Tackling the Biggest Unsolved Problems in Math with 3Blue1Brown

Why can’t you divide by zero? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice discuss higher dimensions, dividing by zero, and math’s unsolved questions with math YouTuber Grant Sanderson @3blue1brown We explore the Clay Millennium Problems: seven unsolved puzzles in mathematics, with a 1 million dollar prize. Grant shares his early fascination with the Twin Prime Conjecture. Are there infinitely many pairs of prime numbers that differ by two? We pivot to the Navier-Stokes equations and the question of whether fluid flow can produce infinite energy density. How do physics and math come together? Neil recites the quadratic formula, launching a historical discussion on why equations of degree five or higher can’t be solved with a general formula, and how that impossibility gave rise to Galois theory. Listeners ask about dividing by zero, conformal geometry, tensor products, and category theory. Chuck gets lost. We explore irrational numbers, why they’re called that, and why they are useful for physicists. We break down how Klein bottles work as four-dimensional objects. One listener asks if a new branch of math could solve the three-body problem. Plus, if the team were two-dimensional shapes, in Flatland, what would they be? Thanks to our Patrons Nicolas Alcayaga, Ryan Harris, Ken Carter, Ryan, Marine Mike USMC, VARD, Mile Milkovski, Gideon Grimm Gaming, Shams.Shafiei, Ben Goldman, Zayed Ahmed, Matt Nash, Stardust Detective, Leanice, morgoth7, Mary O'Hara, David TIlley, Eddie, Adam Isbell-Thorp. Armen Danielyan, Tavi, Matthew S Goodman, Jeremy Brownstein, Eric Springer, Viggo Edvard Hoff, Katie, Kate Snyder, Jamelith, Stanislaw, Ringo Nixon, Barbara Rothstein, Mike Kerklin, Wenis, Ron Sonntag, Susan Brown, Anti alluvion, Basel Dadsi, LoveliestDreams, Jenrose81, Raymond, David Burr, Shadi Al Abani, Bromopar, Zachary Sherwood, VP, Southwest Virginia accountability, Georgina Satchell, Nathan Arroyo, Jason Williams, Spencer Bladow, Sankalp Shinde, John Parker, Edward Clausen Jr, William Duncanson, Mark, and Dalton Evans for supporting us this week. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Grant Sanderson 03:05 - The Biggest Unsolved Problems in Math 07:58 - Are There Unsolvable Problems? 14:04 - Why Can’t We Divide By Zero? 15:45 - Math in Astrophysics 20:17 - What’s Up with ‘i’? (Imaginary Numbers) 24:39 - Circle Inversion 27:09 - Tensor Products 30:04 - Where’s the Next Branch of Math? 33:55 - Pi & Irrational Numbers 39:21 - What Shape would we be in Flatland? 44:06 - Higher Dimension Math 94:03 - Can Math Solve the 3-Body Problem? 52:50 - A Cosmic Perspective Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PL0NFn Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About StarTalk: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson