Blowing Up Math with Vi Hart

Vi Hart, recreational mathemusician, teaches a balloon workshop that uses mathematics in the Pforzheimer House dining hall Tuesday night.

[@anxez]

We call her Anne Mathaway.

[@businessagent4391]

So nice to put a face to the voice. Clearly Anne Hathaway is going to play Vi Hart in the blockbuster hollywood film...

[@hershythechocolate]

Robin Grant I thought she looked like her aswell

[@user-ig7nq7pc7k]

I just love her love and enthusiasm. Every single video I've seen of her's is fantastic.

[@MailMe2Japan]

I love how you inspire curiosity in others. I volunteer at my kids' schools. I have shown some of your KZbin videos to classes and when I tell the kids we will be having fun with math they were doubters. Your Hexaflexigons blew their minds and your videos are asked for. It is pretty cool when kids are asking you to show them more cool things you can do with math. It is even better when the parents come up and say, tell me about those math videos you got my kid all excited about.

[@lovefrombooks7]

I'm in high school now, and I didn't like math until I saw Vi's videos. I've always been good at it, but when I saw how absolutely beautiful mathematics could be, I got a passion for it. I'm taking AP Calc next year, and I'm sitting here wearing a "Why did the chicken cross the Mobius strip?" shirt. But that's my favorite thing about Vi. She /does/ inspire curiosity in others, and that's a really valuable trait in today's world that's so negative about mathematics.

[@jtfroh]

+lovefrombooks7 I'm a sophomore in college, and I just found her channel recently. It's fascinating! I already knew about many of the things in her videos, but the way she explains things and demonstrates things makes it extremely fun to learn.

[@massimookissed1023]

+lovefrombooks7 , ...to get to the same side..?

[@lovefrombooks7]

Massimo O'Kissed That's what's on the back. :) Also, update on my life. Finished AP Calc AB. Absolutely loved the class. Taking AP Calc BC next year, plan on starting a recreational mathematics club next year, and plan on doing a major in mathematics when I get to college. So uh... yeah. I really do love math now.

[@skrame01]

0:20 Defining processes is very useful in life because it removes worry and anxiety and allows creativity and the true self to come forth in he midst of complicated situations and promotes progress in complicated situations.

[@MichaelCreating]

What incredible energy. I love this girl!

[@Ikiguy777]

Anne Mathaway

[@therugburnz]

I STUMBLED onto this. Vi Hart @ Harvard IDK. WOW I love Vi. I want have my grandbabies see her.

[@Senapskaptenen]

You are vastly underapreciating the value of teaching.

[@JustinShaedo]

I always use balloons to teach physiology, there's nothing like getting your hands on a colourful experience to attract the mind. Thank you for showing me this wonderful concept applied to math :)

[@discountinn]

Something to make her look special, unique, awesome etc.

[@PurpleTwilightStar]

I'm a teenager and I enjoy these things. I like knowing what math has to do with real life. I like knowing that what I'm learning is at least relevant in someway to my everyday life even though I myself may not actually use it. I'm obviously younger than you so have at it and tell me I know nothing. I love Phi. It is amazing knowing that it is such an incredible part of our lives and occurs in almost everything from flowers to the length of our fingers to the features on our faces.

[@YakkaFoobMog]

As a classical guitarist, I have to say that I love her arm socks. Respect!

[@oriannafernandez6566]

Man, Vi is just beautiful and awesome

[@imaginenoreligion]

Vi is amazing. It makes me wonder why most adults stop playing as they get older. I think her approach to math is awesome. I'm definitely going to be using some of her KZbin ideas with my math class at the end of the school year now that we are pretty much through the curriculum, I'm glad to see Sal Khan has partnered with her. The world needs more inspirational educators like these two.

[@theRealPlaidRabbit]

They're Dark Marks. She's a Death Eater. No judging.

[@lesleys0wings]

Vi, I have never been good at math, but i believe more people would with you explaining it like that. Bravo!

[@adzug]

she will be a good teacher she loves it and theres no substitute for the love of an interest

[@marCuZalex]

Utterly magnificent appliance of mathematics!

[@bag2858]

I NEED A VI HART FAN CLUB

[@illjord6632]

Absolutely. That was my first thought too.

[@mysss29]

The sleeves explained! Wonderful!

[@gabssnake]

More teachers like this would make a better world

[@HaldoChan]

Vi Hart would be the best math teacher in the whole wide universe!

[@PurpleTwilightStar]

The problem is passing people to the next level who obviously aren't ready to move on just for the sake of showing "progress," not in having fun with what you do.

[@simpleprogrammer9552]

It's a relief to see that she actually takes a breath now and again while she talks .... :)

[@numbaaa1]

Watching her videos makes me feel super smart, even though I can only understand about fifty percent of what she's saying.

[@XenteMusic]

Intelligence is defined by one's ability to learn and comprehend concepts. Based on that, she is obviously intelligent. Furthermore, it takes a great understanding of previous concepts in order to make advancements in the field. She is still very young, so at this point she NEEDS to be learning from others.

[@intheshitter]

I would love to be able to see the world as she does.

[@yokedsan]

What would happen if she filled half of those balloons with helium and the other half w air? is it possible to find a combo of those two to suspend it in mid air??

[@caitlinphillips-ennis708]

You can completely fill a balloon with helium, then weight it so that it stays in mid-air :)

[@yokedsan]

very true :)

[@isidremasmagre2020]

+Luis C Maybe it's late to respond this, but you need a gradient of densities in order to do that, it's quite dificult to do that in no lab conditions.

[@Cra3ture]

Luis C its not impossible but there are gasses better suited than helium

[@totheloveiloved]

Finally, i can put a face to her voice! Haha, I googled "who is vihart" and ended up here. This mathemusician has quite a style!

[@Racheybabysings]

George Hart, he was part of the staff that is getting the Museum of Mathematics put together in the city, but not anymore. Maybe he isn't the Bill Nye, but I would check out the Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) for great concepts that make math fun.

[@Chunkytot1]

Vi, you ROCK!!!

[@DaveHickory]

This is something I do at schools, balloons are a great resource to make Polygons and Polyhedrons!

[@jilow]

No, she said that in certain systems you can definite .9 repeating as not being 1; however, in classical algebra .9 repeating is 1. One way to see this is becaues it's value is no less than 1. Any amount you take from the number 1, to get to .9 repeating would be to much.

[@neildhan]

I thank the Lord (Euler) for Vi. She always makes me want to stop wasting hours on KZbin, and actually get on with some maths (sorry, British spelling)! So that's what I will do... and it only took me until 17:46 to start today. Thanks Vi.

[@kendallschmidt8083]

i love her so much Vi Hart is amazing

[@HappyFatzKid]

Excellent, loved the ideas.

[@zionj104]

No one's seen this in a year? Also nice that her face actually matches her voice

[@Markoracki]

i love her she's so nice

[@aquaph0r]

we did things sort of like this in 5th grade! But we used paper shapes in Christmas colors and made Christmasy-globe things...

[@12slipper]

i love her take on pi

[@EpicTrioandFriends]

I think it's a general internet rule that if you start correcting grammar in a math conversation, you've lost the arguement. However, this time I put down my balloons long enough to proofread.

[@WereNotEqual]

Vi, you're awesome, beautiful and inspirational.

[@flurng]

Abso-FLIPPIN-lutely! Don't get me wrong - I'm truly awe-struck by her magnificent intellect, but that should in no way take away from the fact that she is a lovely young woman! Can't she be both intellectually AND physically attractive? I'd vote a resounding "YES!!!"

[@idajork]

Vi Hart, I'm in love with you!!!!!!!! :D Can I call myself a mathemusician too? Please? Oh my, you are just so awesome!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Nofxthepirate]

However it is also perfectly acceptable to use it to describe anything you reproduce. Words are cool like that. They can be re-purposed from their original use as long as their meaning stays intact.

[@MultiMamastrozo]

i love her!

[@Pwnedapanda]

It's very odd seeing vi hart because the way she sounds in her other videos really fits the way she looks, beautiful and smart.

[@VieMerveilleux]

Just because it's math that doesn't mean you have to be learning something. Sometimes people do things with mathematical concepts that (brace yourself) are just for fun and are not intended to have any "academic merit".

[@pranksterprince15]

one would argue that personality traits can be as alluring as any sexual attraction or physical attraction. hence where 'love' comes into play. if you had a wife who was diagnosed with a disease most married couples would still love that person regardless despite a decline in the looks. that is just one example not necessarily the ONLY example

[@EnderLord99]

...An argument in the comments that doesn't (completely) devolve into a flamewar? Vihart's channel is awesome!

[@orbitreviews8088]

yay vihart!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@TheEverythingGirl122]

OMG! At 0:08 Vihart looks so much like Anne Hathaway! But like, in her older movies. Like Ella Enchanted!

[@YourMadnezz]

I couldn't agree more...

[@Fluffisnoterm]

Alternatively: A hexagon walks up to them and asks: may I join your circle?

[@YakkaFoobMog]

Also, now I have to add balloons to my mathematical arsenal.

[@caielesr]

what are you people arguing about? SHES BEAUTIFUL.

[@timmy666vegeta]

wish you were my maths teacher lol that class looks awesome

[@jstnnnn]

I wish i could be a kid again and have her as my mom

[@millionsteve]

love her

[@bongsgi95]

the word triangle was said 6 times. in this video. That's an average of "triangle" every 14 second.

[@jeremybong7238]

I can almost imagine her singing "I dreamed a dream of life gone byyyyyy!" Lol

[@Notesofcitrus]

this is one of my favourite comments of all time

[@BearWindAppleyard]

I wish I could be a kid again and have her as my math teacher

[@PurpleTwilightStar]

It's not crap. It's interesting. Vi Hart's videos didn't teach me anything I didn't already know they just made it interesting. It's not a waste of time. Somebody took the time to wonder why plants grew the way they did or what would happen if they did the same thing over and over. Somebody made these connections before she did. Were they wasting their time? Making math interesting to people isn't the problem.

[@MrBomasBalloons]

They were using the pumps made for 160s to blow up 260s? That would be frustratingly inefficient.

[@guyinhoodie]

she's teaching you math right now

[@AilindaBaptista]

she looked liked anne hathaway from the princess diaries before the makeover=nerd adorableness

[@ojbhbz]

P.s.: Sorry for the typos I'm tired after 5 days in a row without sleeping.

[@sazji]

Well said.

[@TheTwelfthM0nkey]

Vi Hart isn't a maths teacher, no one is claiming that you can learn maths by blowing up balloons. All that she is doing is introducing people to some principles of geometry in a creative and inclusive way, so that people might see that it can be fun and become interested in the subject, or become more enthusiastic about it.

[@pebre79]

vi hart is amazing

[@hyrulemusic]

@EuclidsElements Darn. In that case, is there a gas light enough to lift these ballons?

[@sazji]

Why not both, if it pulls them in and makes them wonder about a deeper understanding of it?

[@JacobPlat]

Ik vind u lief mevrouw Hart!

[@anthonyju12]

geez im so afraid of balloons that i was squinting my eyes the whole video just in case one popped lol!

[@seethetruth7427]

my childhood hero

[@Chrnan6710]

I've noticed that Vihart never stumbles over her words or goes "Uh..." in the middle of a sentence :D

[@remi6197]

Recreational Mathemusician

[@silentthunderstorm]

How old is she? She seems awfully young to do as much as she does, and to do so as deeply as she does. Most people would find their schedules full with college courses, even if they were very basic courses. Not only does she study both math and music at a very high level, she also runs a KZbin channel like this (itself a full time job). Much respect

[@Asdayasman]

People talking about her looks 'n' shit? Who cares, I'm in love with her mind.

[@hantverkaren]

She's really beautiful! The beauty of a person comes from within.

[@AveryEngstrom]

I hate it when people choose to have arguments on KZbin comments, especially when the arguments have nothing to do with the video

[@123456789robbie]

I love her...

[@tibblez]

Yes, she did.

[@aaaab384]

I merely said that teaching things (and doing it wrong, sometimes) doesn't make you intelligent or a genius. I didn't say teaching is worthless.

[@spencerscurr]

Very cool. Though I was expecting you to blow up math in the myth-busters sense when reading the title.

[@PurpleTwilightStar]

This probably isn't the best example but all she does in her videos is point out that math is found in everything. This video doesn't explain the math involved in the designs and shapes of the balloons it only shows her blowing up balloons. Maybe you should try watching Doodling in Math: Spirals, Fibonacci, and Being a Plant. Does it teach math? Not really if you already know about the Fibonacci Sequence and Lucas Numbers it just shows where they're found and relevant.

[@Daniel109235]

beautiful

[@Zerlock1124]

Before Vi Hart: I took Cal 3! I think I can handle math! After Vi Hart: I KNOW NOTHING! *sobs* You're a genius Vi. I now keep a book of graph paper by my bed to doodle and perhaps discover something new about math. And now I really want to write a pi song (or maybe a tau song)...we'll see.Keep up the awesome work ^^d

[@billybobjoe198]

I used the term lust intentionally. Lust holds the sort of a sexual connotation. When you love some one's personality you don't lust for them. I see what you're saying, but I don't think you saw what I was saying.

[@mithrilld]

The title is misleading. I wanted EXPLOSIONS!

[@Styhn]

She is glorious.

[@NomoregoodnamesD8]

I thought of a different meaning of the title when I read it. I thought she was going to talk about the math of explosions lol

[@MichaelCoburn]

I love Vi Hart and wimp.com and her hexiflexigons brought me here.

[@iinspectra]

Are we talking about the same video? She had a 'Why .999...=1' video, and then 'Why every proof that .999=1 is wrong' video, posted April 1 (and she says April Fool's at the end of that one).

[@y2jeff2]

What an angel

[@bootblacking]

ROLL IT FOR INITIATIVE

[@bleauh]

So I suppose visual learners are incapable of understanding maths on a deep level, right? So what would you say about mathematicians who use graphs to understand deeper maths? Does this apply also to those outside of mathematics? Like chemists who use 3d models and diagrams to understand molecular chemisty?