Helen says, "Moving through dimensions of time and space... It sounds so ridiculous when I say it out loud". This is most likely a tip of the hat to 'Doctor Who', a BBC programme about a person who travels through time and space.
The 'Time and Space' comment was much less likely to be about Dr Who and far more likely a reference to Amanda Tapping's previous TV show Stargate SG1.
During the flashback at the beginning of the episode, you can see some basic algebra formulas on the board, such as (x+y)^2=x^2+2xy+y^2. I'd assume any math-based elements involved in such an experiment should be far more sophisticated than that.