IT’S OFTEN SAID that modern TV has been dumbed down – that programmes have become so daft, basic and unchallenging that they’re almost an insult to the viewer.

Well, try telling that to the writers of Futurama, who came across a particular plot hole when scripting the most recent episode.

Their solution? Oh, you know – just discover and prove a new mathematical theorem.

Maths PhD graduate Ken Keeler, who works as a writer on the show as well as on The Simpsons, came up with the theorem’s proof which can be paraphrased as follows:

You have a certain number of people sat at a table. If you make x people all swap seats with someone else, and insist that they can’t switch back with the person they’ve already swapped with, you can still return everyone to their original seat as long as you have x+2 people available.

The theorem was used to get around a plot obstacle where two characters had used a mind-switching machine which would only work one way, and proved that there was a mathematically viable of way of having the correct minds put back in the correct bodies.

As a nod to the show’s geeky following (sadly, this writer included), the theorem was shown on a split-screen frame pictured above (click here for a full-size version from Futurama fansite TheInfosphere.org) allowing viewers to verify its authenticity.

Now let’s see your average cartoon try that.