Smarty Pants From The American Scholar

We revisit an interview with Eugenia Cheng, the author of How to Bake Pi, who translates higher math using metaphors that even the most mathematically disinclined can comprehend: infinite layers of puff pastry, endless jars of marmalade, and deep-dish pi(e). She talks about the false dichotomy between mathematics and art, and how understanding math helps you see the world in a new light. Also, how five-year-olds sometimes pose the most difficult questions for mathematicians to answer, like: what’s a number?Go beyond the episode:Eugenia Cheng’s Beyond InfinityAnd her attempt to teach Stephen Colbert how to make puff pastryNatalie Angier’s review of How to Bake Pi (verdict: delicious!)Watch an animated explanation of the Infinite Hotel Paradox from TED-EdTune in every week to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progres