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The First Root of Unity

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


 

This is what I look like standing on a tilted post near Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, New York.

 


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Welcome to Roots of Unity! I'm Evelyn Lamb, and I am a mathematician. You can read more about me here. I got my Ph.D. in math in May 2012 and started writing for Scientific American in June through an AAAS Mass Media Fellowship. My journey into science communication has been thrilling, and I'm excited to be part of the Scientific American blog network now.

I love math, but I didn't always, and I know that not everyone shares my feelings. I hope my posts will give you a taste of what I find fun, exciting, and beautiful about the wide world of numbers, shapes, and patterns. Here are some pieces from the past few months that might give you an idea of what I write about:

Deep Spaces: Geometry Labs Bring Beautiful Math to the Masses

How Much Pi Do You Need?

A Presidential Pythagorean Proof

5 Sigma—What's That?

Bridging the Gap Between Math and Art

Abandoning Algebra is Not the Answer

Fractal Kitties Illustrate the Endless Possibilities for Julia Sets. This is probably my favorite piece so far. It has fractals and a picture of a cat. What more could you want?

I love to hear from readers in the comments section, on Twitter, or via email. Scientific American requires that you register in order to comment. It's pretty painless, and you can do it with Twitter or Facebook if you want. When leaving a comment, please remember that your fellow commenters and I are human beings. Let's treat each other that way. This blog is my space, and I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic. My Twitter handle is @evelynjlamb, and if you'd like to email me about a math question that has always interested or frustrated you, you can find that under the "Contact" tab at the top of the page. I look forward to hearing from you.

If you already love math, welcome. If you were traumatized by a math class years ago, welcome. If your relationship with math is complicated, welcome. I hope there will be something here for everyone.