How math saved my life | Jason Padgett

Jason Padgett wasn’t a good student, and for the longest time he was proud of living a life a mile wide and an inch deep. But after a head injury he developed, among other things, a fascination with mathematically generated imagery and a newfound love of learning. Hear his personal theory of math, fractals and everything.
TEDArchive presents previously unpublished talks from TED conferences.
Enjoy this unedited talk by Jason Padgett.
Filmed at TED in 2015.

[@furrydoggo]

The only man in the world to ever get some sense knocked into him.

[@-Datboijj-]

wrong this has happened a couple thousand times now

[@dejanfilipovski5193]

Lol

[@Parpl22]

You stole this comment from another video on this guy.

[@newmennium]

@@Parpl22 complete plagiarism - stolen from the CNN films documentary comment section on the Great Big Story channel

[@Parpl22]

@@newmennium 😆

[@natelavigne4365]

This man can visualize calculus... imagine seeing a complicated function and literally seeing in your head without graphing

[@kikegalo6154]

The part that moved me was his friend who made the collar for him knowing he would not do it himself. I wish I had just one friend like that. Great to know they’re still friends

[@Dispatern]

A collage, not a collar. But I agree, awesome friend!

[@danieltoth7960]

I wish I could be a friend like that

[@aj.arunkumar]

if you had that friend, how will you be treating him back ?

[@dasbootykid]

That's beautiful friendship.

[@kimlau4285]

Obviously in this simulated world, there is a restrictor in everyone's head and he accidentally broke it.

[@lotusleo1]

One Punch Man power explanation

[@bigmacdaddy1234]

I doubt that Brittany Spears has a restrictor waiting to be broken.

[@lauramendoza5938]

@@bigmacdaddy1234 or Trump

[@eggling3427]

He sees the code of the matrix

[@zachadelic8110]

Thats just what I was thinking! Like this is in all our brains but something is blocking us from this information.

[@icybear49]

Never wanted to smack my head so bad

[@cre8gnr8nrg]

Could just drill two holes to let more oxygen in. However...infection could be an issue besides needing to keep dust particles out. There's a reason not everybody's doing it. Only for the trendy who can take it.

[@PhunnyMunny]

I'd like to smack your something else

[@23Guitardood]

@@PhunnyMunny thirsty Josh is thirsty

[@NasciParaAdorar7]

😂😂😂😂

[@abboudashkar3804]

I can help

[@silky9530]

It's amazing how having a special ability can force you to take responsibility and make something great out of your life. It gives you that sense of "If not me, then who?" and you have a special sort of obligation to humanity.

[@LordOfTheZombiez]

Jordan Peterson made me realize that even though I don't have a special gift, It's still my responsibility to do my best to make the world a better place because I'm the only one in control of me, so if not me than who? We are all obligated to get our shit together so we can have an exponentially positive impact in the world, just like those exponential cubes in the drawing in this video.

[@thenarrator1921]

Why is this not more famous?

[@Pravasith]

I know right

[@lgn7521]

Because he literary says "literary" all the time, as his genius has done nothing to his vocabulary. Also, he has not shown any sign of being a genius, but at the same time several signs of being a fraud. His "realizations" are at the level of a six year old child. And then he got OCD, and couldn't stop drawing lines. Has he shown any real skill with math? No. He just draw lines, and then he met a mathematician who could explain his lines with her knowledge of math. She could. Because she knows math. He could not. He could just draw lines and tell everybody that he is a genius. Open your eyes, man :P Hey, I can even calculate any weekday from any random date, and additionally, I can solve a rubix cube! Guess I am a genius too, right? No. But people who believe that I am because of those "skills" are at best ignorant. And in the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed dwarf is king.

[@protokevinleversee975]

because our society is increasingly dumber and dumber by design

[@willhuerto3850]

Proto Kevin Leversee I had a dream when I was 18 of someone yelling that out loud “Where not getting smarter, we’re getting dumber!!!”.

[@vohumanity]

@@lgn7521 +! Yes, and real genius (in the meaning of "mature genius") knows and always remembers that all others are the same as he(she) is. It's another world, yes, and it's really more simple than it seems to many, to the most of all people, for now. p.s. Still, Jason gives those keys, key words and phrases to understand world as it is, but not as somebody describes it. )))

[@sparkplugpeggy4910]

the fact his friend had his back and did an extra collage so he would graduate is freakin epic

[@arielm1374]

After a really bad acid trip, I too saw those moving screenshot frames in my vision. I described it to people like my brain was taking screenshots and I was watching it in real time. I'm glad I'm not alone!

[@fuadcarr7352]

You need to take Maths classes and make use of this ability

[@in_vas_por8810]

Gaby M That is how I remember my first real "roll" and I used to roll really hard for really long and sometimes I would get the feeling naturally. I felt like the stuff had a different effect on me than most people.

[@DudeWhoLikesCock]

A really intense acid trip made me have HPPD for over a year. Mild hallucinations all the time, visually and auditory, and I thought in a very abstract sense. Everything felt computer simulated and fake. For 6 months I did not feel safe to drive so would have other people drive me around as much as I could. But I feel like I came out of it a more intelligent person, and I think I actually have clearer vision and hearing because of it. Haven't done any drugs since.

[@TheRecorder195]

i took mushrooms and i saw the same geometry everywhere forming every object, and also the moving screenshot frames in my vision. Only lasted till i ate something and the drug effects went off, since then i understand the world in a different way and want to take them again but i dont have balls cause i might go crazy. When my life is more organiced i will do it

[@Notjimmymaio]

Back in 12th grade, My friends and I smoked some weed and something else was mixed in. I remember being frozen in time and then everything was moving frame by frame. Sometime things would zoom in and then zoom out. My heart was palpitating so hard. Anyways, it took me a while to get back into reality but when I did I never did drugs again and applied myself to school. It's funny because I had a 2.6 in high school and a 4.0 in college, and then went on to graduate school. Don't get me wrong, I worked hard and nothing came easy. But, I also wonder if I would be in the same position if I didn't go through that experience.

[@sreramk1494]

This is incredible. It has been a long time something actually blew my mind! That man became a math genius overnight! No neurologist or psychologist would have ever dared to agree that something like this is possible, before they had witnessed him.

[@nocosa]

Well there are already more cases already described.

[@cecagjacobkhaob6443]

I’ve seen/ met a homeless guy doing these kind or very similar illustrations every day- just by using a pen and small piece of papers.. am amazed how good he is in creating his drawings- clean, very straight lines... and now I understand how good and intelligent he is...

[@ArrKayLondon]

Apparently in every homeless centre there is a chess savant too. Michael Richards talks about it in Comedians in Cars drinking coffee.

[@arnoldshum23]

this guys been knocked out a fraction of the matrix simulation

[@rashikkar7359]

Just finished reading his book Struck by Genius. It's a fascinating insight into what happened to him, into the amazing complexities of the human mind, and into the mathematical nature of the universe. Thank you for this talk!

[@LewysC]

I might give this a read actually

[@prakharanand5760]

@@LewysC me too, I wanna learn more bout his brain

[@Dispatern]

I experienced something maybe about 2 or 3 times when I was really tired. I fell asleep and I started dreaming and I could actually see how my brain part by part (or frame by frame) built that dream.

[@sfarzanyar]

Wow!!!

[@laurendowns4894]

After a tbi, I went from honors math being fun to failing. Then, I saw wavelengths, particles, and patterns of light for years. The only other person to understand was a quantum physicist who also saw the same. Then I had another accident and got a few punches to the head. Things changed again including my dialects and speech. I had to learn how to read again at 35. At 15 post tbi, I had a perfect SAT score for English. It's frustrating to be this stupid now. This gives me hope that my brain can and will make new neural pathways.

[@OfficialSonOfRock]

Brings a new meaning to "knock some sense into you"

[@axell15thewispmaster51]

It's true. We are all anime protagonists. We just need to unlock our vital instinct. All jokes aside, I am very happy for him. He truly has surpassed everyone in math

[@TheSunshine865]

Here from Kendall's video! But seriously what a beautiful way to see the world

[@noodymemo]

Eleanor me too

[@Bmedina29]

What Kendall?

[@Anonymous-uw4sr]

Kendall Rae?

[@jayvillar]

i just can't imagine a brain injury made this man a mathematical genius.

[@lulumoon6942]

TBI can do many things to a person, I know from experience, neural plasticity is miraculous.

[@red313x7]

He’s my gfs dad, it actually did.

[@NailaFaisal-du1gh]

@@red313x7 lol sure

[@IndicatedGoodLife]

Yea I call Bs. Looked up my last name online and what do I find, only crooks.

[@NahNoWayy]

​@@IndicatedGoodLife So your family name is associated with crooks? So what?

[@mzsydni]

I love listening to him. He is the first ted talk that I could actually finish and am interested in. Bless this man!

[@anaoha999]

Check out the woman who has stoke - crazy Ted talk

[@MsMedusaa]

I used to see those patterns a lot when I closed my eyes and it would save all different colours and in pixels as well. I used to draw them on my arm when I would take hallucinogens. I always thought I was terrible at math because I thought too much into it and it didn’t make sense to me but now this is making me want to learn more.

[@sheepdog7383]

Me too. Back in my late teens and early twenties I did a lot of LSD and would see these patterns and exactly what he's talking about with his hands. We called them trails.

[@in_vas_por8810]

I just came from another video and some people were making fun of this guy but they haven't had access to the different parts of the brain that can make you experience these things. I did a very, very large amount of shrooms as a part of my spiritual experimentation and I saw and felt things that can barely be put into words, and I understand what hes talking about too. There are many different patterns on many different levels on every single thing around us, and I think they are all connected in some way.

[@MsMedusaa]

Yea I will never look at the world the same haha it's awesome and beautiful

[@betterworldok3802]

Ms. Medusa I used to see this pattern when I was younger, they are constantly changing shapes and colour

[@TheRecorder195]

@@in_vas_por8810 they are all connected beacuse the universe is a graffic representation of a math formula

[@Ray58able]

WTF! I got jumped the same way and All I got was a headache for a week! And for sure I got dumber! But maybe the trick is drinking a coke and then getting your ass kick.

[@TripleIProductions]

Omg, this is how I think about the world. I go around telling everyone that Perfect circles do not exist

[@Chill----]

He is one of the most intelligent souls in the world. He seems to acknowledge everything, present his knowledge as intriguing images and embolden others to enter the realm of knowledge.

[@Rev_Oir]

This happened to me. 2006, five-car chain reaction crash. I had whiplash & a concussion. Developed new abilities, but wasn't sure what they were, or how to describe them. But I had memory lapses, and feared I had brain damage, so I got my IQ tested. I already knew my IQ (120) because I'd been tested before. Got tested, and was told my IQ had gone UP at least 17 points, to 137. IQ is supposed to remain stable over a lifetime, barring major illlness or stress. Began connecting the dots.

[@namthanhnguyen3050]

Before the crash you already smart at 120 IQ

[@Rev_Oir]

@@namthanhnguyen3050 but dumbest in my family, bad at arithmetic, poor memory. I am still bad at math, and memorization. But I seem to have new abilities, and that's what I'm curious about. What are they, how far do they go? Do they make any meaningful change in my life, or is it just a useless parlor trick, with no application?

[@namthanhnguyen3050]

@@Rev_Oir Hope you can find out what those abilities are , just try something new, it may help you

[@FrankYoung1128]

Sounds like you have a gift and you just have to explore til you find what your aptitudes are

[@lmgkllrpro0077]

Dude just straight broke my mind im stoned as shit and my brain is blown

[@cspratling5247]

They need to do a movie on him hes life is amazing

[@squirrelboss7067]

C Spratling yes, I’d watch it.

[@brightfaith8403]

That would be so cool

[@red313x7]

They’re making one about him, he’s my gfs dad. :)

[@brightibezim1486]

Waoo!!. "All this equations can be graphted into a shape" . This man's words are really inspiring

[@xenoidaltu601]

08:20 "Perfect circles literally don't exist"

[@saturn724]

this dude should be hired by MIT

[@liordekel9258]

MIT have enough janitors

[@bigmacdaddy1234]

To do what?

[@thelaurels13]

@Lior Dekel Yeah we wouldn’t want him taking your job now would we. Pleb!

[@eddieloius4592]

He's averaging 36% in the stock market trading.

[@TheMusicManKyle]

@@eddieloius4592 is that good or bad

[@minecraftkitten1883]

if youve been looking into light and close your eyes, you can see the light still in frames moving away from where youre "looking". Also if you just close your eyes and focus, youll see these patterns all over, vibrating in different speeds.

[@LewysC]

I thought those were just the blood vessels in your eyelids?

[@Nicole-qo8ko]

I know what you mean

[@andym9423]

I've been doing it since I was a kid lol.

[@marialeach8960]

Awww - that is a beautiful baby girl. And, you have an amazing story to tell.

[@sisuentrenadoh4589]

When he described his life before the incident I was like, that's me... man someone smash my head please

[@cspratling5247]

This is a beautiful amazing story

[@willelliott5052]

I and two of my daughters are engrs. One of them had a concussion while playing Rugby in college, and says that it improved her way of thinking technically. I never got the concussion, but I can still relate to this man's story. I was an awful HS student, and that is partly due to one particularly awful math teacher. After graduating, I quickly became a father, which delayed and slowed my part-time progress at our local college. That is how I got put in a math class together with my younger brother. That made learning math competitive for me. The light starting flickering, and I became a math freak. And that HS teacher? I had her again as a professor in college, and she "taught" the same as before. Referring back to something said in this video, it is important to get the concepts of what you are trying to do, and that is where she always fell way short.

[@gabrielmarceloecheverriadi2286]

Good for you. In my case math ruined my life, my self estime and my youth. I spend years to overcome the insecurity caused by this bloody subject and I still face mental blocking when somebody start speak in numbers. No matter what you say, I curse it....

[@hedwegg]

Good thoughts go a long way, my friend!

[@petergee7926]

Wow!! Keep on going. You are a trailblazer.

[@hannahp4376]

This is AMAZING!

[@workaccount8732]

this is absolutely wild

[@EyalBarCochva]

Great talk, beautiful person

[@StefanTheCannon]

This is absolutely awesome!!!

[@siddharthdoshi4858]

This deserves more views........

[@slm627]

1:55 what a friend 💓

[@JuliaPelio]

this is one of the most interesting TED talks I watched. Wow!

[@meganova609]

Arrivals would be proud of this man

[@Cyberdemon1542]

This is so beautiful!

[@Atma505]

What an unbelievable story

[@elmachucho]

I love it! Each person has their own viewpoint of the universe.

[@doughambone6029]

Wonderful Testimony Jason. I too wish I had learned Math in the visual before trying to formularise it. I would have made life much easier for me. Thanks.

[@VedUncomplicates]

Thank you Sir

[@funny-video-YouTube-channel]

*Interesting talent !* It would be more easy to understand his drawings, if he used colors that represent depth. Blue for deep, red for middle-deep, and yellow for the near. Or something similar.

[@MsMedusaa]

I would buy that art

[@ematarkus4121]

Then buy it: fineartamerica.com/profiles/jason-padgett.html - Edit: Neverbind, its all two colored.

[@MarkSenn]

Use the cividis colormap so color blind people can understand the drawings.

[@minecraftminertime]

That wouldn't follow the color spectrum. It would need to follow purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red to be the right way, or the reverse of that order.

[@Kjleed13]

I’m inspired to make this on a computer

[@Dals07]

Perhaps, the people that built the pyramids, had minds as such? This is fascinating!

[@macaloowify]

I tutored algebra at school with teachers while I was a student myself. Some of the tutees will wait for me while there were actual teachers available Simply because I was able to explain shit in everyday life terms. Teaching is an art and if you are not good at the art of explaining things you shouldn't be a teacher. Do research or some

[@timaaldoseri7687]

Exactly ! I was teaching my math teachers when I was in grade 7 in breaktime. They also were calling me during the class to explain for "stupid" students...I think there is no such a stupid student its just unqualified teacher! Coz once I explain for them they get an A ... till today I teach math for free coz its my passion n every body should understand its not a class its just a game that you should enjoy!

[@pauladonnelly3367]

Fabulous!

[@donaldstraub2170]

Great story.

[@danielson2693]

I see a polarized grid everywhere and visualize numbers/square roots the same way without ever suffering a head injury. I'm not sure why only some people can but I'm happy to hear Jason explain it in a way that's easily understood.

[@drummerschild6487]

@escherlightshows can you explain this -- do you actually see a cartesian graph? do you think that people invented this in mathematics because it's part of the way that we unconsciously process the world anyway?

[@LKINTELLIGENCE]

*Crowd is dead. This guy is blessed.* 🙏🚩

[@DualStupidity]

It's like he got his brain's visual post-processing knocked out.

[@drummerschild6487]

yes so he's seeing the unconscious visual processing, right?

[@alphasuperior100]

Wow, he sounds like a nerd but he actually had a way better high school days than I did with all those girls and partying.

[@Jvke1fanpage]

Amazing

[@cspratling5247]

Im so inspired

[@betterworldok3802]

I used to see this patterns when I was younger and sometimes when I close my eyes. It would change colours and shapes. Just amazing. Maybe it's a gift or we all posses this incredible gift and we don't know it

[@mttlsa686]

the picture at 6:13 is really similar to the E8 Lattice...And this is mindblowing.

[@MrNpkellogg]

he raises the simple relationship between speed and distance. time must be the relating factor netween the two events.

[@bigmacdaddy1234]

If it's so simple then why aren't you a professor from Harvard?

[@oni8337]

@@bigmacdaddy1234 Because what Jason is saying isn't professional level like you think it is

[@tamsiracuse]

You're AMAZING!! And a great speaker/teacher as well.

[@cspratling5247]

I can relate to him sometimes I see lights like this

[@mennamohamed2435]

he has no videos of his online lectures although he is a genius

[@BaniBani_1998]

Would be cool if they made a movie about this.

[@nyssatang1173]

前半生寻欢作乐，后半生学海无涯。 要我说，Jason才是中了人生的彩票。

[@Xox_marisa]

amazin

[@Lagunaseca13]

I’d really love this guy on JRE

[@burymebelowawillowtree9243]

Here from Megan Kelley show. Most love blue shirt and black pants.

[@etienneekpo348]

Enjoy the beauty of creation. People take it for granted

[@SukeshPhour]

I wish if I could have a brain injury like that someday.., may my enemies live longer for that day...

[@pillettadoinswartsh4974]

Great story, lame audience.

[@NoiseKidd]

Totally awesome guy and no criticism whatsoever, but I really hope he hasn't lost the looseness he had prior to his injury. He seems like a totally different person, that kind of thing is depressing

[@ThatOneScienceGuy]

NoiseKidd I think he’s totally indifferent in large part because he grew up and matured. I’m 30 now and “totally different” to who I was when I was 22, which is a very good thing.

[@NoiseKidd]

Hahah yeah true point, I'm sure that he has some feelings wondering what could've been with what he was or whatnot but I'd at least feel like he probably would think that how he is now is suffice to how he has become

[@Josh-ce7cn]

Most of the time you can't have the best of both worlds

[@annastarr2043]

He's sees the wonder of nature & mathematics. He can see an object & realize the amazing mathematics that it can be broken down into. Before if he saw a glass beer bottle with sunlight glowing through it he'd see nothing but an opportunity to get wasted.

[@arcioko2142]

@@ThatOneScienceGuy obviously maturing was part of it but not everyone goes from jock to math genius overnight

[@BASESKIZL]

He explains an experience I had on marijuana I totally OD on it the only way you can. I remember everything turn into what seemed to be laser dots and was shooting towards me or away from me. It was the craziest thing I can remember and I swore off pot for a long time after that. I couldn’t image having to do this everyday all day and becoming a math wiz.

[@jfleieiei7240]

:22 seconds is a hilarious nervous laugh

[@Pal5777]

Now i wish to actually understand that drawings in my mind ...

[@vimalcurio]

Have an accident then lol

[@sethritenour1710]

I’ve watched several videos on Jason and his perspective on whats going on makes me believe even more this is some sort of simulation

[@janetesantos5143]

Came from Kendall Rae’s video too. You are seriously amazing. Our world and universe are so fascinating

[@vimalcurio]

It is indeed

[@annmariepollock1684]

that insight can be greatly used for biomedical engineering advances

[@lia938]

This is insane 😦

[@LordOfTheZombiez]

No it's genius! Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference. /s

[@oni8337]

Yeah, insane how some self-proclaimed mathematical genius hasn't a modicum of knowledge about mathematics or theoretical physics

[@aqilshamil9633]

@@oni8337 what are you on about ?? Poincare Lorentz Einstein spacetime theory really need reformulation , Witten String Theory is purely mathematical speculation , Fractal space-time would be a nice addition

[@oni8337]

@@aqilshamil9633 what am I on about??? take a look at what you just said

[@aqilshamil9633]

@@oni8337 if you don't get my references then , it's clear you're the one lacking physics knowledge , Jason's drawing actually resemble E8 lattice theory of geometric quantum gravity , but of course you don't know that , that's none of your business anyway .Instead of just stopping at a "finite number," mathematicians mention climbing to the eighth dimension in the form of an E8 lattice which has been linked in mathematical circles to the "voice of God." It is a reference to University of Cambridge mathematicians Simon Norton and John Conway and the "monster group". If this life is all about being a wagie wojak in a corrupt unfair economics chattels , of course that's a damned stupid life .

[@Native722]

You really have to thank you friend and the attacker.

[@rachelrobinson3746]

I have been hit on the head loads of times and I sure wish one of those times would have given me amazing savant abilities. But, alas, no.

[@ummukulthumrasheed4802]

You need to find that guy to thank him

[@elkapitan75]

If the left side of the brain controls logic and mathematics, then how is it that his creative side which is the right side of the brain able to draw "mathematical" drawings? Or did the injury sort of marry the two sides abilities together?

[@LumpyHippo]

I saw another video about him and the way he draws the images is with a ruler, which I imagine is how any fractal is done so it is probably a more logical method rather than creative.

[@RupeeRhod]

The sides of the brain is a myth, it comes from a metaphor, not an actual real setup of the brain.

[@capiznonako3258]

JUST CURIOUS, COZ HE MENTIONED ON THIS VIDEO THAT THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS PERFECT CIRCLE. BUT I NOTICED IN HIS INTERFERENCE (FRACTAL) PATTERN, THAT HE'D DRAWN AND SHOWED ON LATER PART, THAT THERE'S A PERFECT CIRCLE FORM IN THE INNER PATTERN THAT I CAN SEE.. THAT'S HOW I LOOK AT IT AND I FEEL LIKE ITS SO PERFECT...MAYBE SOMEONE CAN ENLIGHTEN MY CURIOSITY...TNX

[@delilh325]

6:50 this guy has never taken LSD

[@dmitrius22]

Exactly mu through Simple LSD

[@breezyvibe]

Fascinating. And cute fractal baby.

[@NicolasSilvaVasault]

wish i had the same luck

[@Jay-ef2ii]

This accident or gift saved him. It's a nice gift. July 25, 2022. USA.

[@yasminalibazoglu3424]

Amazing, I wish there was a study on people in comas by using the Functuional MRI, to test the brain...... maybe there is hope to develop another form of therapy to regenerate the brain and awaken the individual. 🙏

[@firstvideo6339]

@12:26 (I wish, I would have learned that way before i took theis math classes, so the concept would have been embedded first) This is EXACTLY what I wanted to get since my childhood. I am an engineer (a bad one), who used to ask teachers that please teach me with PRACTICAL examples. I never understand completely what the sin theta, beta, alfa etc and the other boring stuff. In my junior years, I used to ask teachers, while taking math, algebra, geometry etc classes, that what the CONCEPT behind equations? give me practical examples. But, sorry to say, they could not.... because, they didn't know also. I am still the same, I understand every thing quickly, if get the practical example, otherwise, my brain doesn't understand what is going on.

[@ibraveheart5700]

Still don't know how the hell this is possible

[@MM-Iconoclast]

Man, that baby is the cutest thing evah

[@vimalcurio]

Yeah so cutie pie 🥧 😘

[@gicigubi]

I think everything this guy said is true. If you have a imaginary mind and if you look closely to your hand you can actually think and see a image of what Jason drew.

[@mikatteba225]

they beat the stupidity out of him

[@fitofight8540]

mikatteba225 yah, literally

[@vitaethio6428]

lol

[@KelynFerguson]

That woman's name? Albert Einstein.

[@golfcart2225]

i appreciate you

[@thelaurels13]

@Kelyn Ferguson Nice try! Your name idiot.

[@E-Kat]

Alberta Estein!