Life By the Numbers

Today, we are able to appreciate Modern Art (i.e., pictures of religious figures smeared with excrement or submerged in bodily fluids) thanks to both the First Amendment and a nifty little Renaissance discovery known as "perspective." Although I'm being somewhat sarcastic about Modern Art (much of which is puerile and eminently forgettable), the use of "perspective"--a clever bit of geometrical sleight of eye--not only transformed the art world, it also appears today in such diverse modern pastimes as riding motion simulators and studying computer-designed hypercubes. Hosted and narrated by Danny Glover, Life By the Numbers, a PBS-aired look at how numbers reside in everything we see and do, opens with a look at the world of special effects in the first volume, Seeing Is Believing. Viewers will watch special effects wiz Doug Trumbull work on a motion simulator ride, Donna Cox map out galaxies on a computer for an IMAX film, and Marcos Novak as he explores his own creation: a virtual world built on a foundation of mathematical concepts. Underwritten by the National Science Foundation, among others, this WQED-produced series is an excellent overview of the prevalence (and relevance) of mathematics in our everyday lives that is sure to be appreciated by students and general viewers alike. The other six titles in the series are: The Numbers Game (sports), Patterns of Nature (biology), Chances of a Lifetime (probability), Shape of the New World (exploration), A New Age (information age) and Making a Difference (education). Highly recommended. Aud: J, H, P. (R. Pitman)