Tag: Mathematics

Glowing Digital Scheme Abstract Background. 3D illustration

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Eric Holloway
Date
May 9, 2024

Categorized
Applied Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, Entropy, ID, Intelligent Design, Mathematics, no free lunch theorem, science, William Dembski}

Applying the Theory of Intelligent Design

_{What are ID's implications for economics, metaphysics, and computer science?} _{Eric Holloway
May 9, 2024

6

Applied Intelligence}

As my PhD advisor Dr. Robert Marks likes to say: “You have to make the queen of the sciences get down and scrub the floors.” Intelligent design (ID) is a science, and so ID has to get down and scrub the floors. To further this goal, I’ve come up with a schema for the ways in which ID can be applied, and what it in fact means for ID to be applied. The upshot of this schema is not only to guide brainstorming, but it also demonstrates that ID is already applied in many areas, unbeknownst to all. As they say, the best way to get something done is to take credit for someone else’s work. First, let’s identify what ID is. ID is Read More ›

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Jean-Pierre Luminet
Date
May 8, 2024

Categorized
Cosmology

Tagged
Einstein, Evolution News, Expanding universe, knowledge, Mathematics, Tech}

Einstein Meets Lemaître

_{The significance of Lemaître’s work remained mostly unnoticed for three years} _{Jean-Pierre Luminet
May 8, 2024

9

Cosmology}

Georges Lemaître’s work provided the first interpretation of cosmological redshifts as a natural effect of the universe's expansion within the framework of general relativity. Read More ›

close up view of silver coin in hand of gambler scratching lottery card

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Robert J. Marks
Date
March 18, 2024

Categorized
Probability

Tagged
infinity, Mathematics, Probability, Robert J. Marks}

The Two-Sided Lottery Card Paradox and Infinity

_{Assuming the infinite often leads to ridiculous conclusions.} _{Robert J. Marks
March 18, 2024

6

Probability}

Here’s the takeaway. Infinity does not exist in reality. There are not an infinite number of parallel universes. It's thought candy. Read More ›

Technology, chemistry and science banner design template. Molecule and communication pattern. Connected lines with dots.

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Peter Biles
Date
February 16, 2024

Categorized
Mathematics

Tagged
Afterlife, Einstein, god, Kurt Gödel, Kurt Gödel (belief in God), Mathematics, Oppenheimer, science, transcendence}

Kurt Gödel’s “Incompleteness Theorem”

_{For Kurt Gödel, mathematics pointed to a remarkable world of transcendent order and meaning} _{Peter Biles
February 16, 2024

4

Mathematics}

Gödel saw the beauty of numbers and associated them with a transcendent order. Read More ›

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post

Gary Smith
Date
January 2, 2024

Categorized
Mathematics

Tagged
Gary Smith, Graphs, Mathematics, Politics, Probability, Wall Street Journal}

Let’s Dispose of Exploding Pie Charts

_{Pie charts are seldom a good idea. Here's why.} _{Gary Smith
January 2, 2024

7

Mathematics}

Points can be made without sensationalized graphs that undermine the credibility of the argument. Let’s dispose of exploding pie charts. Read More ›

View of universe with stars and amazing colorful and deep blue dark

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Andrew McDiarmid
Date
September 21, 2023

Categorized
Physics

Tagged
Cormac McCarthy, Lawrence Krauss, Materialism, Mathematics, Physics, Universe}

The Universe and its Mathematical Structure

_{Do humans project mathematics upon nature or vice versa?} _{Andrew McDiarmid
September 21, 2023

2

Physics}

This past June, we published an article featuring a conversation between physicist Lawrence Krauss and novelist Cormac McCarthy, where they discussed whether mathematics was “discovered or invented.” Robert J. Marks went on to write his own thoughts on the question shortly thereafter. If you’re further interested in mathematics and whether there is an actual correspondence between math and the natural world, consider watching new podcast episode featuring Dr. Melissa Cain Travis. Do humans project mathematical order onto nature? Or was it there all along? On a new episode of ID the Future, I conclude a three-part conversation with Dr. Melissa Cain Travis about her recent book Thinking God’s Thoughts: Johannes Kepler and the Miracle of Cosmic Comprehensibility. In Part 3, we look Read More ›

Science and research of the universe, spiral galaxy and physical formulas, concept of knowledge and education

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News
Date
August 22, 2023

Categorized
Mathematics

Tagged
god, Intelligent design theory, Mathematics, Numbers, Physics, religion, science}

From Physics to Faith?

_{A podcast episode looking at how physics points to more than meets the eye} _{News
August 22, 2023

2

Mathematics}

Do you recognize the number 1/137.035999206? It might seem arbitrary, but if the fine-structure constant were any higher or lower than it is, you might not exist! On this episode of ID the Future, host Brian Miller kicks off an engaging conversation with Rabbi Elie Feder and Rabbi Aaron Zimmer, hosts of the Physics to God podcast. Feder has a PhD in mathematics and has published articles on graph theory. Zimmer has training in physics, and has studied mathematics, philosophy, and psychology. Both men also have extensive rabbinical training. Through their podcast, Feder and Zimmer invite both secular and religious listeners on a journey through modern physics as they offer rational arguments for an intelligent cause of the universe. In Part 1 of Read More ›

Armageddon. Nuclear bomb or asteroid impact creates a nuke mushroom

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post

Peter Biles
Date
July 23, 2023

Categorized
Science

Tagged
AI, Biology, C.S. Lewis, John Horgan, Mathematics, Nature, Teleology}

Science as Insight vs. Science as Power

_{What are the core purposes of science and math? Evaluating the idea of "knowledge as power" in the computer age} _{Peter Biles
July 23, 2023

3

Science}

With the advent of advanced computing and artificial intelligence, the role of humans in mathematics is getting vague. Read More ›

Group of asian creative team programing designers participate in all phases of the UX design.

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Jeffrey Funk and Gary Smith
Date
July 21, 2023

Categorized
Technology

Tagged
Covid, data, Data scraping, LinkedIn, Mathematics, science, startups, Statistics}

Using Data Like a Drunk Uses a Lamppost

_{Startup companies can be tempted to use statistics for support instead of real illumination} _{Jeffrey Funk and Gary Smith
July 21, 2023

6

Technology}

Karl Pearson, the great English mathematician and statistician, wrote, “Statistics is the grammar of science.” But it can be used to mislead, too. Read More ›

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Jonathan Bartlett
Date
July 10, 2023

Categorized
Mathematics

Tagged
Cantor's theory of infinity, infinity, Jonathan Bartlett, Mathematics}

Of Infinity and Beyond

_{What are the problems and solutions with infinity in mathematics?} _{Jonathan Bartlett
July 10, 2023

6

Mathematics}

The concept of infinity has plagued a great many proofs, both formal and informal. I think that there are two foundational problems at play in most people’s thinking about infinity that causes issues. The first problem people have with infinity is that they treat it as if it were a single value. Because infinity is bigger than all possible natural numbers, people assume that it is bigger than any number, and therefore there is nothing beyond infinity. Therefore, people have the concept that if I have two infinities, then I still have the same number. They believe that 2 * infinity = infinity. However, using that logic can quickly lead to contradictions. This problem is exacerbated by much mathematical notation. People often will Read More ›

Silhouette of a man, with thoughts in the form of physico-mathematical formulas. The concept of scientific and education topics.

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Robert J. Marks
Date
July 6, 2023

Categorized
Mathematics

Tagged
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Isaac Newton, Mathematics, Physics, Robert J. Marks, Royal Society}

Is Mathematics Discovered or Invented?

_{Some think math is invented. Evidence, though, points towards discovery.} _{Robert J. Marks
July 6, 2023

5

Mathematics}

Some think math is invented. (See the article by Peter Biles.) Evidence, though, points towards discovery. Simultaneous mathematical discovery supports this viewpoint. Many mathematical breakthroughs are sometimes independently reported by two or more mathematicians at roughly the same time. The most famous is the simultaneous discovery of calculus by Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Newton was secretive about his discovery and shared his results with only a few members of the Royal Society. When Leibnitz published his discovery of the calculus, Newton charged him with plagiarism. Today, historians agree that the discoveries were independent of each other. Here are some other lesser-known examples of simultaneous discovery. The Papoulis-Gerchberg Algorithm (PGA). The PGA is an ingenious method for recovering lost Read More ›

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News
Date
June 26, 2023

Categorized
Science

Tagged
AI, Andrew Wiles, Anna Karenina, calculus, computer, David Berlinksi, DNA, Einstein, Evolution News, Mathematics, Oppenheimer, Science After Babel (book)}

Iterations of Immortality

_{If it is beauty that governs the mathematician’s soul, it is truth and certainty that remind him of his duty} _{News
June 26, 2023

14

Science}

by David Berlinski Editor’s note: We are delighted to welcome Science After Babel, the latest book from mathematician and philosopher David Berlinski. This article is adapted from Chapter 7. The calculus and the rich body of mathematical analysis to which it gave rise made modern science possible, but it was the algorithm that made possible the modern world. They are utterly different, these ideas. The calculus serves the imperial vision of mathematical physics. It is a vision in which the real elements of the world are revealed to be its elementary constituents: particles, forces, fields, or even a strange fused combination of space and time. Written in the language of mathematics, a single set of fearfully compressed laws describes their secret Read More ›

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Peter Biles
Date
June 25, 2023

Categorized
Mathematics, Science

Tagged
Charles Darwin, Cormac McCarthy, Evolution, fiction, Lawrence Krauss, Materialism, Mathematics, novels, Physics, Santa Fe Institute, science, Stella Maris, The Passenger}

Is Mathematics an Illusion? Lawrence Krauss and Cormac McCarthy Discuss

_{McCarthy asked, "Would mathematics be here if we weren't?"} _{Peter Biles
June 25, 2023

3

Mathematics, Science}

In December, physicist and author Lawrence Krauss interviewed the late American novelist Cormac McCarthy, who died on June 13th at the age of 89 in Santa Fe, N.M. McCarthy is famous for his remarkable fictional works like The Road and Blood Meridian, but he was also deeply fascinated with mathematics and science. Apparently, he enjoyed reading science more than he did fiction! He moved to Santa Fe from El Paso to be closer to the Santa Fe Institute, a science think tank where McCarthy would spend time speaking with various physicists, scientists, and mathematicians. His latest two novels, The Passenger and Stella Maris, are about a brother and sister who are both brilliant mathematicians. Towards the beginning of the interview, Read More ›

3D rendering of abstract blocks of mathematical formulas located in the virtual space

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Peter Biles
Date
May 13, 2023

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Mathematics

Tagged
AI, C.S. Lewis, Euclid, Intelligent design theory, J.R.R. Tolkien, Literature, Mathematics, New York Times, novels}

Math, Mind, and Matter

_{The surprising similarities between mathematics and literature} _{Peter Biles
May 13, 2023

4

Arts & Culture, Mathematics}

Last October, legendary American author Cormac McCarthy, who wrote Blood Meridian and The Road, released a pair of interconnected novels called The Passenger and Stella Maris. The books arrived after a sixteen-year silence from the desk of McCarthy. The books deal, per usual, with themes of mortality, fate, and the “God question,” and are predictably lyrical, vivid, and dark. But McCarthy plows new ground in these sibling novels. The books are about mathematicians. It’s fiction about math. The story revolves around the complex relationship between a brother and sister: Bobby and Alicia Western. Bobby is a deep-sea diver with some history in the field of mathematics, while Alicia is a once-in-a-generation math prodigy. Not Estranged, but Akin After reading these books myself, I marveled at McCarthy’s ability to Read More ›

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Eric Holloway
Date
March 20, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Human exceptionalism, Mathematics, media, UK}

We Can’t Build a Hut to the Moon

_{The history of AI is a story of a recurring cycle of hype and disappointment} _{Eric Holloway
March 20, 2023

4

Artificial Intelligence}

Once upon a time there live a tribe who lived on the plains. They were an adventurous tribe, constantly wanting to explore. At night they would see the moon drift lazily overhead, and became curious. How could they reach the moon? The moon was obviously higher than their huts. Standing on the highest hut no one could reach the moon. At the same time, standing on the hut got them closer to the moon. So, they decided to amass all their resources and build a gigantic hut. Reason being that if standing on a short hut got them closer to the moon, then standing on a gigantic hut would get them even closer. Eventually the tribe ran out of mud and Read More ›

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Jonathan Bartlett
Date
March 21, 2022

Categorized
Education, Mathematics

Tagged
Mathematics, mathematics education}

What Do We Want With Mathematics Curriculum?

_{If we are going to dedicate such a large portion of our children's lives to learning mathematics, we had better know why} _{Jonathan Bartlett
March 21, 2022

6

Education, Mathematics}

Modern policy discussions in America almost always leave out the biggest question – why are we doing what we are doing in the first place? Leaving out first principles always leaves people trying to find the most practical way to accomplish nothing in particular. We have become accustomed to not asking questions about first principles because they always sound too doctrinaire, but then we wind up, at best, making the misplaced assumption that everyone is reaching for the same goal, or, far worse, viewing the activities themselves as the goals. One place where this problem repeatedly rears its ugly head is education, and especially mathematics education. Why are we teaching math? What do we want people to get out of Read More ›

Abstract Technology Background. Web Developer. Computer Code. Programming. Coding. Hacker concept. Green and blue neon figures fall from top to bottom.

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podcast

Gregory Chaitin and Robert J. Marks
Date
December 30, 2021

Tagged
Algorithmic Information Theory, Gregory Chaitin, Mathematics, Panpsychism, Randomness}

Randomness, Information Theory, and the Unknowable

_{Gregory Chaitin and Robert J. Marks
December 30, 2021

4}

In the 1960s, mathematician and computer scientist Gregory Chaitin published a landmark paper in the field of algorithmic information theory in the Journal of the ACM – and he was only a teenager. Since then he’s explored mathematics, computer science, and even gotten a mathematical constant named after him. Robert J. Marks leads the discussion with Professor Gregory Chaitin on Read More ›

child hands showing a colorful 123 numbers agains wooden table. Concept of Child education, learning mathematics and counting

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post

Jonathan Bartlett
Date
March 31, 2021

Categorized
Education, Mathematics

Tagged
Common Core math, Mathematics, mathematics education, Mathematics education reform}

The Fundamental Problem With Common Core Math

_{Intuition relies on skill, not the other way around} _{Jonathan Bartlett
March 31, 2021

6

Education, Mathematics}

In 2010, a bold effort to reform math curriculum was adopted by the majority of the United States. Known as “Common Core Math,” the goal of this endeavor was to establish a common foundation of mathematics education across the country, and to help bolster not only students’ mathematical abilities, but also their mathematical intuition. The goal was to help students think about math more deeply, believing that this will help them work with mathematics better in later years. Before discussing problems with this approach, I want to say that I appreciate the idea of helping students think more deeply about mathematics. After years and years and years of mathematics education, many students wind up thinking about mathematics as merely a set Read More ›

group of school kids raising hands in classroom

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Jonathan Bartlett
Date
March 30, 2021

Categorized
Education, Mathematics

Tagged
education, Mathematics, mathematics education}

Practicing the Basics: Teaching Math Facts in the Classroom

_{How to help students make deeper connections within mathematics with creative games.} _{Jonathan Bartlett
March 30, 2021

7

Education, Mathematics}

Many people learn to hate math early on. One of the places where people learn to hate math first is in high-stakes speed testing for math facts. This has caused quite a bit of angst in mathematics education for people on both sides of this issue. On the one hand, some have advocated for getting rid of math facts memorization altogether. On the other hand, others have doubled-down, saying that we need speed tests in order to make sure that the cognitive load of arithmetic is limited for later mathematics work. While I fall more into the latter camp than the former, I do think that a more balanced approach to mathematics education may help students in the long run. Read More ›

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podcast

Gregory Chaitin and Robert J. Marks
Date
March 18, 2021

Tagged
academia, Artificial Intelligence, Fermat's Last Theorem, Mathematics}

The Chaitin Interview III: The Changing Landscape for Mathematics

_{Gregory Chaitin and Robert J. Marks
March 18, 2021

2}

How are the fields of mathematics and academic research different today compared to years past? In this week’s podcast, Robert J. Marks and Gregory Chaitin discuss the challenges many mathematicians face today and the unfortunate trend toward bureaucracy that makes academic research difficult. Dropping names of mathematical geniuses past and present, they explore how technology and artificial intelligence are changing Read More ›