Person
Every book Sarah Hart recommended on podcasts
Sarah Hart appeared on People I (Mostly) Admire to discuss the fascinating intersections between mathematics and literature, sharing insights from her own academic research and reading life. Hart recalled how Roger Penrose's book The Emperor's New Mind profoundly blew her mind as a teenager by introducing her to theoretical computers called Turing machines. She also discussed her academic paper exploring the hidden mathematics found within Herman Melville's classic Moby Dick. To demonstrate how mathematical structures manifest in creative writing, Hart highlighted Eleanor Catton's award-winning novel The Luminaries, noting its underlying mathematical structure based on geometric progression, and mentioned Georges Perec's constraint-driven novel La Disparition, which completely avoids the letter e. Furthermore, Hart examined Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass, explaining how the sequel's entire narrative is structured around a game of chess, and referenced the Harry Potter series to playfully discuss the square-cube law and how giant spiders would require magic to defy the laws of physics.
Books recommended by Sarah Hart
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
J.K.
Discussed“the giant spiders that are in Harry Potter for instance as a mathematician yes I concur that there must be magic going on”
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La Disparition
Discussed“but the most famous One probably is George pereck who wrote a whole novel called la disparicion which doesn't contain a single letter e”
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Moby Dick
Moby Dick by Herman Melville is a classic American novel that follows Captain Ahab's obsessive, self-destructive quest to hunt down the white sperm whale that maimed him.
Discussed“I'm getting there. I wrote an academic paper actually about the mathematics in Moby Dick, and that came out in 2021.”
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The Emperor's New Mind
The Emperor's New Mind by Roger Penrose is a groundbreaking exploration of physics, artificial intelligence, and the nature of human consciousness by the celebrated mathematical physicist.
Discussed“His book—I don't know if it's the same book we both read, *The Emperor's New Mind*? Yes, exactly, that's the book that blew my mind as a teenager. By that point, I already liked math, but he talked about these things called Turing machines, which are theoretical computers.”
Where to get it
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The Luminaries
Eleanor Catton's expansive historical novel The Luminaries is a sprawling story set in 1866 New Zealand during the height of the gold rush period, noted for its intricate plotting and connection to astrology.
Discussed“I'll give you an example of a book there's a book called The Luminaries by Eleanor catton uh won the book of prize in 2013 and that book has a mathematical structure underneath it”
Where to get it
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Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll is a classic Victorian children's novel and the celebrated sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, featuring a narrative structured around a game of chess.
Discussed“he hides it in some of the patterns in Alice in Wonderland and in through the Looking Glass and then games Alice in Wonderland is based on cards there's the queen of hearts and those things Through the Looking Glass the sequel is based on chess”
Where to get it
Books Sarah Hart wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49. Mathematician Sarah Hart on Why Numbers are Music to Our Ears | People I (Mostly) Admire | People I (Mostly) Admire | 2024-04-04 | 1 |
| 104. The Joy of Math With Sarah Hart | People I (Mostly) Admire | 2023-04-29 | 5 |