Math in the News
The Beauty and Delight of Mathematics: Q&A with Steven Strogatz
Wired Magazine’s Samuel Arbesman interviews Steven Strogatz about his latest book, based on his recent series of columns in The New York Times.
In response to the question of when he realized mathematics was more than a topic in school, but that there was real pleasure in figuring how it explained the world, Strogatz replied with a story of finding a parabola in high school science class.
I felt a peculiar chill, an enveloping sensation of fear and awe: this pendulum knows algebra! In that moment I suddenly understood what people meant by “laws of nature.” It was a moment from which I’ve never really recovered. It felt like I was being let in on a secret. There were beautiful, hidden patterns in the world, patterns you couldn’t see unless you knew math.
Read the full article from Wired Magazine.