The Mathematics of Cognition: A Cake Metaphor

Jordan Ellenberg is a mathematician and author of Shape and How Not to Be Wrong. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
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OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(06:44) – Mathematical thinking
(10:21) – Geometry
(14:58) – Symmetry
(25:29) – Math and science in the Soviet Union
(33:09) – Topology
(47:57) – Do we live in many more than 4 dimensions?
(52:28) – How many holes does a straw have
(1:01:53) – 3Blue1Brown
(1:07:40) – Will AI ever win a Fields Medal?
(1:16:05) – Fermat’s last theorem
(1:33:23) – Reality cannot be explained simply
(1:39:08) – Prime numbers
(2:00:37) – John Conway’s Game of Life
(2:12:29) – Group theory
(2:15:45) – Gauge theory
(2:23:47) – Grigori Perelman and the Poincare Conjecture
(2:33:59) – How to learn math
(2:41:08) – Advice for young people
(2:43:13) – Meaning of life