There are lots of unsolved mysteries in the world of math, and many of them start off with a deceptively simple premise, like: What's the biggest couch you can slide around a 90-degree corner? Chapters MOVING SOFA PROBLEM 0:35 MOSER'S...

A classic puzzle in graph theory, the "Utilities problem", a description of why it is unsolvable on a plane, and how it becomes solvable on surfaces with a different topology.

Your antivirus squad is up against a code that's hijacked your mainframe. What you've learned from other infected systems, right before they went dark, is that it likes to toy with antivirus agents in a very peculiar way— and you're the...

Here we break down Asymmetric crypto and more.

JoAnn Kuchera-Morin demos the AlloSphere, a new way to see, hear and interpret scientific data. Dive into the brain, feel electron spin, hear the music of the elements ... and detect previously unseen patterns that could lead to new...

We don’t know what happens to stuff when it gets sucked into a black hole, but in the same instance, we don’t know what happens to the black hole. There’s a possibility that sucked up stuff might actually give the black hole “quantum hair”.

This is episode 8 of our animated series "Think Like A Coder." This 10-episode narrative follows a girl, Ethic, and her robot companion, Hedge, as they attempt to save the world. The two embark on a quest to collect three artifacts and...

Born in 1731 to freed slaves on a farm in Baltimore, Benjamin Banneker was obsessed with math and science. And his appetite for knowledge only grew as he taught himself astronomy, mathematics, engineering, and the study of the natural...

Taylor series are extremely useful in engineering and math, but what are they? This video shows why they're useful, and how to make sense of the formula.

An introduction to what a derivative is, and how it formalizes an otherwise paradoxical idea.

An overview of what calculus is all about, with an emphasis on making it seem like something students could discover for themselves. The central example is that of rediscovering the formula for a circle's area, and how this is an...

This is episode 7 of our animated series "Think Like A Coder." This 10-episode narrative follows a girl, Ethic, and her robot companion, Hedge, as they attempt to save the world. The two embark on a quest to collect three artifacts and...

The introduction to a series on visualizing core ideas of linear algebra.

They call you the human cannonball. Your act involves flying through rings of fire, bouncing through a trampoline course, and catching the trapezist in the grand finale. Today's pre-flight test fails dramatically, and upon inspection,...

We may have found another interstellar asteroid and scientists have some new ideas about how Saturn's moons got their weird shapes.

We live in a world run by algorithms, computer programs that make decisions or solve problems for us. In this riveting, funny talk, Kevin Slavin shows how modern algorithms determine stock prices, espionage tactics, even the movies you...

Offering a vision of Afghanistan that goes beyond what's often depicted in the media, President Ashraf Ghani shares his thoughts on peacemaking, the true cost of war, the nation's COVID-19 response strategy and the sweeping economic and...

A classic puzzle in graph theory, the "Utilities problem", a description of why it is unsolvable on a plane, and how it becomes solvable on surfaces with a different topology.

From deep in the TED archive, Danny Hillis outlines an intriguing theory of how and why technological change seems to be accelerating, by linking it to the very evolution of life itself. The presentation techniques he uses may look...

The introduction to a series on visualizing core ideas of linear algebra.

In a talk that's part history lesson, part love letter to graphics, information designer Tommy McCall traces the centuries-long evolution of charts and diagrams -- and shows how complex data can be sculpted into beautiful shapes....

Accepting his 2008 TED Prize, physicist Neil Turok speaks out for talented young Africans starved of opportunity: by unlocking and nurturing the continent's creative potential, we can create a change in Africa's future.

Taylor series are extremely useful in engineering and math, but what are they? This video shows why they're useful, and how to make sense of the formula.

Hank introduces us to that great mathematical mind, Alan Turing, who, as an openly gay man in the early 20th century faced brutal prejudice that eventually led to his suicide, despite being a genius war hero who helped the Allies defeat...