The 3b1b Podcast

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Steven Strogatz on the Humanity of Math Oct 28, 2026

Show notes

Steven Strogatz, a mathematician at Cornell and author of The Joy of x, Infinite Powers, and most recently Big Math (with Alex Townsend), returns to the podcast for a conversation about what AI means for the field of mathematics. Steven believes that the field is anything but dead. In fact, this might be the best time to go into math.

They discuss whether human understanding still matters when machines can find the answers, why we may come to value our own imperfections more, and what the job of a mathematician could look like in the years ahead. The conversation also covers a paper-folding puzzle that turns students who hate math into students who get it, a passage from Ecclesiastes, and why, for Steven, math has always been about people.

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Discover exciting roles for the mathematically curious at https://www.3blue1brown.com/talent

00:00 Relaunching the 3b1b Podcast

01:58 AI is the conversation among mathematicians

03:21 What do you tell a student considering math?

04:06 AI as the great equalizer

06:20 Mathematical "rizz"

09:17 What if AI becomes a superhuman explainer?

12:34 Will "mathematician" still be a profession?

13:37 Finding humanity more precious

16:58 What's left for those who want to be pioneers?

21:39 Is solving the problem the point?

28:01 Two cultures of mathematics, and pure vs. applied

29:14 How Maxwell's math revealed the nature of light

33:55 Is understanding overrated?

43:50 Fermat vs. Goldbach: math that generates more math

47:43 Will human mathematicians exist?

54:44 Why learn math when AI can do it?

1:01:28 What should earn academic status?

1:05:21 Ecclesiastes: "Everything is beautiful in its time"

1:07:40 Does mathematical beauty depend on problem solving?

1:12:44 Math Explorations and the one-cut triangle puzzle

1:18:57 Should we still grade homework?

1:24:29 Research in the service of teaching

1:28:23 What should a math PhD look like now?

1:33:30 Poincaré, Lorenz and the birth of chaos theory

1:37:39 What's next for Steve

5 - Tai-Danae Bradley: Where math meets language Sep 25, 2021

Show notes

Tai-Danae Bradley does research applying tools from physics to understanding language models, all under the broader umbrella of category theory. She is also the brilliant mind behind the blog https://www.math3ma.com/

Try out the episode sponsor: http://brilliant.org/3b1b

4 - Dianna Cowern: Dead or Alive Aug 31, 2021

Show notes

Dianna Cowern is the host of Physics Girl: https://www.youtube.com/c/physicsgirl

Try out the episode sponsor: http://brilliant.org/3b1b

Contents:

0:00 - Intro

0:47 - Ad, Brilliant

2:03 - Relationship with math growing up

9:05 - Thoughts on teaching

16:36 - When students are genuinely curious

22:02 - Physics at MIT

27:53 - Alternate value systems

35:01 - Starting Physics Girl

40:20 - Taking down videos

48:49 - Authenticity on YouTube

53:17 - Advice on documenting learning

59:13 - Giving talks

1:07:51 - Dead or Alive

1:12:37 - Storytelling in explainer videos

Edited by Ralph Crewe

https://www.youtube.com/c/IsntThatSomething/

3 - Steven Strogatz: In and out of love with math Aug 07, 2021

Show notes

Steven Strogatz, an applied mathematician at Cornell, is a prominent figure in the field of nonlinear dynamics and chaos, and a widely beloved popularizer of math.

Episode sponsor: https://brilliant.org/3b1b

Brilliant is a great site/app for being more active in learning math.

--- Books by Strogatz which we discussed ---

Chaos and Nonlinear dynamics

https://amzn.to/3lFQjrU

Infinite powers

https://amzn.to/3AnvXIg

Unpublished appendix about Newton's letters to Leibniz:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5436e695e4b07f1e91b30155/t/5dd434fb9d105d031ded69de/1574188283323/Appendix+2+-+Newton+on+infinite+series+and+the+Epistola+Posterior+v4.pdf

--- Other things which came up ---

Strogatz's senior thesis:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5436e695e4b07f1e91b30155/t/5dca1c993141bb5946c54b45/1573526688118/The-mathematics-of-supercoiled-DNA.pdf

His first published paper:

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/78/3/1461.full.pdf

Crick’s paper about linking numbers and nucleosomes with the memorable comment that inspired his experiment with the ribbon:

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/73/8/2639.full.pdf

The 4-dog chase problem and its solution.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jun/03/can-you-solve-it-dogs-in-pursuit

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jun/03/did-you-solve-it-dogs-in-pursuit

For a full solution with calculus, see Strogatz's book "The Calculus of Friendship"

https://amzn.to/3CyVe48

Survey for kids on their desired occupation:

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lego-group-kicks-off-global-program-to-inspire-the-next-generation-of-space-explorers-as-nasa-celebrates-50-years-of-moon-landing-300885423.html

A radical approach to real analysis

https://amzn.to/2VwtgF3

Twitter thread on what, morally, a normal subgroup is.

https://mobile.twitter.com/sbagley/status/1296211024534622208

Leibniz formula via patterns from primes

https://youtu.be/NaL_Cb42WyY

--- Table of contents ---

0:00 - Intro

1:15 - Ad

1:59 - The perfect problem for a high school student

12:43 - Starting the Princeton undergrad

22:52 - The most beautiful proof

26:58 - What makes someone love a problem?

36:05 - Putting lessons online

41:57 - In and out of pre-med

47:05 - The geometry of DNA

58:53 - Using teaching as a means to learn

1:09:47 - Do students like history?

1:18:39 - The truth of Newton and Leibniz

1:23:29 - Archimedes, a true great

1:28:32 - Pitfalls of pure math exposition

1:39:03 - "Morality" in math

1:43:20 - An under-motivated culture

1:51:48 - What's next?

2 - Sal Khan: Beyond Khan Academy Jul 22, 2021

Show notes

In this conversation with Sal Khan, we discuss his new project (Schoolhouse.world) as well as the Khan Lab School that he started in 2014.

Sal's new tutoring platform: https://schoolhouse.world/
The Khan Lab School: https://www.khanlabschool.org/

Learn more about this episode's sponsor, Brilliant: https://brilliant.org/3b1b
Visit that link to get 20% off an annual subscription, and to let them know you came from here.

1 - Alex Kontorovich: Improving math Jul 09, 2021

Show notes

Alex Kontorovich is a research mathematician at Rutgers University, a distinguished visiting professor at the MoMath Museum, and Editor-in-Chief of Experimental Mathematics, among other things.

The tweet referenced at the end: https://twitter.com/AlexKontorovich/status/1172715174786228224

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