Was zero invented or discovered? When and how? By whom? In "The Origin of Zero" -- an article published in 2009 in in Scientific American -- John Matson introduces an interesting history of zero (something vs. nothing and so on...). Recently through the Splendid Wake poetry project (with an open-to-all meeting on Friday March 21 -- go here for details) I have connected with Washington DC poet William Rivera who has shared with me this poem that also examines the puzzle of the somethingness of nothing.
Nothing Changes Everything by William Rivera
Showing posts with label black hole. Show all posts
Showing posts with label black hole. Show all posts
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Making something of nothing
Labels:
atom,
black hole,
discover,
invent,
nothing,
recycling,
Splendid Wake,
universe,
William Rivera,
X,
zero
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Mathematics and Mexican Food
Recently Rattle posted a wonderful mathy poem by Diana Rosen entitled "Mathematics and Molé." Here's the first stanza:
Mathematics and Molé by Diana Rosen
Numbers flicker in front of my eyes as
I give him my full attention.
Differential geometry explains the black hole, he says.
It’s very obvious.
I lean forward to catch his words,
my chin in cupped hand,
eyes intent on his, yet
thinking of Mexican food.
Mathematics is the language of science, he says.
. . .
Rozen's complete poem is here.
Mathematics and Molé by Diana Rosen
Numbers flicker in front of my eyes as
I give him my full attention.
Differential geometry explains the black hole, he says.
It’s very obvious.
I lean forward to catch his words,
my chin in cupped hand,
eyes intent on his, yet
thinking of Mexican food.
Mathematics is the language of science, he says.
. . .
Rozen's complete poem is here.
Labels:
black hole,
Diana Rosen,
differential geometry,
language,
mathematics,
numbers,
poem,
Rattle
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