Lecture 2 – The story of the elusive shapes
Follow Marcus du Sautoy as he takes a tour through the mathematical and cultural world of shapes.
In his second Christmas Lecture, we find out why bubbles are always round, why eggs are super strong, exactly how long the coastline of Britain is and even what shape the universe might be.
About the 2006 CHRISTMAS LECTURES
Marcus Du Sautoy’s lectures take us on a grand tour of the fascinating world of mathematics. From numbers to shapes and from codes to chaos, the Num8er My5teries explore some of the great stories of mathematics.
The five Lectures show how a small amount of maths can bring alive some of the most exciting mysteries of the universe.
Marcus breaks down popular misconceptions about maths by revealing how mathematics has helped build the modern world. Every time we download a song from iTunes, take a flight across the Atlantic or talk on our mobile phones, we are relying on the great inventions of mathematics.
At the heart of every lecture is a conundrum that has stumped mathematicians and for which a million dollar reward was offered for a solution.
2006 CHRISTMAS LECTURES supporters
