Opinionated History of Mathematics

100

History of mathematics research with iconoclastic madcap twists

Recent Episodes
  • Torricelli’s trumpet is not counterintuitive
    Dec 30, 2024 – 56:39
  • Did Copernicus steal ideas from Islamic astronomers?
    Nov 29, 2023 – 1:27:04
  • Operational Einstein: constructivist principles of special relativity
    Jul 23, 2023 – 1:16:38
  • Review of Netz’s New History of Greek Mathematics
    Oct 11, 2022 – 52:04
  • The “universal grammar” of space: what geometry is innate?
    May 20, 2022 – 32:22
  • “Repugnant to the nature of a straight line”: Non-Euclidean geometry
    Feb 20, 2022 – 30:40
  • Rationalism 2.0: Kant’s philosophy of geometry
    Nov 17, 2021 – 30:00
  • Rationalism versus empiricism
    Sep 18, 2021 – 43:50
  • Cultural reception of geometry in early modern Europe
    Jul 10, 2021 – 33:47
  • Maker’s knowledge: early modern philosophical interpretations of geometry
    May 10, 2021 – 49:29
  • “Let it have been drawn”: the role of diagrams in geometry
    Mar 10, 2021 – 51:12
  • Why construct?
    Jan 20, 2021 – 1:18:01
  • Created equal: Euclid’s Postulates 1-4
    Dec 10, 2020 – 41:00
  • That which has no part: Euclid’s definitions
    Nov 3, 2020 – 43:33
  • What makes a good axiom?
    Oct 4, 2020 – 35:21
  • Consequentia mirabilis: the dream of reduction to logic
    Sep 8, 2020 – 35:50
  • Read Euclid backwards: history and purpose of Pythagorean Theorem
    Jul 30, 2020 – 41:37
  • Singing Euclid: the oral character of Greek geometry
    Jun 21, 2020 – 40:10
  • First proofs: Thales and the beginnings of geometry
    May 15, 2020 – 42:27
  • Societal role of geometry in early civilisations
    Mar 29, 2020 – 36:01
  • Why the Greeks?
    Feb 16, 2020 – 40:42
  • The mathematicians’ view of Galileo
    Jan 11, 2020 – 36:51
  • Historiography of Galileo’s relation to antiquity and middle ages
    Dec 3, 2019 – 35:09
  • More things Galileo didn’t do first
    Oct 28, 2019 – 53:28
  • Galileo was the first to … what exactly?
    Sep 21, 2019 – 44:01
  • Galileo and the Church
    Aug 15, 2019 – 40:27
  • Galileo’s theory of comets is hot air
    Jul 7, 2019 – 36:16
  • Phases of Venus
    Jun 2, 2019 – 31:01
  • Blemished sun
    May 4, 2019 – 32:49
  • The telescope
    Apr 6, 2019 – 31:13
  • Heliocentrism before the telescope
    Mar 9, 2019 – 31:27
  • Heliocentrism in antiquity
    Feb 11, 2019 – 31:36
  • Galileo’s theory of tides
    Jan 18, 2019 – 22:58
  • Why Galileo is like Nostradamus
    Dec 27, 2018 – 28:17
  • Galileo’s errors on projectile motion and inertia
    Dec 10, 2018 – 26:52
  • The case against Galileo on the law of fall
    Nov 29, 2018 – 21:43
  • Galilean science in antiquity?
    Nov 21, 2018 – 23:26
  • Mathematics versus philosophy, then and now
    Nov 21, 2018 – 19:21
  • Galileo bad, Archimedes good
    Nov 21, 2018 – 16:36
Recent Reviews
  • TwiggyTitian
    I don’t even know math and I love it
    Well, that’s not entirely true, but I wouldn’t describe myself as a huge math geek. That said, i absolutely love this podcast. I always learn something new and interesting when I listen and it’s totally outside my day-to-day so it really helps me relax. Sometimes I listen to the same episode three or four times in a row because I love it THAT MUCH.
  • Johannpi
    I frequently disagree; I always enjoy and learn
    Really, this a great podcast, and one of my real pleasures to listen to. The host is often prickly and snide, but if you can look past that, the rewards are well-worth it. There is a lot to be learned here, it’s thought provoking, and it’s impressively accessible: conveying math purely verbally, with no diagrams is quite an challenge, and the host does a phenomenal job.
  • Sandokanus
    Illuminating History of Mathematics
    It’s great to hear an analysis of various historical treaties of math and science history with such clarity! Thank you! I hope there’s more to come. Looking forward to the next episode!
  • petera256
    This is refreshing and illuminating
    The season about Galileo is invaluable. I hope these facts make it into the mainstream writers of history, because it seems there is much, much more to the tale we’ve been told about him. Really great series to listen to. Finally, here’s someone who is not from the humanities department commenting on the history of math and science!
  • aylee yahoo
    Brilliant
    Brilliant, witty, and, highest compliment for a mathematician explaining occasionally complex matters, comprehensible to people who have virtually no background and thought provoking to those who do.
  • G&8#8
    Gasping humor, commentary informs
    Joining the dots, this commenter sees the bigger picture and then hones in like a perigean falcon upon the biting conclusion. Right or wrong his observations are supported, opinions and tone are delightfully wry.
  • John Stryker03
    Brilliant
    This podcast teaches so much. Add to that the host is extremely intelligent with a biting sense of humor. I really enjoy this. Thank You for creating it.
  • KatieGirl
    CFC
    I love math🤗🤗🤗🤗
  • 🐶🐾❤️
    I love math!
    Very interesting and a lot of great stories about mathematicians I’ve never heard of before.
  • Mayhemenway
    Everything you didn’t know you needed plus math
    This podcast is so easy to listen to! There is no stress and no nonsense. The topics are interesting and oftentimes funny. The way he explains some of histories “great minds” really makes me laugh!
  • SGA2M1
    Perfect listening
    At once highly entertaining and soothing, this podcast is like meditation except that you get to learn something, and have food for thought to chew on afterwards. Perfect for taking your mind off a tedious task, this podcast explores an important but low profile strand of history that resonates into our contemporary world. All that, and you don’t have to know any math at all to follow the story.
  • ShrGuy
    Plato was a loudmouth?
    The pod about the role of diagrams in geometry was quite wonderful, although I get into a bit of trouble toward the end. Woke up family with my laughter at hearing Plato described as a loudmouth. Probably an accurate description, though.
  • samastew
    Love this show
    I never thought that listing to someone rip Galileo a new one could be so entertaining. Very interesting ideas
  • Socrates1.618
    Fascinating and one of a kind
    I never knew I wanted to hear someone rant about Galileo in ten different ways, nor that it would actually be incredibly insightful. Great perspective on the history of mathematics that you’re unlikely to find elsewhere outside the academy. I hope it continues!
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