NOVA: The Great Math Mystery

NOVA leads viewers on a mathematical mystery tour -- a provocative exploration of math's astonishing power across the centuries. We discover math's signature in the swirl of a nautilus shell, the whirlpool of a galaxy and the spiral in the center of a sunflower.

NR20150h 54m7.8Movie

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Overview

NOVA leads viewers on a mathematical mystery tour -- a provocative exploration of math's astonishing power across the centuries. We discover math's signature in the swirl of a nautilus shell, the whirlpool of a galaxy and the spiral in the center of a sunflower. Math was essential to everything from the first wireless radio transmissions to the prediction and discovery of the Higgs boson and the successful landing of rovers on Mars. But where does math get its power? Astrophysicist and writer Mario Livio, along with a colorful cast of mathematicians, physicists and engineers, follows math from Pythagoras to Einstein and beyond, all leading to the ultimate riddle: Is math an invention or a discovery? Humankind's clever trick or the language of the universe?

Cast

Jay O. Sanders
Jay O. Sanders
Narrator (voice)
Glenn Kalison
Glenn Kalison
Actor
Max Tegmark
Max Tegmark
Self
Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza Spalding
Self
Sylvester James Gates
Sylvester James Gates
Self
Adam Steltzner
Adam Steltzner
Self
Janna Levin
Janna Levin
Self
Simon Schaffer
Simon Schaffer
Self
Savas Dimopoulos
Savas Dimopoulos
Self
Roger Penrose
Roger Penrose
Self
Stephen Wolfram
Stephen Wolfram
Self