Breaking Math Podcast

In this conversation, Autumn Phaneuf and Zach Weinersmith discusses his new book, A City on Mars, which takes a humorous look at the challenges of building a Martian society. He explores the misconceptions and myths surrounding space settlement and the feasibility of colonizing Mars. He argues that space is unlikely to make anyone rich and that the idea that space will mitigate war is unsupported. He also discusses the potential benefits and limitations of settling on the Moon and Mars, as well as the technical challenges involved.Follow Zach Weinersmith on his website and TwitterSubscribe to Breaking Math wherever you get your podcasts.Become a patron of Breaking Math for as little as a buck a monthFollow Breaking Math on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, WebsiteFollow Autumn on Twitter and InstagramFolllow Gabe on Twitter.email: breakingmathpodcast@gmail.comA City on Mars, space settlement, Mars colonization, misconceptions, myths, feasibility, space myths, space economics, war, Moon settlement, technical challenges, logistics, math.

Welcome to another engaging episode of the Breaking Math Podcast! Today's episode, titled "What is the Use?," features a fascinating conversation with the renowned mathematician and author, Professor Ian Stewart. As Professor Stewart discusses his latest book "What's the Use? How Mathematics Shapes Everyday Life," we dive deep into the real-world applications of mathematics that often go unnoticed in our daily technologies, like smartphones, and their unpredictable implications in various fields.We'll explore the history of quaternions, invented by William Rowan Hamilton, which now play a critical role in computer graphics, gaming, and particle physics. Professor Stewart will also shed light on the non-commutative nature of quaternions, mirroring the complexities of spatial rotations, and how these mathematical principles find their correspondence in the natural world.Furthermore, our discussion will encompass the interconnectivity within mathematics, touching upon how algebra, geometry, and trigonometry converge to paint a broader picture of this unified field. We also discuss the intriguing concept of "Fearful Symmetry" and how symmetrical and asymmetrical patterns govern everything from tiger stripes to sand dunes.With references to his other works, including "Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities" and "The Science of Discworld," Professor Stewart brings an element of surprise and entertainment to the profound impact of mathematics on our understanding of the world.So stay tuned as we unlock the mysteries and the omnipresent nature of math in this thought-provoking episode with Professor Ian Stewart!

Tom Chivers discusses Bayesian statistics and its applications in predicting outcomes across various fields. The conversation explores AI ethics, image classification challenges, and the impact of prior beliefs on forming opinions. It also delves into conspiracy theories, the role of AI in trading card art, and the relevance of Bayesianism in different settings.

Summary**Tensor Poster - If you are interested in the Breaking Math Tensor Poster on the mathematics of General Relativity, email us at BreakingMathPodcast@gmail.comIn this episode, Gabriel Hesch and Autumn Phaneuf interview Steve Nadis, the author of the book 'The Gravity of Math.' They discuss the mathematics of gravity, including the work of Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, gravitational waves, black holes, and recent developments in the field. Nadis shares his collaboration with Shing-Tung Yau and their journey in writing the book. They also talk about their shared experience at Hampshire College and the importance of independent thinking in education.  In this conversation, Steve Nadis discusses the mathematical foundations of general relativity and the contributions of mathematicians to the theory. He explains how Einstein was introduced to the concept of gravity by Bernhard Riemann and learned about tensor calculus from Gregorio Ricci and Tullio Levi-Civita. Nadis also explores Einstein's discovery of the equivalence principle and his realization that a theory of gravity would require accelerated motion. He describes the development of the equations of general relativity and their significance in understanding the curvature of spacetime. Nadis highlights the ongoing research in general relativity, including the detection of gravitational waves and the exploration of higher dimensions and black holes. He also discusses the contributions of mathematician Emmy Noether to the conservation laws in physics. Finally, Nadis explains Einstein's cosmological constant and its connection to dark energy.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Book Overview08:09 Collaboration and Writing Process25:48 Interest in Black Holes and Recent Developments35:30 The Mathematical Foundations of General Relativity44:55 The Curvature of Spacetime and the Equations of General Relativity56:06 Recent Discoveries in General Relativity01:06:46 Emmy Noether's Contributions to Conservation Laws01:13:48 Einstein's Cosmological Constant and Dark EnergySubscribe to Breaking Math wherever you get your podcasts.Become a patron of Breaking Math for as little as a buck a monthFollow Breaking Math on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, WebsiteFollow Autumn on Twitter and InstagramFolllow Gabe on Twitter.email: breakingmathpodcast@gmail.com

Summary:  The episode discusses the 10,000 year dilemma, which is a thought experiment on how to deal with nuclear waste in the future.  Today's episode is hosted by guest host David Gibson, who is the founder of the Ray Kitty Creation Workshop. (Find out more about the Ray Kitty Creation Workshop by clicking here).  Gabriel and Autumn are out this week, but will be returning in short order with 3 separate interviews with authors of some fantastic popular science and math books including: The Gravity of Math:  How Geometry Rules the Universe by Dr. Shing-Tung Yau and Steve Nadis.    This book is all about the history of our understanding of gravity from the theories of Isaac Newton to Albert Einstein and beyond, including gravitational waves, black holes, as well as some of the current uncertainties regarding a precise definition of mass.  On sale now!   EVERYTHING IS PREDICTABLE: How Bayesian Statistics Explain Our World by Tom Chivers.  Published by Simon and Schuster.   This book explains the importance of Baye's Theorem in helping us to understand why  highly accurate screening tests can lead to false positives, a phenomenon we saw during the Covid-19 pandemic; How a failure to account for Bayes’ Theorem has put innocent people in jail; How military strategists using the theorem can predict where an enemy will strike next, and how Baye's Theorem is helping us to understang machine learning processes - a critical skillset to have in the 21st century. Available 05/07/2024 A CITY ON MARS: Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through?  by authors Dr. Kelly and Zach Weinersmith.  Zach Weinersmith is the artist and creator of the famous cartoon strip Saturday Morning Breaking Cereal!  We've got a lot of great episodes coming up!  Stay tuned.  

An interview with Prof. Marcus du Sautoy about his book Around the Wold in Eighty Games . . . .a Mathematician Unlocks the Secrets of the World's Greatest Games.  Topics covered in Today's Episode: 1. Introduction to Professor Marcus du Sautoy and the Role of Games- Impact of games on culture, strategy, and learning- The educational importance of games throughout history2. Differences in gaming cultures across regions like India and China3. Creative Aspects of Mathematics4. The surprising historical elements and banned games by Buddha5. Historical and geographical narratives of games rather than rules6. Game Theory and Education7.  Unknowable questions like thermodynamics and universe's infinity8. Professor du Sautoy's Former Books and Collections9.  A preview of his previous books and their themes10. Gaming Cultures and NFTs in Blockchain11. Gamification in Education12. The Role of AI in Gaming13. Testing machine learning in mastering games like Go14. Alphago's surprising move and its impact on Go strategies15 . The future of AI in developing video game characters, plots, and environments16. Conclusion and Giveaway Announcement*Free Book Giveaway of Around The World in 88 Games . . .  by Professor Marcus Du Sautory!  Follow us on our socials for details:  Follow us on X:  @BreakingMathPodFollow us on Instagram:  @Breaking Math MediaEmail us:  BreakingMathPodacst@gmail.com 

SummaryBrain Organelles, A.I. and Defining Intelligence in  Nature- In this episode, we continue our fascinating interview with GT, a science content creator on TikTok and YouTube known for their captivating - and sometimes disturbing science content. GT can be found on the handle ‘@bearBaitOfficial’ on most social media channels.  In this episode, we resume our discussion on Brain Organelles -  which are grown from human stem cells - how they are being used to learn about disease, how they may be integrated in A.I.  as well as eithical concerns with them. We also ponder what constitutes intelligence in nature, and even touch on the potential risks of AI behaving nefariously. You won't want to miss this thought-provoking and engaging discussion.30% Off ZenCastr DiscountUse My Special Link to save e 30%  Off Your First Month of Any ZenCastr Paid Plan

This episode is inspired by a correspondence the Breaking Math Podcast had with the editors of Digital Discovery, a journal by the Royal Society of Chemistry.  In this episode the hosts review a paper about how the Lean Interactive Theorem Prover, which is usually used as a tool in creating mathemtics proofs, can be used to create rigorous and robust models in physics and chemistry.  Also -  we have a brand new member of the Breaking Math Team!  This episode is the debut episode for Autumn, CEO of Cosmo Labs, occasional co-host / host of the Breaking Math Podcast, and overall contributor who has been working behind the scenes on the podcast on branding and content for the last several months. Welcome Autumn!  Autumn and Gabe discuss how the paper explores the use of interactive theorem provers to ensure the accuracy of scientific theories and make them machine-readable. The episode discusses the limitations and potential of interactive theorem provers and highlights the themes of precision and formal verification in scientific knowledge.  This episode also provide resources (listed below) for listeners interested in learning more about working with the LEAN interactive theorem prover.  Takeaways Interactive theorem provers can revolutionize the way scientific theories are formulated and verified, ensuring mathematical certainty and minimizing errors. Interactive theorem provers require a high level of mathematical knowledge and may not be accessible to all scientists and engineers. Formal verification using interactive theorem provers can eliminate human error and hidden assumptions, leading to more confident and reliable scientific findings. Interactive theorem provers promote clear communication and collaboration across disciplines by forcing explicit definitions and minimizing ambiguities in scientific language. Lean Theorem Provers enable scientists to construct modular and reusable proofs, accelerating the pace of knowledge acquisition. Formal verification presents challenges in terms of transforming informal proofs into a formal language and bridging the reality gap. Integration of theorem provers and machine learning has the potential to enhance creativity, verification, and usefulness of machine learning models. The limitations and variables in formal verification require rigorous validation against experimental data to ensure real-world accuracy. Lean Theorem Provers have the potential to provide unwavering trust, accelerate innovation, and increase accessibility in scientific research. AI as a scientific partner can automate the formalization of informal theories and suggest new conjectures, revolutionizing scientific exploration. The impact of Lean Theorem Provers on humanity includes a shift in scientific validity, rapid scientific breakthroughs, and democratization of science. Help Support The Podcast by clicking on the links below: Try out ZenCastr w/ 30% DiscountUse my special link to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan Patreon YouTube Breaking Math WebsiteEmail us for copies of the transcript! 

This conversation explores the topic of brain organoids and their integration with robots. The discussion covers the development and capabilities of brain organoids, the ethical implications of their use, and the differences between sentience and consciousness. The conversation also delves into the efficiency of human neural networks compared to artificial neural networks, the presence of sleep in brain organoids, and the potential for genetic memories in these structures. The episode concludes with an invitation to part two of the interview and a mention of the podcast's Patreon offering a commercial-free version of the episode.Takeaways Brain organoids are capable of firing neural signals and forming structures similar to those in the human brain during development. The ethical implications of using brain organoids in research and integrating them with robots raise important questions about sentience and consciousness. Human neural networks are more efficient than artificial neural networks, but the reasons for this efficiency are still unknown. Brain organoids exhibit sleep-like patterns and can undergo dendrite growth, potentially indicating learning capabilities. Collaboration between scientists with different thinking skill sets is crucial for advancing research in brain organoids and related fields.Chapters 00:00 Introduction: Brain Organoids and Robots 00:39 Brain Organoids and Development 01:21 Ethical Implications of Brain Organoids 03:14 Summary and Introduction to Guest 03:41 Sentience and Consciousness in Brain Organoids 04:10 Neuron Count and Pain Receptors in Brain Organoids 05:00 Unanswered Questions and Discomfort 05:25 Psychological Discomfort in Brain Organoids 06:21 Early Videos and Brain Organoid Learning 07:20 Efficiency of Human Neural Networks 08:12 Sleep in Brain Organoids 09:13 Delta Brainwaves and Brain Organoids 10:11 Creating Brain Organoids with Specific Components 11:10 Genetic Memories in Brain Organoids 12:07 Efficiency and Learning in Human Brains 13:00 Sequential Memory and Chimpanzees 14:18 Different Thinking Skill Sets and Collaboration 16:13 ADHD and Hyperfocusing 18:01 Ethical Considerations in Brain Research 19:23 Understanding Genetic Mutations 20:51 Brain Organoids in Rat Bodies 22:14 Dendrite Growth in Brain Organoids 23:11 Duration of Dendrite Growth 24:26 Genetic Memory Transfer in Brain Organoids 25:19 Social Media Presence of Brain Organoid Companies 26:15 Brain Organoids Controlling Robot Spiders 27:14 Conclusion and Invitation to Part 2References:Muotri Labs (Brain Organelle piloting Spider Robot)Cortical Labs (Brain Organelle's trained to play Pong)*For a copy of the episode transcript, email us at breakingmathpodcast@gmail.com Help Support The Podcast by clicking on the links below: Start YOUR podcast on ZenCastr!  Use my special link  ZenCastr Discount to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan Visit our PatreonSummary:

This is a follow up on our previous episode on OpenAi's SORA. We attempt to answer the question, "Can OpenAi's SORA model real-world physics?" We go over the details of the technical report, we discuss some controversial opinoins by experts in the field at Nvdia and Google's Deep Mind. The transcript for episode is avialable below upon request.Help Support The Podcast by clicking on the links below: Try out ZenCastr:   Use my special link  ZenCastr Discount to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan Patreon Link:  All content is available commercial free on patreon YouTube Channel:  Enjoy this content? subscribe to our YouTube Channel