Cumrun Vafa - Puzzles to Unravel the Universe

Name: Cumrun Vafa Title: Puzzles to Unravel the Universe Date: 2022-05-16 @5:00 PM Abstract: Beneath all of the complex and formidable mathematical structures that formulate physical laws rest simple but deep nuggets of truth. It is these simple truths, and not the complicated technical details, that scientists strive for when uncovering the laws of nature. Fortunately, these core ideas can often be illustrated with simple mathematical puzzles. In this talk I discuss examples of these simple mathematical puzzles and show how they can shed light on some of the deepest concepts in physics. Audience will be asked to participate in solving the puzzles during the talk! (Based on my book "Puzzles to Unravel the Universe," which is designed for the general public, and does not require extensive background in mathematics or physics—just a sense of curiosity!) For more videos from the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, please visit http://scgp.stonybrook.edu/video