Mathematical inaccuracies in Amazon Prime’s Young Sherlock Holmes series

The article examines the mathematical elements portrayed in the Amazon Prime series Young Sherlock Holmes, highlighting several errors and misrepresentations. The series features a scene in which a young Sherlock Holmes meets Moriarty at Oxford, with a blackboard displaying the equation x^5 + x^4 + x^3 + x^2 + x + 1 = 0. While the equation is mathematically valid, the solutions and explanations presented in the series contain multiple mistakes, including incorrect interpretations of imaginary and complex numbers. The article also critiques a scene in which a simpler cubic equation is portrayed as the formula for creating a deadly chemical weapon, pointing out that this representation is nonsensical. Despite these inaccuracies, the article acknowledges that most viewers may not notice the errors unless they examine the maths closely. Ultimately, the piece argues that if mathematics is intended to be central to the plot, greater accuracy would have strengthened the story’s credibility.