Alan Lightman: More than just the equations
The Story Collider
Story Collider, Inc.
4.4 • 824 Ratings
🗓️ 6 October 2013
⏱️ 15 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
From a (mostly) successful model rocket launch to a missed opportunity by Richard Feynman, Alan Lightman learns that the equations aren't the whole story. Alan Lightman is a physicist, novelist, and essayist. He has served on the faculties of Harvard and MIT and was the first person at MIT to receive dual appointments in science and in the humanities. His scientific work has been in the area of theoretical astrophysics. His literary work has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, the New Yorker, Harper's, and other publications. Lightman's novel Einstein's Dreams was an international bestseller and his novel The Diagnosis was a finalist for the National Book Award in fiction. Lightman's latest novel is Mr g, a story of the creation as told by God. Every week the Story Collider brings you a true, personal story about science. Find more and subscribe to our podcast at our website: http://storycollider.org/
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Transcript
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| 0:31.8 | A science story, huh? |
| 0:34.9 | Is NYU scientist the... |
| 0:36.7 | It felt... I was so... |
| 0:38.3 | And I just thought, well... |
| 0:40.3 | It was that golden moment... |
| 0:42.3 | Because science was on my side. |
| 0:45.3 | Hey, everyone. Hey everyone, I'm Ben Lilly, and welcome to the Story Collider, |
| 1:00.6 | where we bring you true stories of how science has affected people's lives. |
| 1:04.3 | This week's story is from Alan Lightman. |
| 1:06.7 | The story was recorded in September 2013 at the Middle East in Cambridge, Massachusetts. |
| 1:11.7 | The theme of the evening was Poisons and Passions. |
| 1:24.1 | I'm going to tell a rocket story. |
| 1:28.9 | Ever since the launch of Sputnik in 1957, which was around my ninth birthday, |
| 1:36.8 | I was entranced with building a rocket ship of my own. |
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