Four millennia of mathematical discovery distilled into eighteen essential equations
In short: Professor Robin Wilson explores the history of mathematics through eighteen significant equations. This lecture series, based on his book Sum Stories, bridges the gap between ancient geometry and modern fractal art to reveal the human stories behind the numbers.
Professor Robin Wilson, Emeritus Gresham Professor of Geometry, traces the evolution of mathematics over 4,000 years. His work highlights diverse mathematical milestones, ranging from the foundational principles of early geometry to the complexities of fractal art. The project includes a series of short films, each dedicated to one of the eighteen equations featured in his book, Sum Stories: Equations and Their Origins.
The collection addresses varied intellectual curiosities, such as the length of Britain's coastline, the nature of a rhombicuboctahedron, and the surprising fact that a US president once proved Pythagoras’s theorem. Beyond the main films, the Oxford University Outreach channel offers short puzzles based on these topics, including problems involving Fibonacci’s rabbits and the geometry of tying a string around the Earth.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Sum Stories: Equations and their Origins - Robin Wilson
- Also: Sum Stories: Equations and their Origins – BSHM
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