wednesday morning links – topology edition
It’s very cool that you can learn about abstract math with youtube videos. Here are videos about topology, the science of flexible shapes:
1. “Not Knot” Part 1 and Part 2. This video explains what’s cool about knots. A bit slow at first, but it gets super deep and heavy by part 2.
2. The Alexander Horned Sphere. Strangely, you can deform a sphere so that the exterior area is connected, yet has holes in it. Freaked me out when I learned about this bad boy as an undergraduate.
3. Sphere Eversion: Assume the surface of a ball is permeable – can you flip it inside out with creating cusps or sharp points? Yes – part 1 and part 2. A bit long and wordy, but definitely worth it.
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Here’s Yalie Jonathan Coulton on Mandelbrot sets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIlwFpz9s_I
tf
April 29, 2009 at 5:48 am
The Yale series are very good as well, with a wealth of topics across a spectrum of disciplines. I have been doing the Game Theory course (http://oyc.yale.edu/economics/game-theory/) and very much enjoying it.
josephlogan
April 29, 2009 at 8:38 am