Subscription Center
February 12, 2011
| 
4
If you’re a fan of clever and fun, you must check out this video from Vi Hart, a self-proclaimed recreational "mathemusician". This video went viral a few weeks ago. In his New York Times profile of her, Kenneth Chang describes her goal to be the Web 2.0 version of the late Martin Gardner, famous for his Mathematical Games columns in Scientific American.
Besides being a brilliant introduction to concepts in topology, the video is also a bittersweet tale of a love that can never possibly be.
4 Comments
Add a Comment
You must sign in or register as a ScientificAmerican.com member to submit a comment.
Click one of the buttons below to register using an existing Social Account.
What Rational Really Means
Is It Quantum Computing or Not?
Bush-crow diaries: Settling in with the Borana
Is Homosexuality Natural? Yes. So is male lactation.
Why Barns Are Red, and More - The Countdown, Episode 22 
Bora's Picks (May 17th, 2013)
See what we're tweeting about
robinlloyd99 Economic Recovery, Made in Bangladesh? http://t.co/3f5M3UcEV7
sciammind Why Do Top Athletes Suddenly Develop the Yips --a Tendency to Choke under Pressure? http://t.co/pAJIi1TEEZ
notscientific Your weekend reading from #SciLogs: Science Seeker Awards, The Conversation UK, Endlings, Hopeful Monsters http://t.co/oIoprNGqRK
YES! Send me a free issue of Scientific American with no obligation to continue the subscription. If I like it, I will be billed for the one-year subscription.
Share
Email
Print
Excellent. Tremendous creativity. The finest work I have seen in quite some time.
Link to thisThis is someone with way too much time on their hands! Interesting but suggest that this is not in the domain of SA.
Link to thisYes, math, specifically topology, and science have nothing to do with each other. [sarcasm intended]
Link to thisWe need a successor to Martin Gardner and I’m not talking about Martin Gardner + 1.
It would be wonderful if it were a woman.
Luckily, VI is equivalent to Martin Gardner in a very important way.
‘M’, the first letter of his first name, is the thirteenth letter in the alphabet. The first letter of his last name is ‘G’ which is the seventh letter.
Now since 13 – 7 = 6 is expressed as VI in Roman numerals, VI will obviously get get the job as successor.
Douglas Hofstadter was clearly unqualified because 4 – 8 = – IV which is only the mirror image of Martin Gardner reflected across x-axis on the xy-plane.
While Garner was fascinated with symmetry, that fact alone did not qualify Hofstadter for the job.
Too bad for Hofstadter and congratulations for Ms. Hart.
I can’t wait to read her first column.
Link to this