Until recently geometry was 'cold', incapable of describing the irregular shape of a cloud, the slope of a mountain or the beauty of the human body. With fractal geometry, Benoit Mandelbrot gave us a language for our natural world. In this captivating documentary, the man himself explains this groundbreaking discovery.
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Comment j'ai détesté les maths (2013)
What is striking when you talk with mathematicians is that sparkle in their eyes, and their sudden joyful voice trying to share with you a concept, a theory. They continuously use words such as invention, beauty, freedom. You then ask yourself : how such a rich language, this quasi-philosophical proposition about the world becomes rejected by a majority, 'the only discipline where one prides itself to be bad at it'!
The Joy of Data (2016)
A witty and mind-expanding exploration of data, with mathematician Dr Hannah Fry. This high-tech romp reveals what data is and how it is captured, stored, shared and made sense of. Fry tells the story of the engineers of the data age, people most of us have never heard of despite the fact they brought about a technological and philosophical revolution.
Newton: The Dark Heretic (2003)
A BBC documentary uncovers, for the first time, the original manuscript where Newton forecast the date of the end of the world. Newton, the father of modern mathematics, dedicated a large part of his life to a quest to decode the Bible which he believed to be the word of God. For over 50 years, he studied the Bible trying to unravel God's secret laws of the Universe. He was fanatical in his quest to discover the date for the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world. Scholars have spent years trying to unravel Newton's writings on the Book of Revelation to establish when he thought the apocalypse was coming.
The Joy of Chance (2012)
How can you maximize your chances of living until you’re 100? Why do many of us experience spooky coincidences? Should I take an umbrella? Professor David Spiegelhalter tries to pin down what chance is as he explores the mysteries of probability. In this compelling, funny BBC science documentary he tells the story of how we discovered the way chance works. But can we ever make chance work for us?
Metamorphose: M.C. Escher, 1898-1972 (1999)
A documentary about the life and works of the artist M. C. Escher. Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) usually referred to as M. C. Escher, was a Dutch graphic artist. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints. These feature impossible constructions, explorations of infinity, architecture, and tessellations.
Theory of Sets (1991)
Made entirely on Roger Wagner's HyperStudio software, Chris Marker explores set theory, using Noah's Ark as an example.
The Story of 1 (2005)
A humor-inflected history of the of the number one, covering military applications in ancient Rome, the measurement of distances in India, and the decimal system created by Leibnitz.
Is God a Number? (1999)
This documentary explores whether we can use mathematics to describe the observable universe in order to reveal the potential connection to the mysteries of consciousness.
Dimensions (NaN)
Nine chapters, two hours of maths, that take you gradually up to the fourth dimension. Mathematical vertigo guaranteed!
Four-Point Conics (1961)
An experimental mathematics film designed to elucidate the study of four-line conics.
Girls Who Fell in Love with Math (2017)
The story of two girls, Alice Zhang and Fan Chung Graham, who grew up together in Taiwan in the 60s and dreamt of pursuing math.
Outlier: the story of Katherine Johnson (2019)
Documentary about an African-American girl who grows up to help NASA put astronauts into space and bring them home safely. She was one of the main characters in the movie, "Hidden Figures." Includes interview with Johnson.
Great Pyramid K 2019 (2019)
Today we cut the granite with diamond-cut blade as is one of the most difficult rocks to cut due to its hardness.How could the egyptians, if it was them, have achieved those shapes in the sculpture sphinx of Sénousret made of Migmatite material, which is harder than granite? What was that extraordinary tool that made this possible? This example is what disputes all the official theories of egyptology. Dozen of questions now arise. Did the egyptians really have an advance technology that was losted over time? The answer is in this movie.Lucky is to understand that in 2019, we have a chance to learn how the Great Pyramid was built, who built it, and what its hidden behind it. Let yourself go and come discover the biggest mystery of humanity, the New Great Story!
Beautiful Young Minds (2007)
This BAFTA nominated documentary tells the story of some of the brightest mathematical brains of a generation. Each year, exceptionally gifted teenagers from over 90 countries compete for medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad. The film follows a group of brilliant teenagers as they battle it out to become the chosen six selected to represent the UK.
Counting from Infinity: Yitang Zhang and the Twin Prime Conjecture (2015)
In April 2013, a lecturer at the University of New Hampshire submitted a paper to the Annals of Mathematics. Within weeks word spread: a little-known mathematician, with no permanent job, working in complete isolation, had made an important breakthrough toward solving the Twin Prime Conjecture. Yitang Zhang's techniques for bounding the gaps between primes soon led to rapid progress by the Polymath Group, and a further innovation by James Maynard.
The Standard Deviants: The Adventurous World of College Algebra, Part 2 (2004)
This DVD dives into the advanced principles of Algebra. The Standard Deviants tour of the world of algebra continues with complete coverage of quadratic equations, quadratic roots and factors, and higher order polynomials. Suitable for all ages, Algebra Part 2 clearly presents these principles in a fun and approachable manner. A completely stand-alone video! Part 1 is not required.
Standard Deviants School: Trigonometry, Module 1 - The Basics (2008)
The Standard Deviants serve-up all sorts of useful trig vocabulary. Get your fill of degree and radian measurements, and a sampler platter of right triangle trigonometry.
Miyamoto and the Machine: The Story of KenKen (2020)
Ten years ago, Tetsuya Miyamoto had a dream to change the world through puzzles. In his classroom in Yokohama, KenKen was born. Enter a world where puzzles matter. From Tokyo to New York, from the classroom to the puzzle page to the tournament floor, Miyamoto and the Machine takes you into the brain of the inventor and the players, all while the machines of business and technology crash into artistry and humanity. Miyamoto believes each handcrafted puzzle tells a story, and if you look hard enough between the rows, columns, and cages of KenKen, you can find the story of the sensei who started a global phenomenon.