Harvey Mudd College is always trying to introduce opportunities to hear about the wonders of science and mathematics from various individuals in different fields of study. The Mathematics Department hosts lectures as part of something called the "Moody Lecture Series" once a semester. Tonight, a man named Jonathan Rogness, from the University of Minnesota was talking about a video he co-created about Mobius Transformations which became a reasonably popular video on YouTube (considering that it is discussing complex mathematics) with over 1.7 million views.
You can watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX3VmDgiFnY
The lecture itself was very interesting. Rogness spent the end of the lecture discussing the mathematics of Modius Transformations, and some of the complexities of creating the video itself. Rogness and his colleague chose to create the video for a competition searching for visualizations of science and mathematics in a way that can be appealing to the general public. He also chose to post the video on YouTube, primarily as a way to share the link with friends and colleagues.
At some point, the video received the attention of not just the mathematically inclined, but the general population. The beginning of Rogness' presentation discussed the response, and the shift of attention achieved by the video. He mentions how the very first comments are by those who understand mathematics, and were sharing their appreciation for the video. But as it became more popular, Rogness highlights the change in the comments - from mathematical appreciation to the general wonder of those who cannot understand, but still appreciated the outcome.
Rogness had a great presentation and was a very interesting speaker. I think that one of the best parts about his presentation, was the fact that he seemed to share the general wonder for the mathematics itself - it was something that he was deeply interested in, and this could show in his presentation of the topic.
It was very interesting, and I am glad that I was able to attend the lecture.
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