## Holiday viewing

In lieu of the regular quotation supply, here are links to a couple of videos that might provide a stimulating alternative to the Boxing Day movie schedule. Both are from iconic scientific/cultural figures who tend to divide opinion rather strongly; both, with any luck, might give you something to ponder that’s a bit more interesting than exam revision.

The Relation of Mathematics and Physics. Footage of a classic lecture by the physicist Richard Feynman, delivered at Cornell University in 1964, in which he gives a physicist’s perspective on mathematical explanations and why they can’t necessarily be translated into non-mathematical terms. (The picture and sound quality aren’t great, but it’s worth persevering with.)

The Purpose of Education. The linguistician and public intellectual Noam Chomsky sets out his views on the difference between education and indoctrination, and related matters. Only 20 minutes or so in total, which by Chomsky’s standards is practically a soundbite…

Happy viewing, and DoF will — with any luck — return in $3\times11\times61$.

(DP)