Stand-Up Mathematician Matt Parker on Why Triangles are the Best Shape

Stand-up comic and mathematician Matt Parker loves triangles, and he wants everyone to appreciate them. Triangles help us calculate distances, the angle of an NBA 3-pointer and a winning billiards shot. They help us plan cities, cut sandwiches optimally and tell us the angle of impact of the asteroid that wiped out Earth’s dinosaurs. “Triangles are everything,” writes Parker, “and everything is triangles.” We talk to Parker about the function –and beauty – of the triangle and his new book “Love Triangle: How Trigonometry Shapes the World.”