‘The Universe Speaks in Numbers’ – Interview 12

ROBBERT DIJKGRAAF

The Dutchman Robbert Dijkgraaf is a rarity – not only is he a top-class mathematical physicist, he is also one of the world’s finest science communicators. In this bracing interview with Graham, Dijkgraaf lucidly describes the state of modern fundamental physics and the continually surprising – and extraordinarily productive – symbiosis between this science and modern mathematics. As Graham says: ‘Robbert gives us a real tour de force.’

This is one of twenty interviews given by world-class experts to Graham on the themes he explores in his new book The Universe Speaks in Numbers. A new interview is posted every week.

Among the other interviewees are Michael Atiyah, Ruth Britto, Simon Donaldson, Freeman Dyson, Juan Maldacena, Michela Massimi, Roger Penrose, Martin Rees, Simon Schaffer, Lenny Susskind and Edward Witten.

Posted in News, Universe Speaks in Numbers

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Graham Farmelo

science writer, commentator, consultant

What Reviewers Are Saying

Guardian

'In this fascinating and elegantly written book ... Farmelo has offered a thoughtful, well-informed reply to those who believe the quest for mathematical beauty has led theoretical physicists into adopting sterile, ultra-mathematical approaches divorced from reality.'
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Wall Street Journal

'Farmelo tells the story of the convergence [of mathematics and physics] with a keen eye for anecdotes, and the excitement of an eye-witness to an intellectual revolution.'
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Prospect

'A bird's-eye view of the panorama of modern physics … as authoritative as it is fascinating'.
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Physics World

'Farmelo is an authoritative, reliable and trusted guide... With a firm hand at the tiller, he cuts through the theoretical murky waters with panache.'
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Times Higher

'Farmelo has succeeded in writing a book for the general reader that gives insights into the motivation behind a theory developed by many of today’s leading thinkers. His book provides as clear an account of the subject as I can imagine for a non-specialist reader.'
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Forbes

'If you like reading about math without having to do math, this is a stellar book.' Ethan Siegel.
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London Mathematical Society

'Graham Farmelo has opened my eyes to the world of theoretical physics … fascinating and thought-provoking' Noel-Ann Bradsaw.
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Nature

'Farmelo leads us through [the brilliant successes of the mathematical approach to physics] adeptly, with a mixture of contemporary accounts and scientific insight.'
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Nature Physics

'Entertaining and written with contagious enthusiasm and could almost be described as a page-turner.'
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Science

'.... an excellent historical section [covers] Newton to the 1970s'
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Irish Times

'Farmelo deftly retraces the growing realisation that maths can unlock understanding of real phenomena … provides a rich history of this interplay, along with a well-informed account of how it has worked in recent decades.'
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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

'Farmelo shows that theoretical physics and pure mathematics thrive best together.'
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CERN courier

'... provides a historical tour de force of the relationship between mathematics and physics, and their tightly correlated evolution'
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Literary Review

'A rich survey of the growing connections between pure mathematics and fundamental physics... Farmelo has worked in some of the world's most prestigious research centres and spoken to many leading theorists... rewarding.'
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Irish Tech Review

'This enjoyable and important book [helps] put together a big picture overview of where we have come from so far, why it took so long for us to progress, and where we might be heading... Read it!'
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de Volkskrant

'The Universe Speaks in Numbers reads like a strong response to the popular pessimism of Sabine Hossenfelder.… The universe simply speaks in numbers and it requires a mathematically trained ear to understand what it is telling us.'
Read the full review (In Dutch)
Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal, Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge

'A superbly written, riveting book. In elegant prose, and using virtually no equations, Farmelo describes the ongoing quest of great thinkers to understand the bedrock nature of reality, from the microworld to the cosmos.'
Nima Arkani-Hamed, Professor, Institute of Advanced Study, Princeton and winner of the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, 2012

'This masterful book gives us, for the first time, a behind-the-scenes look at how physicists and mathematicians, driven by their pursuit of ultimate Truth, have been drawn into common territory by mysterious intellectual forces seemingly beyond their control. A riveting account of one of the greatest stories of our time.'
Tom Stoppard

'A wonderful book'
Robbert Dijkgraaf

'A masterful exposition of the most productive relationship in all of science—the rich and rewarding interaction between physics and mathematics—with all its historical ups and downs, up to the frontiers of current research.'

Robbert Dijkgraaf, Director and Leon Levy Professor, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton.
Roger Highfield, Director of External Affairs at the Science Museum, London

'Crisply-written, entertaining and extraordinarily well-informed. The most popular and elegant theories of what makes the cosmos tick are becoming harder - even impossible - to test directly but Farmelo argues in this tour de force that they’re still taking us deep into the mathematical heart of reality.'
Jacob Bourjaily, Associate Professor of Physics, Niels Bohr International Academy, Copenhagen University

'Farmelo expertly narrates the history of the dynamic dance between mathematics and theoretical physics, from Newton to Einstein to string theory and beyond. This book will be a must-read for anyone interested in either subject's history or present for many years ahead.'
Jeremy Gray, Emeritus Professor at the Open University and an Honorary Professor in the Mathematics Institute of the University of Warwick

'This fascinating, splendidly readable, extensively researched, and remarkably up-to-date book takes readers from the days of Newton to the forefront of modern theoretical physics and shows how current research has reshaped the fields of physics and mathematics to the enrichment of both.'
Thony Christie, Historian of Science and Blogger @rmathematicus

'excellently researched ... and very elegantly written. Despite the density of the material he is dealing with, his prose is light and often witty... I would certainly recommend this book to anybody interested in the developments in modern theoretical physics.'
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Michael Frayn

'I am overcome with admiration for its range and profundity. An amazing achievement.'
Chris Quigg, Fermilab

'Excellent science reading - a coherent and insightful account of the aesthetic science approach to understanding the universe'

The Universe Speaks in Numbers

'Fascinating and elegantly written' Manjit Kumar

'…An amazing achievement' Michael Frayn

'Superbly written, riveting' Martin Rees

'Masterful, riveting' Nima Arkani-Hamed

'A wonderful book' Tom Stoppard

'Brilliant book' @marcuschown

'Fascinating and thought-provoking' London Mathematical Society

'Entertaining' Nature Physics

'I am overcome with admiration for its range and profundity' Michael Frayn

'A must-read for physicists and mathematicians' Jacob Bourjaily

'A tour de force' David Forfar
Clerk Maxwell Foundation

'Excellent' Chris Quigg
Fermilab

'Really wonderful' Terry Crews
People Magazine

'Enjoyable and important ... Read it!' Simon Cocking

The Strangest Man

The hidden life of PAUL DIRAC, quantum genius

'Enthralling' New Scientist

'... gave me the intensest pleasure' @stephenfry

'wonderful and sensitive' Oliver Sacks

LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE WINNER 2009

'A major achievement' Peter Higgs
The Times

'Farmelo does Dirac proud' Martin Rees

Churchill's Bomb

a hidden story of science, politics and war

'This terrific book' Lawrence Freedman
Foreign Affairs

'Superbly readable' Max Hastings
Sunday Times

'As good as The Strangest Man' Daily Telegraph

'Superbly informative' Antoine Capet

'Terrific' Michael Frayn

'Remarkable and important' Claire Tomalin

'What a fantastic, compelling book!' Sir Michael Berry

'This dazzling book' Piers Brendon
Guardian

'the best thing I've read this year' Lisa Jardine

'Enthralling' Norman Dombey
Contemporary
Physics

'Entertaining' Physics Today

'Very fine' Peter Forbes
Independent

'Superbly written' Paul Addison
Literary Review

'Engrossing' Nicholas Mancusi
Daily Beast

'Splendid and original' Bill Purdue
THS

'Fresh & compelling ... a page-turner' The Scotsman

'A fine work' Nicholas Sambaluk
West Point

Graham Farmelo

‘The Universe Speaks in Numbers’ – Interview 12

ROBBERT DIJKGRAAF

‘The Universe Speaks in Numbers’ – Interview 11

‘The Universe Speaks in Numbers’ – Interview 13