TED2009
Margaret Wertheim: The beautiful math of coral
Margaret Wertheim despre frumoasa matematica a coralilor (si crosetatul)
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Margaret Wertheim conduce un proiect pentru a recrea recifele de corali folosind o tehnica de crosetat inventata de o matematiciana -- celebrand minunatiile recifului si facand o incursiune in geometria hiperbolica ce sta la baza crearii coralilor.
Margaret Wertheim - Figurer
By masterminding a project to model a coral reef armed only with crochet hooks, Margaret Wertheim hopes to bring some of the most complicated mathematical models embodied in our universe into the minds (and hands) of the masses. Full bio
By masterminding a project to model a coral reef armed only with crochet hooks, Margaret Wertheim hopes to bring some of the most complicated mathematical models embodied in our universe into the minds (and hands) of the masses. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:18
I'm here today, as June said,
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Ma aflu astazi aici, cum a spus si June,
00:20
to talk about a project
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pentru a vorbi despre un proiect
00:22
that my twin sister and I have been doing for the past three and half years.
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la care eu si sora mea geamana lucram de trei ani si jumatate.
00:26
We're crocheting a coral reef.
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Crosetam un recif de corali.
00:29
And it's a project that we've actually
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Este un proiect la care acum
00:32
been now joined by hundreds of people around the world,
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ni s-au alaturat sute de oameni din toata lumea
00:35
who are doing it with us. Indeed thousands of people
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si fac asta impreuna cu noi. Intr-adevar, mii de oameni
00:38
have actually been involved in this project,
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au fost implicati in acest proiect
00:40
in many of its different aspects.
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in multe din aspectele acestuia.
00:42
It's a project that now reaches across three continents,
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Este un proiect care acum se intinde pe trei continente.
00:45
and its roots go into the fields of mathematics,
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Originile lui isi au radacinile in domeniul matematicii,
00:49
marine biology, feminine handicraft
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biologiei marine, artizanatului feminin
00:52
and environmental activism.
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si activismului in mediul inconjurator.
00:55
It's true.
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Este adevarat.
00:57
It's also a project
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Este de asemenea un proiect
00:59
that in a very beautiful way,
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a carui dezvoltare minunata
01:01
the development of this
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a dus de fapt
01:03
has actually paralleled the evolution of life on earth,
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la un paralelism al evolutiei vietii pe pamant,
01:07
which is a particularly lovely thing to be saying
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ceea ce este un lucru foarte frumos de spus
01:09
right here in February 2009 --
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chiar aici in februarie 2009 --
01:11
which, as one of our previous speakers told us,
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avand in vedere ca, dupa cum ne spunea unul din prezentatorii anteriori,
01:13
is the 200th anniversary
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este a 200-a aniversare
01:15
of the birth of Charles Darwin.
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de la nasterea lui Charles Darwin.
01:17
All of this I'm going to get to in the next 18 minutes, I hope.
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Sper ca in urmatoarele 18 minute sa patrund in toate acestea.
01:21
But let me first begin by showing you
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Dar lasati-ma sa incep prin a va arata
01:23
some pictures of what this thing looks like.
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cateva imagini despre cum arata acest lucru.
01:26
Just to give you an idea of scale,
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Ca sa va dau o idee despre marime,
01:28
that installation there is about six feet across,
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aceasta instalatie are in jur de 2 metri lungime.
01:31
and the tallest models are about two or three feet high.
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Cele mai inalte modele au cam un metru inaltime.
01:35
This is some more images of it.
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Aici sunt mai multe imagini.
01:37
That one on the right is about five feet high.
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Cel din dreapta este in jur de 1.5 metri inaltime.
01:39
The work involves hundreds of different crochet models.
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Munca presupune sute de modele diferite de crosetat.
01:43
And indeed there are now thousands and thousands of models that people
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Si intr-adevar acum sunt mii si mii de modele
01:46
have contributed all over the world as part of this.
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cu care au contribuit oamenii din toata lumea la acesta.
01:49
The totality of this project
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In total, acest proiect
01:51
involves tens of thousands of hours
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presupune zeci de mii de ore
01:53
of human labor --
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de munca umana --
01:55
99 percent of it done by women.
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99% facuta de femei.
01:57
On the right hand side, that bit there is part of an installation
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Bucatica din partea dreapta face parte dintr-o instalatie
02:00
that is about 12 feet long.
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care are in jur de 4 metri lungime.
02:02
My sister and I started this project in 2005
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Eu si sora mea am inceput acest proiect in 2005
02:05
because in that year, at least in the science press,
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deoarece in acel an se vorbea foarte mult, cel putin in presa stiintifica,
02:07
there was a lot of talk about global warming,
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despre incalzirea globala
02:10
and the effect that global warming was having on coral reefs.
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si despre efectul pe care incalzirea globala il avea asupra recifelor de corali.
02:13
Corals are very delicate organisms,
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Coralii sunt organisme foarte delicate.
02:15
and they are devastated by any rise in sea temperatures.
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Si sunt devastati de orice ridicare de temperatura a apei marii.
02:18
It causes these vast bleaching events
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Cauzeaza imense fenomene de albire
02:20
that are the first signs of corals of being sick.
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care sunt primele semne de imbolnavire ale coralilor.
02:23
And if the bleaching doesn't go away --
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Iar daca albirea nu trece,
02:25
if the temperatures don't go down -- reefs start to die.
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daca temperaturile nu scad, recifele incep sa moara.
02:28
A great deal of this has been happening in the Great Barrier Reef,
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Acest fenomen se intampla in Marea Bariera de Corali,
02:31
particularly in coral reefs all over the world.
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respectiv in recifele de corali din toata lumea.
02:33
This is our invocation in crochet of a bleached reef.
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Aceasta este imitatia noastra crosetata a unui recif de corali albit.
02:37
We have a new organization together called The Institute for Figuring,
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Avem impreuna o noua organizatie numita „Institutul de Imaginatie”,
02:40
which is a little organization we started
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o mica organizatie pe care am inceput-o
02:42
to promote, to do projects about the
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ca sa promovam, sa realizam proiecte despre
02:44
aesthetic and poetic dimensions of science and mathematics.
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dimensiunile estetice si poetice ale stiintei si matematicii.
02:47
And I went and put a little announcement up on our site,
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Am pus un mic anunt pe site-ul nostru,
02:50
asking for people to join us in this enterprise.
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rugand oamenii sa se alature noua in acest proiect.
02:52
To our surprise, one of the first people who called
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Spre surpriza noastra, unul din primii care au sunat
02:55
was the Andy Warhol Museum.
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a fost Muzeul Andy Warhol.
02:57
And they said they were having an exhibition
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Ziceau ca organizeaza o expozitie
02:59
about artists' response to global warming,
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despre raspunsul artistilor la incalzirea globala
03:01
and they'd like our coral reef to be part of it.
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si ca ar dori ca si reciful nostru de corali sa participe.
03:03
I laughed and said, "Well we've only just started it,
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Eu am ras si am zis: "Abia l-am inceput,
03:05
you can have a little bit of it."
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puteti sa aveti doar o parte din el.”
03:07
So in 2007 we had an exhibition,
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Asa ca in 2007 am avut o expozitie,
03:10
a small exhibition of this crochet reef.
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o mica expozitie a acestui recif crosetat.
03:12
And then some people in Chicago came along and they said,
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Apoi au venit cativa oameni din Chicago si au zis:
03:14
"In late 2007, the theme of the Chicago Humanities Festival is
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“La sfarsit de 2007 tema Festivalului Umanitatii din Chicago este
03:19
global warming. And we've got this 3,000 square-foot gallery
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incalzirea globala. Si avem o galerie de 280 de metri patrati
03:22
and we want you to fill it with your reef."
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pe care vrem sa o umpleti cu reciful dumneavoastra.”
03:25
And I, naively by this stage, said, "Oh, yes, sure."
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Iar eu, naiva pe atunci, am zis: “Oh, da. Sigur.”
03:28
Now I say "naively" because actually
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Am spus „naiva” pentru ca, de fapt,
03:30
my profession is as a science writer.
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profesia mea este de scriitor stiintific.
03:32
What I do is I write books about the cultural history of physics.
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Ceea ce fac eu este sa scriu carti despre istoria culturala a fizicii.
03:35
I've written books about the history of space,
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Am scris carti despre istoria spatiului,
03:37
the history of physics and religion,
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istoria fizicii si religiei,
03:39
and I write articles for people like the New York Times and the L.A. Times.
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si scriu articole pentru oameni in reviste ca “New York Times” si “L.A. Times”.
03:42
So I had no idea what it meant to fill a 3,000 square-foot gallery.
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Deci nu am avut nici o idee ce inseamna sa umpli o galerie de 280 de metri patrati.
03:46
So I said yes to this proposition.
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Asa ca am zis da la aceasta propunere.
03:48
And I went home, and I told my sister Christine.
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Am mers acasa si i-am spus si surorii mele Christine.
03:50
And she nearly had a fit
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Si aproape ca a avut o criza,
03:52
because Christine is a professor at one of
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deoarece Christine este profesoara
03:54
L.A.'s major art colleges, CalArts,
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la unul din cele mai mari colegii de arta din L.A., CalArts,
03:57
and she knew exactly what it meant to fill a 3,000 square-foot gallery.
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si stia exact ce inseamna sa umpli o galerie de 280 de metri patrati.
04:00
She thought I'd gone off my head.
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A crezut ca am innebunit.
04:03
But she went into crochet overdrive.
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Dar a crosetat pana la epuizare.
04:05
And to cut a long story short, eight months later
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Pe scurt, opt luni mai tarziu,
04:07
we did fill the Chicago Cultural Center's
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am umplut galeria Centrului cultural din Chicago
04:10
3,000 square foot gallery.
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de 280 de metri patrati.
04:12
By this stage the project had taken on
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Pana in acest moment proiectul avea
04:14
a viral dimension of its own,
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o dimensiune virala proprie
04:16
which got completely beyond us.
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care ne-a depasit.
04:18
The people in Chicago decided
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Oamenii din Chicago au decis ca,
04:20
that as well as exhibiting our reefs, what they wanted to do
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odata cu expunerea recifului nostru,
04:23
was have the local people there make a reef.
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sa convinga localnicii sa faca si ei un recif.
04:25
So we went and taught the techniques. We did workshops and lectures.
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Asa ca am mers si i-am invat tehnicile. Am organizat ateliere si cursuri.
04:28
And the people in Chicago made a reef of their own.
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Iar oamenii din Chicago au facut reciful lor propriu.
04:31
And it was exhibited alongside ours.
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Si a fost expus impreuna cu al nostru.
04:33
There were hundreds of people involved in that.
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Sute de oameni au fost implicati.
04:35
We got invited to do the whole thing
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Am fost invitati sa facem acelasi lucru
04:38
in New York, and in London,
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in New York si in Londra,
04:40
and in Los Angeles.
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si in Los Angeles.
04:42
In each of these cities, the local citizens,
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In fiecare din aceste orase,
04:44
hundreds and hundreds of them, have made a reef.
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sute si sute de localnici au facut recife.
04:46
And more and more people get involved in this,
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Din ce in ce mai multi oameni se implica,
04:49
most of whom we've never met.
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iar majoritatea lor nici nu-i cunoastem.
04:51
So the whole thing has sort of morphed
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Deci totul s-a transformat
04:53
into this organic, ever-evolving creature,
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intr-o creatura organica in evolutie permanenta,
04:55
that's actually gone way beyond Christine and I.
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care de fapt ne-a depasit pe mine si Christine.
04:59
Now some of you are sitting here thinking,
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Multi dintre voi stati si va intrebati:
05:02
"What planet are these people on?
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"Pe ce planeta se cred oamenii astia?
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Why on earth are you crocheting a reef?
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De ce anume sa crosetati un recif?
05:07
Woolenness and wetness aren't exactly
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Lanaria si umezeala sunt doua concepte
05:09
two concepts that go together.
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care nu prea se potrivesc.
05:11
Why not chisel a coral reef out of marble?
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De ce sa nu sculptezi un recif de corali in marmura?
05:13
Cast it in bronze."
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Toarna-l in bronz.”
05:15
But it turns out there is a very good reason
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Insa avem un motiv foarte bine intemeiat
05:17
why we are crocheting it
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pentru care il crosetam,
05:19
because many organisms in coral reefs
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deoarece multe organisme din recifele de corali
05:21
have a very particular kind of structure.
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au o structura aparte.
05:23
The frilly crenulated forms that you see
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Formele incretite si ondulate care le vedeti
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in corals, and kelps, and sponges and nudibranchs,
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in corali, vareci, bureti de mare si echinoderme,
05:28
is a form of geometry known as hyperbolic geometry.
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sunt o forma geometrica cunoscuta ca geometrie hiperbolica.
05:31
And the only way that mathematicians know
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Singura metoda prin care matematicienii stiu
05:34
how to model this structure
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cum sa modeleze aceasta structura
05:36
is with crochet. It happens to be a fact.
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este prin crosetat. Se intampla sa fie adevarat.
05:38
It's almost impossible to model this structure any other way,
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Esta aproape imposibil sa modelezi aceasta structura in alt mod.
05:41
and it's almost impossible to do it on computers.
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Si este aproape imposibil sa o realizezi pe calculator.
05:44
So what is this hyperbolic geometry
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Deci ce este aceasta geometrie hiperbolica
05:46
that corals and sea slugs embody?
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pe care o incorporeaza coralii si echinodermele?
05:49
The next few minutes is, we're all going to get raised up
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In urmatoarele minute toti vom cobori
05:52
to the level of a sea slug.
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la nivelul unei echinoderme.
05:54
(Laughter)
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(Rasete)
05:55
This sort of geometry revolutionized mathematics
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Acest gen de geometrie a revolutionat matematica
05:58
when it was first discovered in the 19th century.
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in secolul 19 cand a fost descoperita prima data.
06:01
But not until 1997 did mathematicians actually understand
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Insa abia in 1997 au inteles matematicienii, cu adevarat,
06:04
how they could model it.
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cum sa il modeleze.
06:06
In 1997 a mathematician
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In 1997, o matematiciana
06:08
at Cornell, Daina Taimina,
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de la Cornell, Diana Taimina,
06:10
made the discovery that this structure
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a descoperit ca acasta structura
06:12
could actually be done in knitting and crochet.
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ar putea fi reprodusa prin tricotare si crosetare.
06:14
The first one she did was knitting.
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Primul care l-a facut a fost tricotat.
06:16
But you get too many stitches on the needle. So she quickly realized
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Insa se aduna prea multe ochiuri pe ac. Asa ca a inteles repede
06:18
crochet was the better thing.
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ca era mai bine sa croseteze.
06:20
But what she was doing was actually making a model
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Dar ceea ce facea ea era un model
06:23
of a mathematical structure, that many mathematicians
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al unei structuri matematice despre care multi matematicieni
06:25
had thought it was actually impossible to model.
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credeau ca este imposibil de modelat.
06:28
And indeed they thought that anything like this structure
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Chiar credeau ca orice lucru care are aceasta structura
06:30
was impossible per se.
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este imposibil in sine.
06:32
Some of the best mathematicians spent hundreds of years
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De-a lungul a sute de ani, unii dintre cei mai buni matematicieni
06:34
trying to prove that this structure was impossible.
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au incercat sa demonstreze ca aceasta structura este imposibila.
06:37
So what is this impossible hyperbolic structure?
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Deci ce este aceasta structura hiperbolica imposibila?
06:40
Before hyperbolic geometry, mathematicians knew
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Inainte de geometria hiperbolica matematicienii stiau
06:42
about two kinds of space:
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despre doua feluri de spatii:
06:44
Euclidean space, and spherical space.
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spatiu Euclidian si spatiu sferic.
06:47
And they have different properties.
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Aveau proprietati diferite.
06:49
Mathematicians like to characterize things by being formalist.
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Matematicienilor le place sa caracterizeze lucrurile intr-un mod formalist.
06:52
You all have a sense of what a flat space is, Euclidean space is.
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Cu totii aveti o idee despre ce este o suprafata plana, un spatiu euclidian.
06:56
But mathematicians formalize this in a particular way.
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Dar matematicienii formuleaza asta intr-un mod diferit.
06:59
And what they do is, they do it through the concept
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Si ceea ce fac ei este sa se foloseasca de conceptul
07:01
of parallel lines.
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de linii paralele.
07:03
So here we have a line and a point outside the line.
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Deci aici avem o linie si un punct in afara ei.
07:06
And Euclid said, "How can I define parallel lines?
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Euclid a zis: “Cum pot eu sa definesc liniile paralele?”
07:09
I ask the question, how many lines can I draw through
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Eu pun intrebarea: “Cate linii pot sa trasez
07:12
the point but never meet the original line?"
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prin acel punct fara sa se intalneasca cu linia initiala?”
07:14
And you all know the answer. Does someone want to shout it out?
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Si stiti cu totii raspunsul. Vrea cineva sa-l spuna cu voce tare?
07:17
One. Great. Okay.
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Una. Corect. Ok.
07:19
That's our definition of a parallel line.
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Asta este definitia noastra a liniei paralele.
07:21
It's a definition really of Euclidean space.
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Este chiar definitia spatiului euclidian.
07:24
But there is another possibility that you all know of:
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Insa mai exista o posibilitate despre care stiti cu totii --
07:26
spherical space.
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spatiul sferic.
07:28
Think of the surface of a sphere --
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Ganditi-va la suprafata unei sfere --
07:30
just like a beach ball, the surface of the Earth.
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ca o minge de plaja, ca suprafata Pamantului.
07:32
I have a straight line on my spherical surface.
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Am o linie dreapta pe suprafata sferica.
07:35
And I have a point outside the line. How many straight lines
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Si am un punct in afara liniei. Cate linii drepte
07:37
can I draw through the point
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pot sa trasez prin acel punct
07:39
but never meet the original line?
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fara sa intersectez linia initiala?
07:41
What do we mean to talk about
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Ce inseamna sa vorbim despre
07:43
a straight line on a curved surface?
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o linie dreapta pe o suprafata curbata?
07:46
Now mathematicians have answered that question.
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Matematicienii au raspuns la aceasta intrebare.
07:49
They've understood there is a generalized concept
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Au inteles ca este un concept general
07:51
of straightness, it's called a geodesic.
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al liniaritatii. Se numeste geodezie.
07:53
And on the surface of a sphere,
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Pe suprafata unei sfere,
07:55
a straight line is the biggest possible circle you can draw.
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o linie dreapta este cel mai mare cerc posibil pe care il poti trasa.
07:58
So it's like the equator or the lines of longitude.
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Deci este ca si ecuatorul sau liniile longitudinale.
08:02
So we ask the question again,
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Deci intrebam din nou:
08:04
"How many straight lines can I draw through the point,
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“Cate linii drepte pot fi trasate printr-un punct
08:06
but never meet the original line?"
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fara sa intersectez linia initiala?”
08:08
Does someone want to guess?
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Vrea cineva sa ghiceasca?
08:11
Zero. Very good.
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Zero. Foarte bine!
08:13
Now mathematicians thought that was the only alternative.
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Matematicienii au crezut ca asta este singura alternativa.
08:15
It's a bit suspicious isn't it? There is two answers to the question so far,
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E putin cam suspect, nu-i asa? Sunt deja doua raspunsuri la intrebare:
08:18
Zero and one.
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zero si unu.
08:20
Two answers? There may possibly be a third alternative.
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Doua raspunsuri? S-ar putea sa mai fie si o a treia alternativa.
08:22
To a mathematician if there are two answers,
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Pentru un matematician, daca exista doua raspunsuri
08:24
and the first two are zero and one,
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iar primele doua sunt zero si unu,
08:26
there is another number that immediately suggests itself
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inseamna ca mai exista inca un numar care se autopropune imediat
08:28
as the third alternative.
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ca a treia alternativa.
08:30
Does anyone want to guess what it is?
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Vrea cineva sa-l ghiceasca?
08:33
Infinity. You all got it right. Exactly.
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Infinit. Ati inteles cu totii. Exact!
08:36
There is, there's a third alternative.
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Exista o a treia alternativa.
08:38
This is what it looks like.
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Asa arata.
08:40
There's a straight line, and there is an infinite number of lines
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Este o linie dreapta si un numar infinit de linii
08:43
that go through the point and never meet the original line.
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care trec prin punct fara sa intalneasca linia initiala.
08:45
This is the drawing.
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Acesta este desenul.
08:47
This nearly drove mathematicians bonkers
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Asta aproape ca i-a innebunit pe matematicieni,
08:49
because, like you, they're sitting there feeling bamboozled.
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deoarece, ca si voi, sunt dezorientati,
08:52
Thinking, how can that be? You're cheating. The lines are curved.
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gandindu-se cum poate sa existe asa ceva? Este o inselaciune. Liniile sunt curbe.
08:55
But that's only because I'm projecting it onto a
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Insa numai datorita faptului ca sunt proiectate
08:57
flat surface.
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pe o suprafata plana.
08:59
Mathematicians for several hundred years
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De sute de ani matematicienii
09:01
had to really struggle with this.
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au trebuit sa se lupte cu asta.
09:03
How could they see this?
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Cum au putut sa vada asta?
09:05
What did it mean to actually have a physical model
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Ce inseamna sa ai un model fizic real
09:08
that looked like this?
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care sa arate asa?
09:10
It's a bit like this: imagine that we'd only ever encountered Euclidean space.
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Este cam in felul urmator: imaginati-va ca pana acum am cunoscut doar spatiul euclidian.
09:13
Then our mathematicians come along
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Apoi apar matematicienii nostri
09:15
and said, "There's this thing called a sphere,
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si spun: “Exista un lucru care se numeste sfera,
09:17
and the lines come together at the north and south pole."
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ale carei linii se intalnesc la polul sud si nord."
09:19
But you don't know what a sphere looks like.
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Dar tu nu sti cum arata o sfera.
09:21
And someone that comes along and says, "Look here's a ball."
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Si vine cineva si zice: “Uite o minge!”
09:24
And you go, "Ah! I can see it. I can feel it.
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Tu zici: “ Ah! O vad! Pot sa o simt!
09:26
I can touch it. I can play with it."
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Pot sa o ating! Pot sa ma joc cu ea!”
09:29
And that's exactly what happened
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Exact asta s-a intamplat
09:31
when Daina Taimina
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in 1997 cand Daiana Taimina
09:33
in 1997, showed that you could crochet models
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a demonstrat ca se pot croseta modele
09:37
in hyperbolic space.
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in spatiu hiperbolic.
09:39
Here is this diagram in crochetness.
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Aici este o diagrama crosetata.
09:42
I've stitched Euclid's parallel postulate on to the surface.
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Am cusut postulatul lui Euclid pe suprafata ei.
09:46
And the lines look curved.
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Liniile arata curbe.
09:48
But look, I can prove to you that they're straight
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Insa pot sa va demonstrez ca sunt drepte,
09:51
because I can take any one of these lines,
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pentru ca pot sa iau oricare din aceste linii
09:53
and I can fold along it.
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si pot sa pliez de-a lungul ei.
09:56
And it's a straight line.
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Este o linie dreapta.
09:58
So here, in wool,
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Deci aici, in lana,
10:01
through a domestic feminine art,
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prin arta feminina domestica,
10:03
is the proof that the most famous postulate
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sta dovada ca cel mai faimos postulat
10:05
in mathematics is wrong.
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din matematica este gresit.
10:08
(Applause)
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(Aplauze)
10:14
And you can stitch all sorts of mathematical
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Se pot coase tot felul de teoreme matemetice
10:16
theorems onto these surfaces.
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pe aceste suprafete.
10:19
The discovery of hyperbolic space ushered in the field of mathematics
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Descoperirea sptiului hiperbolic introduce domeniul matematic
10:22
that is called non-Euclidean geometry.
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numit geometrie non-euclidiana.
10:24
And this is actually the field of mathematics
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Acesta este de fapt un domeniu al matematicii
10:26
that underlies general relativity
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care sta la baza relativitatii generale
10:28
and is actually ultimately going to show us
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si care in final ne va arata
10:30
about the shape of the universe.
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forma universului.
10:32
So there is this direct line
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Deci exista aceasta legatura directa
10:34
between feminine handicraft,
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intre mestesugul feminin,
10:36
Euclid and general relativity.
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Euclid si relativitatea generala.
10:39
Now, I said that mathematicians thought that this was impossible.
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Deci, am zis ca matematicienii au crezut ca este imposibil asa ceva.
10:42
Here's two creatures who've never heard of Euclid's parallel postulate --
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Aici sunt doua fiinte care n-au auzit niciodata despre axioma paralelelor lui Euclid --
10:46
didn't know it was impossible to violate,
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nu stiau ca este imposibil de contrazis
10:48
and they're simply getting on with it.
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si pur si simplu supravietuiesc cu ea.
10:50
They've been doing it for hundreds of millions of years.
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Fac asta de sute de milione de ani.
10:54
I once asked the mathematicians why it was
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Odata i-am intrebat pe metematicieni
10:56
that mathematicians thought this structure was impossible
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de ce cred ei ca aceasta structura este imposibila
10:59
when sea slugs have been doing it since the Silurian age.
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cand echinodermele o au inca din era siluriana.
11:02
Their answer was interesting.
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Raspunsul lor a fost interesant.
11:04
They said, "Well I guess there aren't that many mathematicians
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Au zis: “Pai, banuiesc ca nu foarte multi matematicieni
11:06
sitting around looking at sea slugs."
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stau si se uita la echinoderme."
11:08
And that's true. But it also goes deeper than that.
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E adevarat. Insa este mai grav de atat.
11:11
It also says a whole lot of things
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Spune foarte multe lucruri
11:13
about what mathematicians thought mathematics was,
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despre ceea ce credeau matematicienii ca este matematica.
11:16
what they thought it could and couldn't do,
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Ce credeau ca poate sau nu poate sa faca ea.
11:18
what they thought it could and couldn't represent.
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Ceea ce credeau ca poate sau nu poate sa reprezinte ea.
11:20
Even mathematicians, who in some sense
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Chiar si matematicienii care, intr-un anumit mod,
11:22
are the freest of all thinkers,
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sunt cei mai liberi cugetatori,
11:24
literally couldn't see
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efectiv nu au putut sa vada,
11:26
not only the sea slugs around them,
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nu neaparat echinodermele de langa ei,
11:28
but the lettuce on their plate --
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dar nici macar salata din farfuria lor,
11:30
because lettuces, and all those curly vegetables,
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deoarece salata si toate acele legume incretite,
11:32
they also are embodiments of hyperbolic geometry.
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sunt si ele intruchiparea geometriei hiperbolice.
11:36
And so in some sense they literally,
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Deci intr-un anumit mod
11:39
they had such a symbolic view of mathematics,
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ei au avut o viziune simbolica asupra matematicii --
11:41
they couldn't actually see what was going on
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practic nu vedeau ceea ce se intampla
11:44
on the lettuce in front of them.
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cu salata din fata lor.
11:47
It turns out that the natural world is full of hyperbolic wonders.
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Se pare ca lumea naturala este plina de minuni hiperbolice.
11:51
And so, too, we've discovered
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De asemenea am descoperit
11:53
that there is an infinite taxonomy
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ca exista o taxonomie infinita
11:55
of crochet hyperbolic creatures.
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a creaturilor hiperbolice crosetate.
11:57
We started out, Chrissy and I and our contributors,
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Eu, Chrissy si colaboratorii nostri am inceput
12:00
doing the simple mathematically perfect models.
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cu modele matematice simple si perfecte.
12:02
But we found that when we deviated from the specific
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Insa am aflat ca, in momentul in care deviem de la forma specifica
12:06
setness of the mathematical code
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a codului matematic
12:09
that underlies it -- the simple algorithm
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care sta la baza acestui simplu algoritm,
12:11
crochet three, increase one --
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adica crosetezi trei si mai adaugi unu.
12:13
when we deviated from that and made embellishments to the code,
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Cand am deviat de la asta si am infrumutesat codul,
12:16
the models immediately started to look more natural.
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modelele au inceput imediat sa para mai naturale.
12:20
And all of our contributors, who are an amazing
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Toti contribuitorii nostrii care sunt
12:22
collection of people around the world,
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o colectie de oameni minunati din toata lumea,
12:24
do their own embellishments.
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vin cu imbunatatirile lor personale.
12:26
As it were, we have this ever-evolving,
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Si avem acest copac al vietii, ca sa zicem asa,
12:28
crochet taxonomic tree of life.
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al taxonomiei in crosetaj care evolueaza permanent.
12:30
Just as the morphology
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Asa cum morfologia
12:32
and the complexity of life on earth is never ending,
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si complexitatea vietii pe pamant este nelimitata,
12:34
little embellishments and complexifications
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si niste modificari si complexificari
12:37
in the DNA code
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in codul de ADN
12:39
lead to new things like giraffes, or orchids --
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duc la lucruri noi, cum ar fi girafele si orhideele,
12:42
so too, do little embellishments in the crochet code
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asa si niste mici imbunatatiri in codul de crosetare
12:45
lead to new and wondrous creatures
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duc la fiinte noi si minunate
12:48
in the evolutionary tree of crochet life.
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in evolutia copacului vietii in crosetaj.
12:51
So this project really has
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Deci acest proiect chiar are
12:53
taken on this inner organic life of its own.
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o viata organica proprie.
12:56
There is the totality of all the people who have come to it.
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Este totalul oamenilor care au aderat la el,
12:59
And their individual visions,
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cu viziunile lor proprii,
13:01
and their engagement with this mathematical mode.
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si propria lor abordare a codului matematic.
13:04
We have these technologies. We use them.
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Avem aceste tehnologii. Le folosim.
13:06
But why? What's at stake here? What does it matter?
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Dar de ce? Ce este in joc? De ce conteaza?
13:09
For Chrissy and I, one of the things that's important here
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Unul din lucrurile care sunt importante pentru mine si Chrissy aici
13:12
is that these things suggest
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este ca aceste lucruri sugereaza
13:14
the importance and value of embodied knowledge.
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importanta si valoarea cunoastintelor tangibile.
13:17
We live in a society
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Traim intr-o societate
13:19
that completely tends to valorize
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care are tendinta sa valorifice
13:21
symbolic forms of representation --
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forme simbolice de reprezentare --
13:23
algebraic representations,
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reprezentari algebrice,
13:25
equations, codes.
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ecuatii, coduri.
13:27
We live in a society that's obsessed
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Traim intr-o societate obsedata
13:29
with presenting information in this way,
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de prezentarea informatiei in acest mod,
13:31
teaching information in this way.
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de invatarea informatiei in acest mod.
13:34
But through this sort of modality,
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Insa prin aceasta modalitate,
13:37
crochet, other plastic forms of play --
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crosetaj, alte modalitati plastice de joaca,
13:41
people can be engaged with the most abstract,
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oamenii se pot relationa cu cele mai abstracte,
13:44
high-powered, theoretical ideas,
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puternice, idei teoretice --
13:46
the kinds of ideas that normally you have to go
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genul de idei pentru care deobicei trebuie sa mergi
13:48
to university departments to study in higher mathematics,
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la universitate sa studiezi matematici superioare,
13:51
which is where I first learned about hyperbolic space.
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loc in care am invatat si eu pentru prima data despre spatiul hiperbolic.
13:54
But you can do it through playing with material objects.
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Insa poti sa faci asta jucandu-te cu obiecte materiale.
13:58
One of the ways that we've come to think about this
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Unul din modurile in care am ajuns sa ne gandim la asta
14:00
is that what we're trying to do with the Institute for Figuring
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este ceea ce incercam sa facem prin "Institutul de Imaginatie"
14:03
and projects like this, we're trying to have
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si proiecte ca si acesta, incercam sa facem
14:05
kindergarten for grown-ups.
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o gradinita pentru adulti.
14:07
And kindergarten was actually a very formalized
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Gradinita a fost, de fapt,
14:09
system of education,
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un sistem educational puternic formalizat,
14:11
established by a man named Friedrich Froebel,
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infiintat de Friederich Froebel,
14:13
who was a crystallographer in the 19th century.
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cristalograf din secolul al 19-lea.
14:15
He believed that the crystal was the model
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El credea ca modelul
14:17
for all kinds of representation.
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pentru tot felul de reprezentari este cristalul.
14:19
He developed a radical alternative system
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A dezvoltat un sistem alternativ radical
14:22
of engaging the smallest children
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pentru a implica in idei abstracte
14:24
with the most abstract ideas
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copii la varste foarte mici,
14:26
through physical forms of play.
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prin forme fizice de joaca.
14:28
And he is worthy of an entire talk on his own right.
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Merita un intreg discurs doar pentru asta.
14:30
The value of education
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Valoarea educatiei
14:32
is something that Froebel championed,
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este ceea ce Froebel a sustinut
14:35
through plastic modes of play.
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prin moduri plastice de joaca.
14:37
We live in a society now
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Acum traim intr-o societate
14:39
where we have lots of think tanks,
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in care avem multe organizatii de cercetare,
14:41
where great minds go to think about the world.
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unde mintile stralucite se intalnesc spre a discuta despre lume.
14:44
They write these great symbolic treatises
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Scriu minunate tratate simbolice
14:46
called books, and papers,
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numite carti si lucrari
14:48
and op-ed articles.
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si articole de opinie independente.
14:50
We want to propose, Chrissy and I,
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Eu si Chrissy vrem sa propunem,
14:52
through The Institute for Figuring, another alternative way of doing things,
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prin intermediul „Institutului de Imaginatie”, o alta modalitate de a face lucrurile,
14:55
which is the play tank.
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si anume: organizatia de joaca.
14:58
And the play tank, like the think tank,
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Organizatia de joaca, la fel ca si cea de cercetare,
15:00
is a place where people can go
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este un loc unde oamenii se aduna
15:02
and engage with great ideas.
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pentru a se implica in idei marete.
15:04
But what we want to propose,
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Insa ceea ce vrem noi sa propunem
15:06
is that the highest levels of abstraction,
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este ca cele mai inalte nivele ale abstractiei,
15:08
things like mathematics, computing, logic, etc. --
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cum ar fi matematica, informatica, logica, etc. --
15:11
all of this can be engaged with,
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toate acestea sa poata fi accesate
15:13
not just through purely cerebral algebraic
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nu doar prin algebra cerebrala,
15:15
symbolic methods,
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metode simbolice,
15:17
but by literally, physically playing with ideas.
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ci si prin joaca fizica cu idei, la propriu.
15:21
Thank you very much.
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Va multumesc foarte mult.
15:23
(Applause)
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(Aplauze)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Margaret Wertheim - FigurerBy masterminding a project to model a coral reef armed only with crochet hooks, Margaret Wertheim hopes to bring some of the most complicated mathematical models embodied in our universe into the minds (and hands) of the masses.
Why you should listen
Snowflakes, fractals, the patterns on a leaf -- there's beauty to be found at the intersection of nature and physics, beauty and math. Science writer Margaret Wertheim (along with her twin sister, Christine) founded the Institute for Figuring to advance the aesthetic appreciation of scientific concepts, from the natural physics of snowflakes and fractals to human constructs such as Islamic mosaics, string figures and weaving.
The IFF's latest project is perhaps its most beguilingly strange -- a coral reef constructed entirely by crochet hook, a project that takes advantage of the happy congruence between the mathematical phenomena modeled perfectly by the creatures of the reef, and repetitive tasks such as crocheting -- which, as it turns out, is perfectly adapted to model hyperbolic space. It is easy to sink into the kaleidoscopic, dripping beauty of the yarn-modeled reef, but the aim of the reef project is twofold: to draw attention to distressed coral reefs around the world, dying in droves from changing ocean saline levels, overfishing, and a myriad of threats; and to display a flavor of math that was previously almost impossible to picture. By modeling these complex equations in physical space, this technique can help mathematicians see patterns and make breakthroughs.
Wertheim is now working on a book about maverick scientist James Carter.
Margaret Wertheim | Speaker | TED.com