The unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics
Saleem Watson discusses the mysterious way math predicts the natural world. Much of math is invented, and yet there are many examples of cases in which purely abstract math, developed with no referenc...
5 Mai 202113min
Alternative Proofs and Why We Seek Them
Joseph Bennish discusses two famous theorems, proved long ago, and some modern alternative proofs. Why would we bother reproving something that was confirmed thousands of years ago? The answers are in...
21 Apr 202117min
Symmetry--It's More Than You Think
Scott Crass, Professor of Mathematics at CSULB, expands our vague intuition about symmetry to look at transformations of various kinds and what they leave fixed. This approach finds applications in ph...
7 Apr 202113min
Is Math Discovered or Invented?
Saleem Watson, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, CSULB, confronts an ancient mathematical argument. Is math a body of eternal truths waiting for an explorer to uncover them, or an invention or work o...
24 Mar 202117min
That's Impossible. Oh, Yeah? Prove It.
Paul Eklof, Professor Emeritus UCI, discusses the famous impossible straightedge-and-compass constructions of antiquity that have fascinated mathematicians and attracted cranks for centuries. There ar...
10 Mar 202116min
The Joy of Mathematical Discovery
Joseph Bennish, math professor at California State University, Long Beach, discusses how math is an exploration involving imagination and excitement. Kids get this. Adults can recapture this by genera...
24 Feb 202116min
The Monty Hall Problem
You are a contestant on Let's Make a Deal, hosted by Monty Hall. There are 3 identical doors. Behind only one is the prize car. You make your choice, then Monty Hall opens one of the other doors to re...
10 Feb 202114min
What Is Mathematics? Some Surprising Answers
Brian Katz, a professor at California State University, Long Beach, approaches math as a philosopher, a linguist and an artist. It is not a science, but a byproduct of consciousness, an expression of ...
27 Jan 202120min
