Ep 140: Mathematics

The Farthest Reaches is a book about "Explanatory Universality". Explanatory Universality is a concept introduced by physicist and philosopher David Deutsch in his book "The Beginning of Infinity". Links, as mentioned in the audiobook can be found in the ebook available for free ... Show More

Chapters and Timestamps 00:06 Chapter 13: Explanatory Universality, Hangups and Sexuality 08:07 Chapter 14: The Woke Left and the Woke Right 15:38 Chapter 15: Universality and Optimism 25:04 Chapter 16: Universality and Artificial Intelligences 35:54 Chapter 17: Universality, Fre ... Show More

This is the extended "director's cut" of a talk delivered for "RatFest 2025" (next year to be "Conjecture Con"). This also serves as a supplement to my "Doom Debates" interview which can be found here: https://youtu.be/koubXR0YL4A?si=483M6SPOKwbQYmzb It is simply assumed some ver ... Show More

<p>Faced with one cake and eight hungry people, it’s pretty obvious how maths underpins reality. But as mathematics gets further from common sense and into seemingly abstract territory, nature still seems to obey its rules - whether in the orbit of a planet, the number of petals ... Show More

<p>In this episode, Robert and Julie take a sweeping look at math, addressing several important questions. For example: What is math? Where does math come from? What mathematical skills are we born with and how much can we understand?</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices ... Show More

Nothing annoys Eugenia Cheng more than the suggestion that there is no creativity in mathematics. Doing mathematics is not about being a human calculator, she says. She doesn't spend her time multiplying big numbers in her head. She sits in hotel bars drawing (mainly arrows) with ... Show More

<p><span style="font-weight: 400">We tend to think of mathematics as purely logical, but the teaching of math, its usefulness and its workings are packed with nuance. So what is “good” mathematics? In 2007, the mathematician Terence Tao wrote an essay for the “Bulletin of the Ame ... Show More

<p>Is there something bigger than infinity? Does quantum mechanics affect how I think? And why can I suddenly do algebra? As ever, we’re not afraid to tackle the big questions on CrowdScience. After a previous episode about the relationship between mathematics and reality, we rec ... Show More

<p>Shakespeare’s sonnets, Accepting maths as a language, and more. In this episode, Andy and Adam are joined by Jo Sawyer, this time to look at the impact of STEM sentences and mathematical vocabulary on pupils’ understanding of mathematics. What’s a STEM sentence? Can wrong lang ... Show More

<p>Every day, we humans do math. Whether we are obsessed with a logic puzzle on our smartphones or even just calculating a morning alarm that gives you 8 more minutes in bed, our daily lives are full of numbers, quantities, shapes and patterns. And for Francis Su—a writer and Pro ... Show More

في الورقة البحثية اللى نشرت بعد عشرات السنوات من موت عالم الرياضيات والاحصاء الإنجليزي توماس بايز "مقال نحو حل مشكلة الاحتمالات"، بايز فجر ثورة رياضية، فلسفية، وعلمية لم تمتد حياتة كي يرى آثارها الايجابية على المعرفة البشرية لأنها لم تشتعل حتى النصف الثاني من القرن العشرين بعد أن ... Show More

<p>What’s the importance of zero, and how was it discovered? How do scientists calculate Pi’s infinite digits? Why do so many people find maths difficult – and what’s the most difficult thing in maths?</p><p>CrowdScience takes on a whole bunch of questions sent in by high school ... Show More