In the Spring of 2016, I gave a series of four hour long public lectures on the "Beauty of Mathematics" at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Medford, MA.
Lecture 1: "Fractals! The Language of Nature"
Where we explore the curious world of shapes and fractals, love, betrayal, duels, and multiple dimensions.
Lecture 2: "The Inanity of Infinity"
Where we delve into the mysteries of the world of Cantor, Russell, and Tarski, and the paradoxes they left us with.
Lecture 3: "What are Numbers? Reality and Chaos"
Where we ask questions like, is mathematics invented or discovered? Does mathematics represent reality? What is chaos? How do computer passwords work?
Lecture 4: "The Ancients: From the Vedas to Al-Jebr"
Where we explore the mathematics and its relationship to religion in the ancient world - the Egyptians, Babylonians, Chinese, and Indians. The knowledge that was lost and mysteries that we still have not solved. With special guest: Hungyen Ngyuen.
Selected references and sources:
"Arcadia", Tom Stoppard; "Numberphile"; "Vsauce"; "StandupMaths" - Matt Parker; "An Imaginary Tale", Paul Nahin; "Fractal Geometry", Benoit B. Mandelbrot; "Alex's Adventures in Numberland", Alex Bellos; "Whom the Gods Love", Leopold Infield; "Logicomix", Doxiades et al; "Love and Math", Edward Frenkel; "God Created the Integers", Stephen Hawking; "Godel, Escher, Bach", Douglas Hofstadter; "Spiked Math"; "XKCD"
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