New Books Network Podcast

Ancient History August 28, 2023

The Concept of Motion in Ancient Greek Thought

Foundations in Logic, Method, and Mathematics

Barbara Sattler

Hosted by Morteza Hajizadeh

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Barbara M. Sattler's book The Concept of Motion in Ancient Greek Thought: Foundations in Logic, Method, and Mathematics (Cambridge UP, 2020) examines the birth of the scientific understanding of motion. It investigates …

British Studies August 25, 2023

Victorians and Numbers

Statistics and Society in Nineteenth Century Britain

Lawrence Goldman

Hosted by Morteza Hajizadeh

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A defining feature of nineteenth-century Britain was its fascination with statistics. The processes that made Victorian society, including the growth of population, the development of industry and commerce, and the …

MIT Press Podcast July 4, 2023

The Outer Limits of Reason

What Science, Mathematics, and Logic Cannot Tell Us

Noson S. Yanofsky

Hosted by MIT Press

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Many books explain what is known about the universe. This book investigates what cannot be known. Rather than exploring the amazing facts that science, mathematics, and reason have revealed to …

MIT Press Podcast June 9, 2023

Turing’s Vision

The Birth of Computer Science

Chris Bernhardt

Hosted by MIT Press

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In 1936, when he was just twenty-four years old, Alan Turing wrote a remarkable paper in which he outlined the theory of computation, laying out the ideas that underlie all …

Science June 7, 2023

Not Just for the Boys

Why We Need More Women in Science

Athene Donald

Hosted by Morteza Hajizadeh

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Why are girls discouraged from doing science? Why do so many promising women leave science in early and mid-career? Why do women not prosper in the scientific workforce? Not Just …

Mathematics April 19, 2023

Solving the Price Is Right

How Mathematics Can Improve Your Decisions on and Off the Set of America's Celebrated Game Show

Justin L. Bergner

Hosted by Jim Stein

The Price is Right is television's longest-running game show. Since its inception in 1956, contestants have won cars, tropical vacations, diamond jewelry, even a live horse, and the hosts' excited …

Mathematics April 16, 2023

Women Who Count

Honoring African American Women Mathematicians

Shelly M. Jones

Hosted by Cory Brunson

African-Americans and women are increasingly visible in professional mathematical institutions, organizations, and literature, expanding our mental models of the mathematics community. Yet early representation also matters: We begin building these …

MIT Press Podcast April 14, 2023

Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire and A Prime Number Conspiracy

Thomas Lin

Hosted by MIT Press

On this episode of the MIT Press podcast, Thomas Lin, Editor-in-Chief of Quanta Magazine, discusses the research and current climate behind the science and math in Alice and Bob Meet …

Economics January 14, 2023

Game Theory and Behavior

Jeffrey Carpenter and Andrea Robbett

Hosted by Peter Lorentzen

Jeffrey Carpenter and Andrea Robbett's book Game Theory and Behavior (MIT Press, 2022) is an introduction to game theory that offers not only theoretical tools but also the intuition and behavioral …

Mathematics December 19, 2022

Seduced by Mathematics

The Enduring Fascination of Mathematics

James D. Stein

Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

Seduction is not just an end result, but a process -- and in mathematics, both the end results and the process by which those end results are achieved are often …

Mathematics December 18, 2022

Who's Counting?

Uniting Numbers and Narratives with Stories from Pop Culture, Puzzles, Politics, and More

John Allen Paulos

Hosted by Jim Stein

Innumeracy, by John Allen Paulos, was first published in 1988. In it the author brilliantly highlighted many of the sorry truths those of us who teach math and science know …

Mathematics November 23, 2022

The Secret Lives of Numbers

Numerals and Their Peculiarities in Mathematics and Beyond

Alfred S. Posamentier

Hosted by Jim Stein

Alfred S. Posamentier's The Secret Lives of Numbers: Numerals and Their Peculiarities in Mathematics and Beyond (Prometheus Books, 2022) is the first book I’ve ever seen written by a mathematician that …

High Theory November 22, 2022

Probability

A Discussion with Justin Joque and Júlia Irion Martins

Justin Joque and Júlia Irion Martins

Hosted by Kim Adams and Saronik Bosu

In this episode of High Theory, Justin Joque talks with Júlia Irion Martins about Probability. This conversation is part of our High Theory in STEM series, which tackles topics in …

Mathematics November 11, 2022

Mathematical Tools for Real-World Applications

A Gentle Introduction for Students and Practitioners

Alexandr Draganov

Hosted by Jim Stein

I’ve never read a book like Mathematical Tools for Real-World Applications: A Gentle Introduction for Students and Practitioners (MIT Press, 2022) – it’s a book about how engineers and scientists …

Mathematics November 9, 2022

Performing Math

A History of Communication and Anxiety in the American Mathematics Classroom

Andrew Fiss

Hosted by Miranda Melcher

Performing Math: A History of Communication and Anxiety in the American Mathematics Classroom (Rutgers University Press, 2020) by Dr. Andrew Fiss tells the history of expectations for math communication—and the …

Science November 2, 2022

"Well, Doc, You're In"

Freeman Dyson’s Journey through the Universe

David Kaiser

Hosted by Matthew Jordan

Freeman Dyson (1923–2020)—renowned scientist, visionary, and iconoclast—helped invent modern physics. Not bound by disciplinary divisions, he went on to explore foundational topics in mathematics, astrophysics, and the origin of life …

Mathematics October 31, 2022

The Story of Proof

Logic and the History of Mathematics

John Stillwell

Hosted by Jim Stein

The Story of Proof: Logic and the History of Mathematics (Princeton UP, 2022) investigates the evolution of the concept of proof--one of the most significant and defining features of mathematical …

Mathematics September 12, 2022

The New Era in American Mathematics, 1920–1950

Karen Hunger Parshall

Hosted by Marc Goulet

In The New Era in American Mathematics, 1920-1950 (Princeton University Press, 2022) Karen Parshall explores the institutional, financial, social, and political forces that shaped and supported the American Mathematics community …

Mathematics August 23, 2022

Community College Mathematics

Past, Present, and Future

Brian Cafarella

Hosted by Marc Goulet

In Community College Mathematics: Past, Present, and Future (CRC Press, 2022), Brian Cafarella addresses the key questions: How can we build a future model for community college gatekeeper math classes …

Mathematics August 23, 2022

Mathematical Puzzles

Peter Winkler

Hosted by Cory Brunson

Peter Winkler has been collecting mathematical puzzles since childhood. He has had published two previous collections, and recently he compiled his largest curated collection to date. Mathematical Puzzles (A K …