Even with the A/C wheezing from running in the heat, the car is hot. We're talking about the Numberphile YouTube videos we were watching moments before this excursion to get burritos.
"Those videos remind me of why I changed majors." We've been best friends for years--way back to when he changed from CompSci to Psych--but to the guy in the backseat this was new information.
"What made you decide to switch?"
"I was great at math until it no longer had practical application. That's when I lost interest."
Me? I liked math until I got a B+ in Calculus. <grr> Then I realized I wasn't as clever as I had hoped and decided to pursue a life in media where I could still be a little nerdy but didn't have to prove I could calculate. Even so, in the back of my mind, I long to understand complex equations and make sense of incomprehensible proofs. That's why I like videos from people like Vi Hart. They help me feel like I'm getting smarter. They also remind me of how much more there is to learn!
I dug in with gusto to the post the mathematics of infinity. It combines two subjects I enjoy very much--and wish I knew much more about: complex math and apologetics! For me, that's fun--albeit difficult--reading.
Do you enjoy learning more about things like zero and infinity? Or do you tend to merely gape and stare, like me, before returning to your areas of expertise? Or, like my friend, have you lost interest?
~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester
