Event details
Nov
9
The Magical Number 142,857: A Full-Circle Story - Manjul Bhargava
The Magical Number 142,857: A Full-Circle Story
We explore the surprising magic hidden inside the number 142,857. The number exhibits a host of truly astonishing properties — some familiar, others delightfully unexpected — and sits at the crossroads of number theory, magic, and illusion. We will discuss why this number is so special, how to create others like it, and what it means to “classify” such magical numbers. Along the way, we’ll be led to the very frontier of mathematics, where these curiosities connect to one of the greatest mathematical mysteries of our time: the Riemann Hypothesis.
We explore the surprising magic hidden inside the number 142,857. The number exhibits a host of truly astonishing properties — some familiar, others delightfully unexpected — and sits at the crossroads of number theory, magic, and illusion. We will discuss why this number is so special, how to create others like it, and what it means to “classify” such magical numbers. Along the way, we’ll be led to the very frontier of mathematics, where these curiosities connect to one of the greatest mathematical mysteries of our time: the Riemann Hypothesis.
Speakers
Professor Manjul Bhargava, Princeton
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