In Our Time - University of Reading
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In Our Time The following programmes from the BBC Radio 4 series In Our Time contain discussions of many mathematical topics. For further information about the series, visit www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qykl Archimedes http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00773bv Discussion of the Greek mathematician Archimedes and his famous cry of “eureka!” Calculus http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mrfwq The dispute between Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz over who invented calculus Cryptography http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y272 Discussion of the origins and history of codes Crystallography http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p0s9s Discussion of the history and achievements of crystallography e: Euler’s Number http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04hz49f First discovered in the seventeenth century by the Swill mathematician Jacob Bernoulli when he was studying compound interest Fermat’s Last Theorem http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ngn3j Fermat's theorem became one of the most iconic problems in mathematics The Fibonacci Sequence http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008ct2j Discussion of the Fibonacci Sequence, named after a 13th century Italian Mathematician, Leonardo of Pisa who was known as Fibonacci Game Theory http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01h75xp Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss game theory, the mathematical study of decision-making The History of Zero http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y254 Examination of the number between 1 and -1, once denounced as the devil's work Imaginary Numbers http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tt6b2 In the sixteenth century, a group of mathematicians in Bologna found a solution to a problem that had puzzled generations before them: a completely new kind of number Indian Mathematics http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0038xb0 Discussion of the 5000 year long story of Indian Maths Infinity http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0054927 What is mathematical infinity? Are some infinities bigger than others? And does infinity exist in nature? Mathematics http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00545hk Examination of the importance of mathematics in relation to other sciences Mathematics and Music http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003c1b9 Examination of the mathematical structures that lie within the heart of music Mathematics and Platonism http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0054799 Examination of whether mathematics is a process of invention or of discovery 1 Mathematics' Unintended Consequences http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qj2nq Exploration of the unintended consequences of mathematical discoveries, from the computer to online encryption, to alternating current and predicting the path of asteroids Maths and Storytelling http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0054625 Examination of whether it is possible to apply mathematical logic to literature Maxwell http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p005491g James Clerk Maxwell took the first colour photograph, defined the nature of gases and with a few mathematical equations expressed all the fundamental laws of light, electricity and magnetism - and in doing so he provided the tools to create the technological age, from radar to radio and televisions to mobile phones Negative Numbers http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003hyd9 The history of negative numbers is one of stops and starts. The trailblazers were the Chinese who by 100 BC were able to solve simultaneous equations involving negative numbers Pi http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y291 Examination of the history of the longest and most detailed number in nature The Poincaré Conjecture http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0038x8l Discussion of the Poincaré Conjecture. The great French mathematician Henri Poincaré declared: “The scientist does not study mathematics because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it Prime Numbers http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003hyf5 What exactly are prime numbers and what secrets might they unlock about our understanding of atoms? What are the rules that may govern the prime sequence? Probability http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00bqf61 Probability is the field of maths relating to random events Pythagoras http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00p693b Discussion of the ideas and influence of the Greek mathematician Pythagoras and his followers Renaissance Maths http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003k9hq Exploration of Renaissance Mathematics, when maths moved from an art to a science These programmes may also be of interest: Absolute Zero http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01r113g Discussion of absolute zero, the theoretical lowest possible temperature Antimatter http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00808w8 Discussion of Antimatter in particle physics and cosmology Baconian Science http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jdb6c Discussion of the Jacobean thinker Francis Bacon and Baconian Science Black Holes http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00547f4 Discussion of Black Holes, the ghosts of massive stars The Brain http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00b54yx The history of cultural, medical, artistic and philosophical ideas about the human brain The Brain and Consciousness http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0054582 Discussion of our knowledge of memory and the functioning of the brain 2 The Calendar http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00548m9 Exploration of the ancient origins of our Gregorian calendar The Cavendish Family in Science http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sdbw4 Exploration of the scientific achievements of the Cavendish family The Cool Universe http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00s7b6r Discussion of the Cool Universe, the name astronomers give to the matter between the stars The Earth’s Origins http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00547hl Discussion of the origins of the Earth Exoplants http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03brwql Discussion of planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets Galaxies http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003c1cn Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the creation and destruction of galaxies Grand Unified Theory http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00546nx The 20th century pursuit in physics for the ultimate theory of everything Gravitational Waves http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007h8gv Discussion of mysterious phenomena called Gravitational Waves in contemporary physics The Graviton http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003k9ks Einstein spent the last thirty years of his life trying to find a theory that would unify electromagnetism with gravity. The search is still on for a unifying theory of gravitational force and hopes are pinned on the location of the graviton Macromolecules http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018grhm Discussion of the giant molecules that underpin all life Magnetism http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003k9dd Discussion of the history and mysterious force of magnetism Mars http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00772rr Discussion of the planet Mars, a source of endless fascination in human history The Laws of Motion http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b009mvj0 Discussion of Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion Nuclear Fusion http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04mgtdq The process that powers stars. In the 1920s physicists predicted that it might be possible to generate huge amounts of energy by fusing atomic nuclei together Nuclear Physics http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0054887 Examination of the 20th century development of nuclear physics as a science Oceanography http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00547lb Exploration of what science has revealed, and we still don't know, about the sea Optics http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00774t5 Discussion of the history of optics. From telescopes to microscopes, from star-gazing to the intimacies of a magnified flea The Planets http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y25b Examination of our knowledge of the planets in both our and other solar systems 3 Ptolemy and Ancient Astronomy http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017528d Discussion of the ancient Greek astronomer and mathematician Ptolemy, and consider how and why his geocentric theory of the universe held sway for so many centuries Quantum Gravity http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00547c4 Early in the 20th century physicists were startled by the realisation that the smallest things in the universe do not obey Newton’s laws of gravity. there is no such force of gravity at work in the world of very small things Radiation http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nqljy Discussion of the discovery of radiation, from radio waves to gamma rays Random and Pseudorandom http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00x9xjb Discussion of randomness and pseudorandomness Relativity http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b02144gl Discussion of Einstein's theories of relativity. Between 1905 and 1917 Albert Einstein formulated a theoretical framework which transformed our understanding of the Universe Rutherford http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y23q Discussion of Ernest Rutherford, the father of nuclear science Science in the 20th Century http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p005457h Discussion of how perceptions of science and the power of science have changed in the 20th century Space in Religion and Science http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00545d1 Discussion of the history of thought about space, and examines whether cyberspace has introduced a new concept of space in our world or if its roots are in Einsteinian physics The Speed of Light http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0038x9h Discussion of the speed of light, lynchpin of Einstein’s universe The Life of Stars http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00548w8 Discussion of the life cycle of stars States of Matter http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03zdbr4 Discussion of the states of matter, from solids to plasmas The Lunar Society http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00548z8 Examination of an 18th century group of pioneering scientists and engineers The Measurement Problem in Physics http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00hv1dp Discussion of one of the deepest problems in contemporary physics The Measurement of Time http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01dvw6t Early civilisations used the movements of heavenly bodies to tell the time The Microscope http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03jdy3p Discussion of the development of the microscope, an instrument which has revolutionised our knowledge of the world and the organisms that inhabit it The Moon http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016lh15 Discussion of the origins, science and mythology of the moon The Multiverse http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008z744 For an increasing number of physicists and cosmologists the term universe is not enough. They talk of a multiverse – literally many universes 4 The Neutrino http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0106tjc Discussion of the neutrino, the so-called 'ghost particle' The Origins of Life http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y29f Discussion of when and how life on earth originated The Physics of Reality http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00548dl Examination of the attempt to reconcile Quantum Theory and classical physics The Physics of Time http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00g0nmw When writing the Principia Mathematica, Isaac Newton outlined the nature of space, explained the motions of the planets and conceived the operation of gravity. He also laid down the law on time The Planets http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y25b Examination of our knowledge of the planets in both our and other solar systems The Royal Society http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003hyds The history of the formation of the Royal Society, the oldest scientific academy The Royal Society and British Science: Episode 1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pk7j0 Melvyn travels to Wadham College, Oxford, where under the shadow of the English Civil War, the young Christopher Wren and friends experimented The Royal Society and British Science: Episode 2 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pk9s1 Programme two begins in the coffee house Isaac Newton and the fellows of the early 18th century frequented The Royal Society and British Science: Episode 3 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pkth7 The 19th century blooms scientifically with numerous alternative, specialist learned societies and associations, all threatening the Royal Society's pre-eminence The Royal Society and British Science: Episode 4 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pkx5q The Scientific Method http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01b1ljm Discussion of the evolution of the Scientific Method, the systematic and analytical approach to scientific thought The Scientist http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00548jq Exploration of the origin of the concept and the historical role of the scientist The Second Law of Thermodynamics http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y2bm Examination of the Second Law of Thermodynamics from steam to the Big Bang The Speed of Light http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0038x9h Discussion of the speed of light, lynchpin of Einstein’s universe Theories of Everything http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y24b Exploration of the 30 year search to solve all the biggest questions in physics Thomas Edison http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wdjr8 Discussion of the American technological pioneer Thomas Edison Time http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p005465z Examination of the history of mankind’s attempt to understand the nature of time The Age of the Universe http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yz3gy Discussion of the age of the Universe The Universe's Origins http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00545j9 Examination of the history of what we know about the origins of the universe 5 The Universe's Shape http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0054880 Discussion of the shape, size and topology of the universe The Vacuum of Space http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jz5t3 The idea that there is a nothingness at the heart of nature has exercised philosophers and scientists for millennia Vitalism http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00dwhwt Discussion of the 18th and 19th century quest for the spark of life Vulcanology http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p005490h Discussion of the formation and eruption of volcanoes Water http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rgm9g Discussion of water, one of the most remarkable of all molecules List compiled 8 January 2015 6
