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Great math mystery
NOVA leads viewers on a mathematical mystery tour - a provocative exploration of maths' astonishing power across the centuries.
We discover maths' signature in the swirl of a nautilus shell, the whirlpool of a galaxy and the spiral in the centre of a sunflower. Maths was essential to everything from the first wireless radio transmissions to the successful landing of rovers on Mars. But where does maths get its power?
Astrophysicist and writer Mario Livio, along with a colourful cast of mathematicians, physicists and engineers, follow maths from Pythagoras to Einstein and beyond, all leading to the ultimate riddle: Is maths an invention or a discovery? Humankind's clever trick, or the language of the universe? Whether we think we're good with numbers or not, we all use maths in our daily lives.
The Great Math Mystery sheds fascinating light on how maths works in our brains and ponders the ultimate mystery of why it works so well when decoding the universe.
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