Tag: Mathematics

Tai-Danae Bradley on Algebra, Topology, Language, and Entropy

Sean Carroll’s Mindscape | 23 November 2021 | 1h 21m | Listen Later | iTunes | Spotify
Interview with Tai-Danae Bradley discussing her work using mathematical ideas from areas like category theory, topology, and quantum probability theory to analyze real-world phenomena like the structure of natural-language speech. A masterclass in the crisp communication of complex ideas.

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Ellen Peters on Innumeracy in the Wild: Misunderstanding and Misusing Numbers

New Books in Mathematics | 31 May 2021 | 1h 08m | Listen Later | iTunes | Spotify
Interview with Ellen Peters about her book Innumeracy in the Wild: Misunderstanding and Misusing Numbers. Describes the three components of numeric ability – objective numeracy, subjective numeracy, and the innate number sense – and how they vary within and across populations. Discusses the inequities caused by this variance in quantitative reasoning skills.

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The Universe Speaks in Numbers: Steven Weinberg

The Universe Speaks in Numbers | 28 November 2019 | 1h 05m | Listen Later | iTunes
Steven Weinberg has died at 88 (NY Times obituary). This 2014 interview reflects on his career in physics, the ‘golden years’ in which he and others put the finishing touches to the Standard Model of particle physics, and his views about the future of theoretical physics.

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The Story of Numerals

Many Minds | 14 April 2021 | 1h 16m | Listen Later | iTunes
Interview with Stephen Chrisomalis about his book Reckonings: Numerals, Cognition, and History. Discusses the anthropology of numbers, mathematics, and literacy. Describes various systems for representing numbers, building on tally systems that emerge in the Upper Paleolithic, their association with writing, and debunks the notion that Roman numerals fell from favour due to being difficult to calculate with.

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Professor John Horton Conway

More or Less | 23 April 2020 | 0h 14m | Listen Later | iTunes
John Horton Conway has died at 82 from covid-19 related complications (NY Times obituary). An influential figure in mathematics, Conway’s ideas inspired generations of students around the world. Discusses his life and work with mathematician Matt Parker and Conway’s biographer Siobhan Roberts.

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