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 on a flower, or the structure of an atom.
But what exactly is the relationship between mathematics and reality? That’s the impossibly difficult question CrowdScience has been set this week by our listener Sergio in Peru. It’s one that’s been pondered by humans for millennia: the Greek philosopher Pythagoras believed “All is number”.
Is maths a human construct to help us make sense of reality - a tool, a model, a language? Does maths create its own reality? Or is it reality itself?
CrowdScience explores these questions with the help of experts from the fields of philosophy, mathematics and science: Dr Eleanor Knox, Dr Eugenia Cheng, Professor Lucie Green, Alex Bellos and Stefano Centineo.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Produced by Cathy Edwards for the BBC World Service
(Photo: A young woman with her eyes closed standing in front of chalkboard, working out maths formulas. Credit: Getty Images)
The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
This episode was originally released in December of 2016
A note on notes: We’d much rather you just went into each episode of The Memory Palace cold. And just let the story take you where it well. So, we don’t suggest looking into the show notes first.
Warren Ellis rounds it out with his Lale’s Theme from his terrific score to Mustang (which you should totally see).
The Hazel Scott pieces can be found here and here.
Notes
I first heard about Hazel Scott while reading Rad American Women from A to Z to my daughter. It’s a wonderful book. You should buy it for any kid in your life.
For the first time since 2018 the Federal Reserve raised interest rates. Not only did everyone survive, but investors actually seemed to embrace the first of what will probably be several rate hikes this year. (0:45) Ron Gross and Jason Moser discuss the impact on the stock market, as well as: - GameStop's 4th-quarter loss - FedEx weathering challenges to get through its latest quarter - Williams-Sonoma closing out the fiscal year with record results - Amazon and Netflix making moves to strengthen their video streaming businesses - The latest from Starbucks, Accenture, and Walmart
(19:00) Andy Cross talks with Fred Reichheld, author of "Winning On Purpose", about the Net Promoter Score and how it can help long-term investors beat the market.
(33:00) Ron and Jason answer a question about Berkshire-Hathaway and share two stocks on their radar: Taiwan Semiconductor and Chewy.
Got a stock you want us to discuss? Post a review on Apple and include your stock pitch!
On today’s episode, NLW goes deep on the implications of Bored Ape Yacht Club’s parent company Yuga Labs buying CryptoPunks IP. Specifically, he focuses on the community’s questions of commerce versus culture. Will the new commercial freedom Punks’ owners have been bestowed lead to cringe commercialism or new types of creative expression? NLW also covers the launch of ApeCoin.
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Consensus 2022, the industry’s most influential event, is happening June 9–12 in Austin, TX. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in the fast-moving world of crypto, Web 3 and NFTs, this is the festival experience for you. Use code BREAKDOWN to get 15% off your pass at www.coindesk.com/consensus2022.
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“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell, research by Scott Hill and additional production support by Eleanor Pahl. Adam B. Levine is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsor is “I Don't Know How To Explain It” by Aaron Sprinkle. Image credit: Paul Yeung/Bloomberg via Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with people about the experience of being a refugee, how fleeing their home country has affected their life and what life is like now.
On this episode of The Federalist Radio Hour Veronique de Rugy, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, joins Culture Editor Emily Jashinsky to discuss the danger of high inflation and how a large national deficit makes it more difficult for the U.S. to respond to crises.
What's actually involved in creating a "no-fly zone" over Ukraine? Eric Gomez explains why it would likely mean the U.S. engaging in direct war with Russia.
