Riddles, Puzzles & Problems: Smellcome to Fartsville

Episode Description: During a break while playing Bingo – Max and Molly discover how probability shapes games of chance—right before a mysterious emoji message pulls them back into the hunt for the POGs. A hacked toy, a glitchy wi-fi signal from 1998, and a massive hidden server reveal the POGs’ terrifying “Prediction Calculator.” Now, the only way to stop them is to track their servers across time. Math Concepts: Probability in games of chance: bingo odds, coin-flip probability, randomness vs. strategy; Percentages; Circumference formula: C = 2πr; Simplifying operations by canceling factors (×4 and ÷4); Exponential calculationsHistory/Geography Concepts:  • FAO Schwarz; Early electronic toys: Super Talk Barbie, Teddy Ruxpin, Edison Dolls; Origin of the Butterfly Effect concept; Understanding how networks, servers, and digital communication evolved over time; The idea of encrypted information and decryption

Episode Description: While warming up indoors on a snowy day, Max and Molly review their mysterious clues about the POGs—until Max’s Alexa begins acting strangely. Decoding a message leads them to the famous toy store, FAO Schwarz, in 1998, where they overhear a secret meeting of sinister toy avatars plotting chaos across time. To stop them, Max and Molly decide they must become… moles. Math Concepts: Division with whole numbers and decimals; Multiplying decimals for cost calculations; Calculating time spans; Sound waves: how speed varies with temperature, medium, and environmental conditions.History/Geography Concepts: FAO Schwarz history (established 1862; cultural significance); Toy history: Tickle Me Elmo, Furbys, Teddy Ruxpin, and Edison Talking Dolls (late 19th-century experimental tech); Reading direction of Asian writing systems (Chinese, Japanese, Korean: historic right-to-left vertical writing).

Episode Description: Summoned to a High Tribunal – Max and Molly must defend their claim that a Mole has infiltrated The Order of Problem Solvers. After passing a high-pressure test, they argue their case—but nothing goes as planned. But in a twist, they discover that nothing might actually be the answer to their problems – and that perhaps the best Mole… is no Mole at all! Math Concepts:  Measuring time using heart rate; Division with remainders: 273 ÷ 78 = 3 + 39/78; Reducing fractions using divisibility rules; Divisibility rule for 3 (digit sum test); Identifying prime numbers.History/Geography Concepts:  Logic tests and tribunals (judicial structure, evidence, burden of proof); Concepts of espionage, infiltration, and “false leads.”; Idiom origins: “wild goose chase.”; Critical thinking and evaluating assumptions vs. evidence.

Episode Description: It’s the holidays, and Max and Molly are ready for two weeks of cookie-eating and cocoa-sipping—until a mysterious package arrives down the chimney. When the gift leads them to a riddle-filled party at Problem Solver HQ – fun Math games turn into accusations including Max making a shocking claim – that a Mole might be among the Problem Solvers! Math Concepts:  Multiplication for calculating time off from school; Probability and odds; Multiples of 3 and 4; Prime number identification; Reinforcement of number theory and divisibility rules.History/Geography Concepts: Ethical reasoning and logic in problem-solving; Historical references to “stooges” and wrongful accusation through time; Probability in games of chance and its real-world implications.

Episode Description: Max and Molly suspect one of their own might be a Mole inside the Problem Solvers. But when their investigation takes them on a mission to ancient Europe to save… cabbage, things spiral out of control—literally. As they battle Trolls, numbers, and paradoxes, they learn some problems can’t be solved in straight lines. Math Concepts:  Division of time and averages; Multiplication and proportion; Order of operations; Geometry: comparing circle vs. square perimeter-to-area ratios; Perimeter and circumference formulas: History/Geography Concepts:  Ancient Greece and Zeno’s Dichotomy Paradox (motion as illusion); Western Europe around 1000 BCE and early cultivation of Brassica oleracea (wild cabbage).

Episode Description: When Charlene mysteriously vanishes “to Oz,” Max and Molly follow her back to 1876 Melbourne, Australia—just in time for a famous horse raise known as The Melbourne Cup. There, they meet 11-year-old jockey Peter St. Albans and his horse Briseis. As they calculate odds, distances, and speed, the trio learns a timeless lesson about choices, consequences, and doing what’s right. Math Concepts: Understanding odds and probability (24 to 1 betting odds mean a $1 bet wins $24); Probability of winning; Unit conversions and measurement: Proportional reasoning and rate; Basic multiplication and addition.History/Geography Concepts:  The Melbourne Cup (Australia’s major horse-racing event, first held in 1861); Historic jockey Peter St. Albans (Michael Bowden), the youngest to win the Melbourne Cup.

Episode Description: After soccer practice, Max and Molly stumble onto a new mystery when Max’s soccer Coach hands out bizarre “Zen” playbooks filled with riddles and impossible strategies. As they calculate the odds of success on the field, the pair begins to suspect Coach might be a secret Mole.  Math Concepts: • Probability and the Multiplication Rule;Regression to the Mean; Division and averaging (calculating goals per game and postseason stats):History/Geography Concepts:  Concepts of Zen and Koans (paradoxical riddles meant to teach mindfulness or enlightenment); Sports strategy and probability in real-world applications

Episode Description:  Max and Molly suspect their teachers, Mr. Avogadro and Mr. Zimmer, of plotting to change history—only to discover the two are secretly obsessed with role-playing games! Their investigation takes them back to 13th-century France, where they explore Carcassonne’s ancient walled city, stomp grapes, and calculate area, circumference, and distance using math. Math Concepts: Unit conversion (kilometers to miles); Circumference and radius of a circle; Area of a circle; Ratios and averages; Time and rate calculations History/Geography Concepts:  The medieval walled city of Carcassonne, France (origins around 3500 BCE); French unification under the crown (mid-13th century)Pre-printing press communication (town criers, hand-copied letters)

Episode Description: Max and Molly suspect that Mr. Avogadro’s student book club may be a front for Mole recruitment. Using Math to calculate reading goals, averages, and even a new “Suspicion Number” system inspired by mathematician Paul Erdős, they try to narrow down suspects. But when they overhear Mr. A and Mr. Z talking about “burrows” and “alternate history,” the mystery deepens. Math Concepts: Division with remainders; Multiplication to find daily/weekly totals;; Application of averages;Fractions/percentages; Graph theory-inspired reasoningHistory/Geography Concepts:  Misconceptions about animals (bats and moles’ eyesight/echolocation); Introduction to mathematician Paul Erdős and the Erdős Number System; Literature reference: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Episode Description: Max and Molly follow a tip that the POGs’ delivery recruits are meeting up at a Beatles’ concert in Liverpool, 1960. There, they not only enjoy seeing the Fab Four rise to fame but also discover their old teammate Katrina has been unwittingly working for the enemy through a mysterious “Spoon” app. Can they convince her to become a ‘Mole inside the Moles’ before history takes another disastrous turn? Math Concepts: Subtraction; Division/Averages; Basic proportional reasoning History/Geography Concepts:  The Beatles’ early career in Liverpool and rise to international fame; Historical events tied to Katrina’s deliveries (Watergate, Julius Caesar’s assassination, the Great Depression)