Science Chicago | Life's a Lab

Is God A Mathematician?

November 4th, 2009 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

For centuries, mathematical theories have proven uncannily accurate at describing - and predicting - the physical world. What is it that gives mathematics such powers? Dr. Livio, author of the recent book, Is God a Mathematician?, will thoroughly review this question in his talk. Dr. Livio will explore such fields as mathematics, cosmology, physics and the cognitive sciences, and will offer an accessible and lively account of the ideas of some of the greatest mathematicians and scientists in history, from Archimedes to Galileo and Descartes, and from Newton to Hilbert and Gödel, on up to the present day. Along the way he will discuss another question with which mathematicians, philosophers, and neuroscientists have struggled for centuries: Is mathematics ultimately invented or discovered? Dr. Livio is a senior astrophysicist and the Head of the Office of Public Outreach at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. He is the author of The Golden Ratio, a prize winning book about mathematics and art.
Location	Columbia College Chicago, Ferguson Auditorium 600 South Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL, 60605 Get Driving Directions Get Public Transit Directions View Larger Map
Fee	FREE.
Schedule	5:00-6:00 pm
Contact
Event Type	Lecture
Age Appropriateness	All Ages
Audience	General Public
Partners	Columbia College

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