Episode 94: Interview with Steve Nadis, Co-author of “The Gravity of Math”
Summary
In this episode, Gabriel Hesch and Autumn Phaneuf interview Steve Nadis, the author of the book “The Gravity of Math.” They discuss the mathematics of gravity, including the work of Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, gravitational waves, black holes, and recent developments in the field. Nadis shares his collaboration with Shing-Tung Yau and their journey in writing the book. They also talk about their shared experience at Hampshire College and the importance of independent thinking in education. In this conversation, Steve Nadis discusses the mathematical foundations of general relativity and the contributions of mathematicians to the theory. He explains how Einstein was introduced to the concept of gravity by Bernhard Riemann and learned about tensor calculus from Gregorio Ricci and Tullio Levi-Civita. Nadis also explores Einstein's discovery of the equivalence principle and his realization that a theory of gravity would require accelerated motion. He describes the development of the equations of general relativity and their significance in understanding the curvature of spacetime. Nadis highlights the ongoing research in general relativity, including the detection of gravitational waves and the exploration of higher dimensions and black holes. He also discusses the contributions of mathematician Emmy Noether to the conservation laws in physics. Finally, Nadis explains Einstein's cosmological constant and its connection to dark energy.
About Our Guest
Steve Nadis
Steve Nadis is a Contributing Editor to Astronomy Magazine and a freelance writer. In addition to Astronomy, he has published articles in Nature, Science, Scientific American, New Scientist, Technology Review, The Atlantic Monthly, and other magazines. He has written or contributed to about two dozen books, including Energy Strategies (1980), Beyond the Freeze(1982), and Car Trouble (1993). A former staff researcher for the Union of Concerned Scientists, Nadis has also been a research fellow at MIT and a consultant to the World Resources Institute, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and WGBH/NOVA. He has given numerous talks at colleges and universities and made many radio appearances.
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Stay Connected: Follow Steve Nadis on his latest articles at Quanta. Go buy his latest book “The Gravity of Math” at all major retailers.
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