I enjoy listening to a radio program called "Speaking of Faith". I like the overall feel of the program. There are discussions about a variety of topics and it is a "judgement free zone". (My words, not theirs) I have learned a little about other faiths and some of the things people are doing in the pursuit of meaning in the modern world. I did not expect something to stimulate my math brain at the same time.
Last Sunday, as I was contemplating getting ready for church, the program came on. I always listen a little to see if the content will be worth the consequences of having to rush to get ready. (It usually is.) I chose to listen to the program in it's entirety. I was intrigued by the content and the discussion.
The show was called, Who Ordered This? New Mysteries of an Expanding Universe.
Astrophysicist Mario Livio works with the Hubble Telescope's findings on phenomena like dark energy and white dwarfs. We explore edges of discovery where scientific advance meets recurrent mystery — questions richer than any of their current answers.
I invite you to visit the Speaking of Faith website and listen in or download the podcast if you like things like fibbonacci numbers, the golden ratio and marveling about the mathematical beauty of our world. The link takes you directly to the story.
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2010/who-ordered-this/
This is the link for the discussion blog as well. This is what originally caught my eye. I enjoy thinking about mathematics in nature. Interesting ideas!
http://blog.speakingoffaith.org/post/617552387/mathematics-in-sunflowers-shubha-bala-associate
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Fun Night with Steven Strogatz
Monday night, I had the opportunity to meet Steven Strogatz. He is a mathematician, author and a professor at Cornell University. I have posted some of his writings here on my blog in the past. Currently, the work that I am a fan of are his articles written for the New York Times website. I will post the link again because if you haven't seen these, I think you will enjoy then when you do.
Imagine how excited I was when I found out that Math for America was hosting an hour-long lecture where Mr. Strogatz would talk about his series of online articles! Of course I was thrilled, so I dressed up and went. The lecture lasted an hour, but it felt like 20 minutes. He started by talking about the meeting with the NY Times editor who asked him to write the series. He discussed the process by which he decided his topics, audience and voice of the articles. The session was interactive, too. We were all given the opportunity to share what we would have done if we were in his place.
Hearing about his creative process and having another chance to see some of the content was entertaining and educational. The playful tone you read in the articles is true to the man when you meet him in person.
If you haven't, read some of the articles. You won't be sorry, and you might learn something or see something in a way that makes you think. I have included the link to the most recent article. It's time to kindle or rekindle your love of math!
Imagine how excited I was when I found out that Math for America was hosting an hour-long lecture where Mr. Strogatz would talk about his series of online articles! Of course I was thrilled, so I dressed up and went. The lecture lasted an hour, but it felt like 20 minutes. He started by talking about the meeting with the NY Times editor who asked him to write the series. He discussed the process by which he decided his topics, audience and voice of the articles. The session was interactive, too. We were all given the opportunity to share what we would have done if we were in his place.
Hearing about his creative process and having another chance to see some of the content was entertaining and educational. The playful tone you read in the articles is true to the man when you meet him in person.
If you haven't, read some of the articles. You won't be sorry, and you might learn something or see something in a way that makes you think. I have included the link to the most recent article. It's time to kindle or rekindle your love of math!
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