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Nicolas Bourbaki

Episode 10 of 10

Marcus du Sautoy argues that mathematics is the driving force behind modern science: mathematical secrets of Nicholas Bourbaki.

This ten part history of mathematics from Newton to the present day, reveals the personalities behind the calculations: the passions and rivalries of mathematicians struggling to get their ideas heard. Professor Marcus du Sautoy shows how these masters of abstraction find a role in the real world and proves that mathematics is the driving force behind modern science.

Today, the mathematician that never was, Nicolas Bourbaki. A group of French mathematicians, working between the two world wars and writing under the pseudonym Nicolas Bourbaki transformed their discipline and paved the way for several mathematical breakthroughs in the 21st century.

Producer: Anna Buckley

From 2010.

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15 minutes

Last on

Sat 24 Aug 201902:15
BBC Radio 4 Extra

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Broadcasts

  • Fri 25 Jun 201015:45
    BBC Radio 4
  • Fri 1 Oct 201023:45
    BBC Radio 4
  • Fri 14 Feb 201413:45
    BBC Radio 4
  • Fri 23 Aug 201914:15
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Sat 24 Aug 201902:15
    BBC Radio 4 Extra

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