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The Great Math Mystery Mario Livio (1950 - ) Astrophysicist and Writer Astrofísico Y Escritor Astrophysicien Et Écrivain Space Telescope Science Institute

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The Great Math Mystery Mario Livio (1950 - ) Astrophysicist and Writer Astrofísico Y Escritor Astrophysicien Et Écrivain Space Telescope Science Institute “How is it possible that mathematics, a product of human thought that is independent of experience, fits so excellently the objects of physical reality?” “¿Cómo es posible que la matemática, un producto del pensamiento humano independiente de la experiencia, se adapte tan admirablemente a los objetos de la realidad?”1 Albert Einstein (1879-1955) “Intelligent people would never say, ‘I don’t care about art, or music. But it is totally okay to say, ‘I hate math.’” The Great Math Mystery Mario Livio (1950 - ) Astrophysicist and writer Astrofísico y escritor Astrophysicien et écrivain Space Telescope Science Institute LIVIO, Mario, “The Great Math Mystery”. This is a Nova Production for WGBF Boston. © 2015 WGBF Educational Foundation. All rights reserved. This program was produced by WGBF, which is solely responsible for its content. Cf.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPUTrIgdCZI 1 JAMMER, Max, Einstein and Religion, Princeton University Press, 1921, p. 124. The Great Math Mystery Documentary New 2015 HD http://docuwiki.net/index.php?title=T... The Great Math Mystery Documentary New 2015 HD NOVA leads viewers on a mathematical mystery tour –a provocative exploration of math’s astonishing power across the centuries. We discover math’s signature in the swirl of a nautilus shell, the whirlpool of a galaxy, and the spiral in the center of a sunflower. Math was essential to everything from the first wireless radio transmissions to the successful landing of rovers on Mars. But where does math get its power? Astrophysicist and writer Mario Livio, along with a colorful cast of mathematicians, physicists, and engineers, follow math from Pythagoras to Einstein and beyond, all leading to the ultimate riddle: Is math an invention or a discovery? Humankind’s clever trick or the language of the universe? Whether we think we’re good with numbers or not, we all use math in our daily lives. The Great Math Mystery sheds fascinating light on how math works in our brains and ponders the ultimate mystery of why it works so well when decoding the universe. LIVIO, Mario, “The Great Math Mystery”, Nova, April 15, 2015 on PBS. Cf.: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/great-math-mystery.html The Great Math Mystery Is math invented by humans, or is it the language of the universe? Airing April 15, 2015 at 9 pm on PBS Aired April 15, 2015 on PBS Program Description Join NOVA on a mathematical mystery tour—a provocative exploration of math’s astonishing power across the centuries. We discover math’s signature in the swirl of a nautilus shell, the whirlpool of a galaxy, and the spiral in the center of a sunflower. Math was essential to everything from the first wireless radio transmissions to the prediction and discovery of the Higgs boson and the successful landing of rovers on Mars. Astrophysicist and writer Mario Livio, along with a colorful cast of mathematicians, physicists, and engineers, follow math from Pythagoras to Einstein and beyond. It all leads to the ultimate riddle: Is math a human invention or the discovery of the language of the universe? LIVIO, Mario, « Le grand mystère des mathématiques », Arte.tv, Vendredi 15 janvier 2016 22h25 (53’). Cf. : http://www.arte.tv/guide/fr/061655-000-A/le-grand-mystere-des-mathematiques Détails Documentaire: Omniprésentes dans les sciences et les technologies, les mathématiques sont parvenues à décrypter les orbites elliptiques des planètes, à prédire la découverte du boson de Higgs ou à faire atterrir le robot Curiosity sur Mars. De tout temps, l’homme, en quête de cycles et de motifs, les a utilisées pour explorer le monde physique et pour comprendre les règles de la nature, du nombre de pétales de fleurs (répondant à des « suites ») à la symétrie de notre corps. La réalité possède-t-elle une nature mathématique inhérente ou les mathématiques sont-elles des outils précieux créés par l’esprit humain ? Voyage visuel Depuis l’Antiquité grecque, leur universalité et leur efficacité ont nourri débats philosophiques et métaphysiques. Sur les traces de Pythagore (qui avait notamment établi des liens entre mathématiques et musique), Platon, Galilée, Newton ou Einstein, le film, ludique, sonde leur fascinant mystère et leur évolution au fil des siècles, en compagnie de Mario Livio, astrophysicien américain renommé, et de nombreux mathématiciens, physiciens et ingénieurs. Une enquête captivante, formidablement illustrée d’exemples, en même temps qu’un voyage visuel vertigineux. Entre construction neuronale et ordre cosmique, à la frontière de 2 l’invention et de la découverte, les mathématiques, extraordinaire énigme, n’ont pas fini de révéler, d’anticiper et de surprendre. LIVIO, Mario, Brilliant Blunders. From Darwin to Einstein. Colossal Mistakes by Great Scientists That Changed Our Understanding of Life and the Universe, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2013, pp. 352. Cf.: http://www.amazon.com/Brilliant-Blunders-Einstein-Scientists- Understanding/dp/1439192367/ref=mt_hardcover?_encoding=UTF8&me= http://www.amazon.com/Brilliant-Blunders-Einstein-Scientists- Understanding/dp/1439192367/ref=mt_hardcover?_encoding=UTF8&me=#reade r_1439192367 WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES. Nobody’s perfect. Not even some of the greatest geniuses in history, as Mario Livio tells us in this marvelous story of scientific error and breakthrough. Charles Darwin, William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), Linus Pauling, Fred Hoyle, and Albert Einstein were all brilliant scientists. Each made groundbreaking contributions to his field—but each also stumbled badly. Darwin’s theory of natural selection shouldn’t have worked, according to the prevailing beliefs of his time. Not until Gregor Mendel’s work was known would there be a mechanism to explain natural selection. How could Darwin be both wrong and right? Lord Kelvin, Britain’s leading scientific intellect at the time, gravely miscalculated the age of the earth. Linus Pauling, the world’s premier chemist (who would win the Nobel Prize in chemistry) constructed an erroneous model for DNA in his haste to beat the competition to publication. Astrophysicist Fred Hoyle dismissed the idea of a “Big Bang” origin to the universe (ironically, the caustic name he gave to this event endured long after his erroneous objections were disproven). And Albert Einstein, whose name is synonymous with genius, speculated incorrectly about the forces that hold the universe in equilibrium—and that speculation opened the door to brilliant conceptual leaps. These five scientists expanded our knowledge of life on earth, the evolution of the earth itself, and the evolution of the universe, despite and because of their errors. As Mario Livio luminously explains, the scientific process advances through error. Mistakes are essential to progress. Brilliant Blunders is a singular tour through the world of science and scientific achievement – and a wonderfully insightful examination of the psychology of five fascinating scientists. ***** “It is said that genius is the ability to make all possible mistakes in the least amount of time. Livio’s genius is to show us just how much those mistakes have taught us.” –Adam Riess, Thomas Barber Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Nobel Laureate in Physics 2011 Astrophysicist and award-winning author Livio (The Golden Ratio) analyzes ruinous errors of five great scientific minds in the wake of their most prominent discoveries and how those errors have not only propelled scientific breakthroughs, but provide “insights... into the operation of the human mind.” Summoning Charles Darwin, Lord Kelvin, Linus Pauling, Fred Hoyle, and Albert Einstein, Livio argues there is no progress without lessons in humility. These thinkers succumbed to moments of fear, pride, stubbornness, and doubt common to all “mere mortals”—to the benefit of elucidating the evolution of life and the universe. Two-time Nobel prize-winning chemist Pauling’s flub of basic chemistry catalyzed the discoveries of Watson and Crick; Hoyle, a cosmologist who displayed “pigheaded, almost infuriating refusal” to give up his thoroughly refuted “steady state theory”, energized advanced studies of how we exist in space with his controversial ideas; and Einstein, “the embodiment of genius”, refused to give up on his cosmological constant, “the most famous fudge factor in the history of science.” With humor and precision, Livio reminds us: “Even the most impressive minds are not flawless; they merely pave the way for the next level of understanding.” —From Publishers Weekly, May. 3 LIVIO, Mario, Is God a Mathematician?, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010, pp. 320. ISBN: 978-0743-2940-65. Cf.: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Is-God-a-Mathematician/Mario- Livio/9780743294065 Mario Livio is an internationally known astrophysicist, a bestselling author, and a popular speaker. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Livio is the author of The Golden Ratio, a highly acclaimed book for which he received the International Pythagoras Prize and the Peano Prize; The Equation That Couldn’t Be Solved; Is God A Mathematician?; the national bestseller Brilliant Blunders; and The Accelerating Universe. “Is God a mathematician? In his new book Mario Livio delves into this question, putting it into a scientific, historical and philosophical context. He steers skillfully through deep and tricky waters, but writes with clarity and ease... Read the book and decide for yourself what the answer is.” – Sir Michael Atiyah, recipient of the Fields Medal, 1966, and the Abel Prize, 2004. “This highly readable book explores one of the most fascinating questions that lies at the heart of fundamental physics – why is mathematics so effective in describing nature and is mathematics an invention of the human mind or part of the fabric of physical reality? Livio provides a wonderful review of the various issues, presents a wide variety of opinions, and in addition some fascinating insights of his own. I strongly recommend this volume to anyone interested in these questions.” – David Gross, 2004 Nobel Prize Winner in Physics, Frederick W.
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