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Is Mathematics Mostly Chaos or Mostly Order?
Season 1 Β· Episode 15

Is Mathematics Mostly Chaos or Mostly Order?

New work on the nature of infinity showcases how the world of set theory often exists in a realm beyond mathematical proof.

The Quanta Podcast

July 22, 202527m 50s

Show Notes

As weird as it sounds, infinity comes in many shapes and sizes. And attempting to quantify it is sort of like a dog chasing its own tail. Or like infinities chasing infinities infinite numbers of times. But some mathematicians are obsessed with the quest.

In this episode, host Samir Patel and 𝘘𝘢𝘒𝘯𝘡𝘒 math editor Jordana Cepelewicz probe the bizarre edges of the mathematical universe, a realm *almost* impossible to put into words. This topic was covered by Greg Barber in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.

Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the people behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math.