Math Encounters — Online:

"Life in Curved Space: From Magnifying Glasses to General Relativity"
with Steve Trettel

Wednesday, January 6 at 7:00 pm ET (New York)

Light endeavors to take the most efficient path between any two points, but matter or geometry can cause this path to bend.  What would life be like in curved space?  Join Steve Trettel, Szego Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Stanford University, as he identifies some telltale signs of curvature in the real world — including spooky ring-like mirages appearing in images from the Hubble Space Telescope — and takes us on a geometrical adventure that leads us to Einstein's great insight: that gravity is not a force, but just a consequence of living in a curved world.

Special introduction by Dr. Richard Schwartz, Chancellor's Professor of Mathematics, Brown University.

Fancy a hands-on experience?  Up the presentation's interactivity with any/all of the following:

• A small mirror
• A magnifying glass
• A clear glass of water, and a straw or pencil

This is a live-streamed event.  Occasional video recordings are made available for a fee at videos.momath.org.

This page is for the 7:00 pm ET (New York) session.  Click here to register for the 4:00 pm ET (New York) session instead.

By registering for a Math Encounters presentation, you agree that you may be photographed or videotaped by Museum staff and associates.

Math Encounters is MoMath's popular free public presentation series celebrating the spectacular world of mathematics, produced with support from the Simons Foundation.

For further information, call the National Museum of Mathematics at 212-542-0566 or email mathencounters@momath.org.

Please check our online shop for books by Math Encounters presenters.