Strogatz: In taxicab geometry, pi equals four
Steven Strogatz · #73 Steven Strogatz: Exploring Curiosities · Jan 7, 2020 · at 22:04
Cornell applied mathematician Steven Strogatz explains non-Euclidean taxicab geometry on a street grid to illustrate how changing foundational rules affects mathematical constants.
0:00 / 0:17exact quote · 17.4s
720p mp4 · rendered on demand · StarZero watermark
“If you calculate the circumference and you calculate the diameter, you'll end up getting that they're always in the ratio. I think I'm doing it right. It's always going to be four times the diameter will be the circumference, which is interesting that pi is, is actually a whole number. It's four in this geometry instead of 3.14.”
quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading: filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard (the analysis reads context, assessments check outside sources). how →
More from Steven Strogatz
Strogatz: Weeding out STEM students ignores their true potential
“You know, you hear this idea of weeding out the people who have the right stuff from those that don't. I really don't accept that idea. People have a lot of potential, more than That kind of superficial analysis would lead you to think.”
Strogatz: Biology is purely material and will ultimately be explained by physics
“It is ultimately chemistry and physics. I mean, there's no, I don't believe in any vital spirit Or soul, or anything like that. I'm sure some people do, but I don't, I mean, to me, it's all material. It's gonna ultimately be understood in purely materialistic,…”
Strogatz: Strict tit-for-tat strategies trap players in endless vendettas after mistakes
“Here's the weakness of tit-for-tat. Sometimes people make mistakes. And not because they're mean, or, I mean, just, Mistakes happen. Sometimes you are trying to be nice, and a person interprets it as an insult. Now, if that person is following a tit-for-tat mo…”
Strogatz: Bright math freshmen achieve astonishing results under mercilessly unreasonable challenges
“You can really, you know, by the time they're seasoned, if they've been in college a few years, they start to know the game, but freshmen don't really know what college is going to be like, and so you can do mercilessly unreasonable things to the bright freshm…”
Strogatz: Math is an interconnected web rather than a linear tower
“The reality is that math is a web, not a tower. That you can jump in at different points in the network of ideas, And then find your way around from there.”
Strogatz: Parents should admit mathematical ignorance rather than passing on anxieties
“We have to try not to pass on our own anxieties to our kids. What I try to do and what I would recommend other people do is to not be afraid to admit that you don't know something. That's a big, strong reaction to say, I don't know. Let's figure it out.”