Monday, November 2, 2015 - 15:00 to 15:50
Thackeray 703
Abstract or Additional Information
One good thing about mathematics is that it gives us a language in which we can put meaning to a lot of qualitative statements that are usually loose, vague, and imprecise. Take for instance the simple question "What would be the best bus route grid for Pittsburgh?" The question is clear. But clear until you really start to deal with it seriously. An answer to the above question, before all, requires us to determine what we mean by terms like "a better grid," "one good grid," etc.
On Monday, we will not be designing grids actually! But we will talk about "the shape of the cosmos!" I will use basic vocabulary of geometry to clarify the question, and meanwhile mention some beautiful classical results about "shapes." (What is a shape, by the way?!) I hope I will get the message across that without the crucial role of a satisfactory vocabulary coming from mathematics we would not have been able to formulate some profound questions about the world; let alone solving them!