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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. 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?

Top 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

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?

Rating

7.8 / 10
5 Reviews
0 Popular

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