Trying to study mathematics without the human stories is like reading a typed transcript of a Rolling Stones concert. The Relatively Prime project will throw the mathematics television out of the hotel window.

On Friday as I was going to bed I sent a message to Samuel Hansen, try to think of anything we could do to promote Relatively Prime on the Math/Maths podcast this week. By Saturday he had five people who had sent him audio recordings of their reasons for supporting, which he had edited into a 1 min advert for the Kickstarter fundraising project (the quote at the top of this article is from one of those funders). We then had a chat in which I asked Samuel about the project, what sorts of stories he was going to tell, what made it different from other podcasts he does. The result is in the latest Math/Maths Podcast 57 and has been released as an 8 minute audio piece through the acmescience podcasts. Listen to the funders’ reasons and our conversation here.

I’ve become quite vexed with the process of promoting this. If you look at Samuel’s twitter stream you can see him tweeting intriguing questions that will be answered by Relatively Prime. A sample of three:

Can a war over a math discovery make a country to fall years behind in science?…Can slime molds make Steiner trees? I’ll tell you if you support my Kickstarter Relatively Prime…help me tell people how crickets led to a better understanding of Kevin Bacon through math

I thought this was a neat idea and ReTweeted these when I saw them. This, and other marketing Samuel is doing, is attracting interest and, as the graph of donations, cumulative amount and time shows, there is a steady increase but it simply isn’t increasing quickly enough (click to enlarge).

It amazes me that 93 people have so far donated $3,793, but we have a problem. If the whole amount isn’t raised, all donations are cancelled. That’s the way Kickstarter works. So it’s a question of reaching new audiences. Samuel can keep tweeting, and I can keep tweeting on his behalf, but the message isn’t getting further out. I already posted on this blog about the project – “Why I supported Relatively Prime and you should too” – and according to Blogger some 250 people have viewed that post. So I’m running out of new audiences to reach.

This is where you come in. If you haven’t donated to Relatively Prime, please consider chipping in some money. Small amounts sum to larger amounts, so even a small amount will help. There are only eight days to go.

If you have donated, please have a think – is there anything you can do to help promote the project. Post a message on whichever social networks you use. Put a message on your blog. It doesn’t have to be as elaborate as this one! Here’s some text you could use for a quick blog post:

Relatively Prime: Stories from the Mathematical Domain

Relatively Prime will be an 8 episode audio podcast featuring stories from the world of mathematics. Tackling questions like: is it true that you are only 7 seven handshakes from the President, what exactly is a micromort, and how did 39 people commenting on a blog manage to prove a deep theorem. Relatively Prime will feature interviews with leaders of mathematics, as well as the unsung foot soldiers that push the mathematical machine forward. With each episode structured around topics such as: The Shape of Things, Risk, and Calculus Wars, Relatively Prime will illuminate each area by delving into the history, applications, and people that underlie the subject that is the foundation of all science.

I think this could really be an amazing project, but it can only happen with your support. So please, if you can, support it financially, or please twitter, tumblr, reddit, blog, or any other thing about it – you can use the nice link http://bit.ly/relprime

Please just take that block of text – title and 2 paragraphs – and paste it on your own blog. It should only take you seconds and by doing so you will help break the message out of the same circles and reach new, interested people.

Plus, if you have any ability to get something written or an audio interview released though any sort of outlet in the next week please contact Samuel Hansen and give him the opportunity to talk about his project. You get some interesting content for your podcast/radio show/magazine/whatever and you’ll be helping Relatively Prime.