Zeroworld | Radiolab Podcast

From the Radiolab podcast: In mathematics you’re allowed to do everything for the most part - except for this.
Karim Ani dedicated his life to math. He studied it in school, got a degree in math education, even founded Citizen Math (www.citizenmath.com) to teach it to kids in a whole new way. But this whole time, his whole life almost, he had this question nagging at him.
The question came in the form of a rule in math, NEVER divide by zero. But why not?
Cornell mathematician, and friend of the show, Steve Strogatz chimes in with the historical context, citing examples of previous provocateurs looking to break the rules of math. And he offers Karim a warning, “In math we have creative freedom, we can do anything we want, as long as it’s logical.”
Listen along as Karim’s thought exercise becomes an existential quest, taking us with him, as he delves deeper, and deeper, into Zeroworld.
EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by Lulu Miller.
Produced by Matthew Kielty, with help from Ekedi Fausther-Keeys and Alyssa Jeong Perry.
Original music and sound design contributed by Matthew Kielty, with mixing help from Arianne Wack.
Fact-checking by Diane Kelly, and edited by Pat Walters.
🎧 Subscribe to Radiolab wherever you listen to podcasts: bit.ly/3trXDLe
🔎 Subscribe to Radiolab on KZbin: bit.ly/3I9KI53
🖋 Subscribe to Radiolab’s Newsletter: radiolab.org/newsletter
🌱 Check out Radiolab's Starter Kit Playlist: bit.ly/3sX8f4P
👍 Like this video ✏️ and leave us a comment!
Follow Radiolab:
Instagram - / radiolab
X (Formerly Twitter) - / radiolab
Facebook - / radiolab
Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up here: radiolab.org/newsletter
Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab today: radiolab.org/the-lab
Photo illustration Jared Bartman.
Video by W. Harry Fortuna.

[@Eazoon]

Just wait til this guy hears about Gödel's incompleteness theorems...

[@ghengismcgillicutty4695]

I love episodes like this where I want to put up my hand and ask questions while listening.

[@Mel-xl9fz]

Thank you for the amazing content 🙏

[@brittanyengels913]

1st episode I ever ditched half way though...

[@TSquared2001]

Why did it sound like Him doing the voicework at the end?

[@beherenowmindfulnessllc5467]

It is possible to go through the door and then you will see both sides of the door. If you stay on one side your perspective will only see that. You might enjoy the nonduality practice of the Realization Process created by Dr. Judith Blackstone. A profound discovery of feeling separate and whole and universally connected with everything at the same time. It is not ZeroWorld...it is Everything:)

[@xyzbesixdouze]

if you allow divide by 0 = infinity as 1 number then you have a math function mapping 1 space (of all numbers) to 1 number where u can't escape from symmetrically with the rules of numberspace. instead u just create a new unknown sollution space for infinity outside the numberspace with a new notation. like 5 appels are the number 5 and appels. And in math if you don't know the sollution (yet) but hope it will be a number, you just replace it by x. so replace 1/0 with 1/x and in the end try to replace x by 0, after all calculations.

[@xyzbesixdouze]

And please don't put religion in math. Or do, but just don't complain about it then.

[@Pablowilde82]

It is like 2 Extreme different universes. One of the infinity God and one of the 0 the self. We are in the middle. Why? Because we have the chance of interaction, experiencing all of this, if we don't like the numbers and operations that surround us we can apply some transformation and change, go to another place. And then we have a new set of rules to interact with other numbers. One can find the illumination and see the infinity. But then what? Maybe one day we reach there but that's not the world of the living...

[@70galaxie]

why I quit listening to npr,because they entertain w/o making the point,or any point

[@duyvo-dx3dj]

It hurt me to say this because I am a huge fan of Radiolab and have loved every episode I have ever listened to... except this one. There wasn't any meaningful amount of STEM that makes Radiolab so special.