Amie Wilkinson Sees the Dynamic Chaos in Puff Pastry
Summary
Host Steve Strogatz interviews pure mathematician Amy Wilkinson to explore the abstract world of dynamical systems and chaos theory. Using the metaphor of making puff pastry, they illustrate how simple, deterministic rules like stretching and folding create complex, unpredictable patterns over time. The conversation also covers Wilkinson’s early mathematical inspirations, her experiences as a woman in academia, and her work on "pathological foliations," which visualizes the intricate geometry underlying chaotic motion.
Topics discussed
Introduction: Pure vs. Applied Dynamics
Amy Wilkinson's focus on chaos and geometry
Early math education and Montessori number chains
Math as building imaginary worlds
Challenges as a woman in 1980s Harvard math
Debunking the 'pyramid' of academic merit
Struggles with abstract algebra and group theory
Explaining groups as moves and symmetry
Sponsor break: Quanta Magazine
Defining dynamical systems and state spaces
Long-term stability and the solar system
Puff pastry as a model for chaotic folding
Hyperbolicity, stretching, and chaos
Partial hyperbolicity and the 'sloppy' third direction
Mixing via slight deviations in rolling
Pathological foliations and mathematical hair
Outro and credits
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