Mathematics is the Empress
of the Sciences. Without her, there would be no physics, nor
chemistry, nor cosmology. Any field of study depending on statistics, geometry,
or any kind of calculation would simply cease to be. And then, there are the
practical applications: without maths there’s no architecture, no commerce, no
accurate maps, or time-keeping: therefore no navigation, nor aviation, nor
astronomy. She is all-powerful: and she rules ruthlessly. Imperious and
unyielding, mathematics brooks no dissent and tolerates no error. In an age of
uncertainty, mathematics is the only discipline that generates knowledge that?s
immutably, incontestably, and eternally true.
In a
journey that takes him through the ages and around the world, he examines the
development of key mathematical ideas and shows how, in a multitude of
surprising ways, mathematical ideas underpin the science, technology, and
culture that shape our world. As Marcus shows, mathematics was part of the
bedrock of intellectual life in the world?s great civilisations. It was central
to the survival of some of the world?s most powerful empires. And even today,
mathematical knowledge remains the motor-force that drives the modern world.
The films in this ambitious series offer clear, accessible explanations of
important mathematical ideas but are also packed with engaging anecdotes,
fascinating biographical details, and pivotal episodes in the lives of the
great mathematicians.
In this program, Marcus looks
at the startling discoveries of the American mathematician Paul Cohen, who
established that there were several different sorts of mathematics in which
conflicting answers to the same question were possible. He also examines the
work of André Weil and his colleagues, who developed algebraic geometry, a
field of study which helped to solve many of mathematics' toughest equations,
including Fermat’s Last Theorem.
He also reflects on the
contributions of Alexander Grothendieck, whose ideas have had a major influence
on current mathematical thinking about the hidden structures behind all
mathematics. Marcus concludes his journey by considering the great unsolved
problems of mathematics today, including the Riemann Hypothesis - a conjecture
about the distribution of prime numbers – which are the atoms of the
mathematical universe. There is now $1 million prize and a place in the history
books for anyone who can prove Riemann’s theorem.
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