The Equations: Icons of Knowledge

Опубликовано 6 сентября 2016, 6:29

The mysteries of the physical world speak to us through equations -- compact statements about the way nature works, expressed in nature's language, mathematics. Sander Bais will discuss the equations that govern our world -- unfolding in all their formal grace -- and their deeper meaning as core symbols of our civilization. Trying to explain science without equations is like trying to explain art without illustrations. Bais's work covers the historical, biographical, practical, philosophical, and mathematical traditions of seventeen equations that form the very basis of what we know of the universe today. He strives to convey the transcendent excitement and beauty of these icons of knowledge as they reveal and embody the fundamental truths of physical reality. These are the seventeen equations that represent radical turning points in our understanding -- from mechanics to electrodynamics, hydrodynamics to relativity, quantum mechanics to string theory -- their meanings revealed through the careful and critical observation of patterns and motions in nature.