A Physicist, two Mathematicians and a Philosopher walk into a room and start to discuss infinity. This sounds like the set up to a great joke. But it’s actually one of the events that will occur tonight at 8:00PM EST (momentarily) as part of the World Science Festival. Mathematician Keith Devlin will moderate, and you can watch it live here.
On Saturday, Devlin will moderate a salon aimed at graduate students, post-docs and well-informed members of the general public. This salon will focus on progress made on the Continuum Hypothesis.
The World Science Festival was co-founded by Emmy Award winning Journalist Tracy Day and Columbia Physics professor Brian Greene. This is the 5th year of the festival, which started in NY on the 29th and ends this Sunday. As part of the Ultimate Science Street Fair (to be held in Washington Square), the Museum of Mathematics will present Math Midway, giving passers by the opportunity to help create a “gigantic fractal tetrahedron”. National Public Radio’s “Ask Me Another” will air from the festival with mathematical guest Steven Strogatz. As part of a free event, Strogatz, Astrophysicist Mario Livio (author of “Innumeracy”), and many other best-selling science authors will be available to discuss, give readings, and sign their books.
For a sweeter take on mathematics and science, the microstructures and crystal networks of ice cream will be discussed during an event called the “Scientific Kitchen” , which will be hosted by several chefs and a microbiologist.
Are you in NY now? Send us some pictures of the Fair on Sunday! Comment and tell us how the “mathy” events were.