Speaker: Mickaël Launay
Host: Juan Margalef (ICMAT)
Date and time: 29 November 2018, 19:00
Place: Residencia de Estudiantes (c/ Pinar, 21-23. 28006 Madrid)
Abstract: In 1901, the British mathematician Bertrand Russell wrote that “mathematics could be defined as the discipline in which we never know what we are talking about.” This phrase may sound a bit strange, as mathematics is usually considered the paradigm of rigor and precision. In this talk, the YouTuber, writer, and science communicator Mickaël Launay will show that mathematics can not only be imprecise, but that this is the fundamental principle of the discipline. In fact, some of the most important problems in the history of mathematics can only be solved if we do not know exactly what we are talking about.
About the speaker
Mickaël Launay studied Mathematics at the École Normale Supérieure Ulm and then completed a PhD in probability. For more than 15 years, he has been popularizing mathematics in France and coordinates the YouTube channel Micmaths, with over 300,000 subscribers and around 22 million views. He is the author of The Great Novel of Mathematics, published in Spain by Paidós in 2017, which has been a worldwide success.