for the sign and present it with your appeal, they might accept it. They just don't want to design it themselves

  • @virtuous-sloth
    @virtuous-sloth 23 дні тому +12

    It might help to render a geometrically proper version of the icon in SVG and perhaps some bitmap versions so that the government has no excuse around the cost of updating their design source.

    • @BridgeBum
      @BridgeBum 23 дні тому

      This. Don't make them do work, give them drop in replacement files and ask them for 30 seconds of their time.

  • @hothambassador
    @hothambassador 24 дні тому +26

    Gotta set up a lobby for change

  • @andyclynch7569
    @andyclynch7569 20 днів тому

    Stand-up Maths AND Liverpool FC!! This is officially (not actually officially) the best video on UA-cam. Matt proving that maths can get you anywhere, even Liverpool’s training HQ.

  • @freewave04
    @freewave04 23 дні тому +2

    Like, you probably could just print accurate stickers to overlay the existing signs. If the difference is as subtle as the government suggests, then they’ll never notice

  • @iamdigory
    @iamdigory 23 дні тому +30

    The government's response was infuriating, they cited no reasonable downside. The people involved are almost certainly bad people in subtle but important ways

    • @tommyhetrick
      @tommyhetrick 23 дні тому +5

      the downside is it's too much work for them ::P

    • @iamdigory
      @iamdigory 23 дні тому +5

      @@tommyhetrick if they would have said that it would be much more understandable.

    • @sakesaurus1706
      @sakesaurus1706 20 днів тому

      ​@@iamdigoryMaybe they don't want the bad optics so they spin it, saying the petition is something dangerous

  • @rodrigodemiguellamminen5244
    @rodrigodemiguellamminen5244 23 дні тому +5

    Glorious. I saw John Paul's TikTok when he posted it, as I'm fascinated by his construction of footballs. I even commented on the importance of him contacting you, and now this popping up on my UA-cam feed has truly made my day and perhapes even my week.

  • @abydosianchulac2
    @abydosianchulac2 23 дні тому +2

    Don't go to Liverpool, go to somewhere like Ipswitch Town where they'll be spending crazy amounts of money anyway now they've been promoted. If nothing else, they can sell these in their gift shop

  • @baconhopper8090
    @baconhopper8090 23 дні тому +2

    That ball would improve football in a similar way to how landmines would improve F1. Love you, Matt!

    • @PeloquinDavid
      @PeloquinDavid 20 днів тому +1

      Two lovely visions within one simile!

  • @weckar
    @weckar 23 дні тому +5

    "Invalid Turnstile response"
    That's exactly what I want from my petitions!

  • @JETAlone12
    @JETAlone12 24 дні тому +8

    Shoulda called it Matt's Balls.

  • @HunterHogan
    @HunterHogan 21 день тому +2

    I've never seen that sign or heard about this issue before, and I did not see a soccer ball on the sign: I saw a domed stadium. Also, the government's arguments (up to 4:12 at least) includes burden shifting, arguments from ignorance, and the is-ought problem.

  • @flapjacki9579
    @flapjacki9579 23 дні тому +2

    They made the impossi-ball possible!!

  • @TheMcIke
    @TheMcIke 24 дні тому +15

    Just print out a few thousand stickers of a correct ball, then go about the country then overlay the correct ball on the signs (yea, I know, defacing government property, blah, blah, blah, but you gotta do what's right some times!).

  • @LSA30
    @LSA30 23 дні тому +9

    This might be the only time in history someone asked to see Liverpool's maths nerds over their star players.
    Shoutout to Tim!

  • @antonmiserez934
    @antonmiserez934 21 день тому

    So it’s basically a Parker ball in a Parker campaign, not only symbols for ‘giving things a go’, but indeed of deliberately doing things so wrong that they make a right somewhere else. Truly amazing

  • @thistemba
    @thistemba 21 день тому

    Kudos to Matt for getting out there and playing

  • @disorganizedorg
    @disorganizedorg 24 дні тому +10

    Perhaps if enough people ask the police where the football venue is when standing under the sign they'll reconsider.

    • @NoNo-nr2xv
      @NoNo-nr2xv 23 дні тому +5

      Perhaps given their response that geometric shapes in signs are irrelevant ignore triangle warning signs and octagon stop signs.

  • @deathab0ve
    @deathab0ve 23 дні тому +4

    16:22 Matt Parker confirmed next member of Dude Perfect.

  • @gregmark1688
    @gregmark1688 23 дні тому +1

    "Alright, I'm getting straight to the pitch, " he said.
    "No pun intended, " he forgot to add.

  • @davidkaplan2745
    @davidkaplan2745 23 дні тому +2

    Print up some stickers to cover the incorrect balls with correct balls on the signs.

  • @lbeg323
    @lbeg323 24 дні тому +4

    well now that I've signed the petition, I really think I deserve a donut.

  • @positivity3311
    @positivity3311 24 дні тому +7

    Vote:
    Change the ball to be a pure icosohedron and the sign to a pure dodecahedron. Compromise because the football is either a truncated icosohedron or a bitruncated dodecahedron, they are the same shape.

    • @omerd602
      @omerd602 23 дні тому +2

      A truncated dodecahedron is a different shape. What you're thinking about is probably the fact that the rectified icosahedron and rectified dodecahedron are the same shape (the icosidodecahedron).

    • @positivity3311
      @positivity3311 23 дні тому

      @@omerd602 sorry :(
      ill change it.
      also the icosododecahedron isnt a football?

    • @omerd602
      @omerd602 23 дні тому +1

      @@positivity3311 Yeah, I only brought up the icosidodecahedron because I thought it might be the source of the mistake, the football is indeed still a truncated icosahedron (also I think you meant bitruncated instead of birectified)

    • @omerd602
      @omerd602 23 дні тому

      Also I'm sorry for sounding so serious in my first comment haha

    • @dembro27
      @dembro27 23 дні тому

      I like your funny words, mathematician.

  • @LuisGustavoBD
    @LuisGustavoBD 15 годин тому +1

    Thats a Parker Ball if I've ever seen one.

  • @petrie911
    @petrie911 19 днів тому

    I love how you can just tell everyone's first reaction to seeing the ball is "thanks, I hate it".