Category Theory: Exploring Mathematics’ Deepest Truths With Eugenia Cheng (#362)

Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

Brian Keating

Science, Physics, Natural Sciences

4.7 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 30 October 2023

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Is math real? How to bake pi? And how much is x+y, really? Many people don't like math because they find it too complicated or boring. But math can actually be a lot of fun, and we can find it everywhere in life, even in the most mundane things like baking. And it is through baking that today's guest, Eugenia Cheng, decided to rid the world of math phobia. Dr. Cheng is a renowned mathematician, educator, author, and concert pianist. She's a scientist in residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she teaches mathematics to art students. She is an expert in category theory and has recently published a book, Is Math Real?, which we will discuss in detail today! Join Eugenia and me as we explore mathematics’ deepest truths. Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) Judging a book by its cover: Is Math Real? (01:10) On the unreasonable power of mathematics in the physical sciences (04:05) If there were no physical world, would math exist? (08:14) The number zero (10:30) Is our brain a massive computer? (17:04) How to Bake Pi (22:38) Category theory (27:07) How to revitalize and modernize education (39:21) Is math created or discovered? (45:12) Outro (49:33) — Additional resources: 🥗 Thanks, HelloFresh! Go to HelloFresh.com/50impossible and use code 50impossible for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months. 📝 With a MasterClass annual membership, you can take one-on-one classes from the world’s best for $10 a month with your annual membership, get unlimited access to every class — and even better, right now, as an Into The Impossible listener, you can get 15% off when you go to MASTERCLASS.com/impossible. 🧑‍💻 Visit LinkedIn.com/IMPOSSIBLE to post your job for free! ➡️ Check out Eugenia Cheng: 📚 Is Math Real? By Eugenia Cheng: https://a.co/d/j68vZuU ✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrEugeniaCheng/ 💻 Website: https://eugeniacheng.com/ ➡️ Follow me on your fav platforms: ✖️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating 🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 📝 Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list ✍️ Check out my blog: https://briankeating.com/blog.php 🎙️ Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast — Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known. Make sure to follow so you never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Dr Eugenia Cheng is a renowned mathematician, educator, author and concert pianist.
0:05.8	She's a scientist in residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago,
0:09.8	where she teaches mathematics to art students.
0:12.8	She is best known for trying to rid the world of mathematics phobia
0:17.7	by using analogies from baking.
0:19.8	Eugenia has written many wonderful books
0:22.2	exploring the world of numbers.
0:24.6	Is math real?
0:25.8	How to bake pie?
0:27.4	And how much is X plus Y really?
0:30.7	Tune in to find out once and for all why math is so much fun.
0:35.0	Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
0:46.0	Open the pod bay doors.
0:50.0	Hello everybody.
0:51.0	We are joined today by a renowned author and mathematical muse and
0:56.2	this is dr eugena chang of the art institute of Chicago but a mathematician be doing at an art institute, we'll find out. In today's episode,
1:06.4	Eugenia, how are you today? I'm well, thank you. Thanks very much for having me.
1:10.0	You've done so many things, you've written so many wonderful and extremely popular books like how to bake pie and x plus y and
1:16.9	This today's book is is math real so we're gonna be discussing the reality of math and I know that math is not
1:24.9	always real because there are imaginary numbers and we'll get into those maybe later on but
1:29.9	Eugenia as you know we have a Bayesian framework on this podcast, how to evaluate a book
1:35.9	other than to judge it by its cover.
	...

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