Hi, this week we've been exploring prime numbers.
We started with something simple. Arranging rocks
and noticing that some numbers do not fit into
rectangles. A low floor. Then from there, we
discovered these oddball numbers. The ones that
do not fit. They become the building blocks of
everything. Then we asked a very human question.
How many are there? And we found they never end.
From something simple to something infinite.
And even then, the story did not stop. Because
although primes are completely determined, they
do not look that way. They feel irregular, unpredictable.
We can estimate where they are, but we cannot
fully see the pattern. Even today. After thousands
of years of study, there is still more we do
not understand. Yes, a high ceiling. But maybe
this is the point. Maybe prime numbers are not
just something in mathematics. Maybe they are
a picture of what mathematics is. Something simple
enough to begin, deep enough to explore for a
lifetime, full of structure. and surprise. Like
the Mona Lisa. At one level, it's just a painting.
And yet, the more you look, the more you see.
Mathematics can be like that. Not just a tool
to get answers, but something to encounter, something
to explore, something to wonder about. In a sense,
mathematics is not in a hurry. It's more like
a cathedral. Built over time by generations of
amazing thinkers. Once an idea is grounded in
truth, it becomes part of the structure. And
from there, new ideas are built. And this week
we've already seen one of those ideas. Infinity.
When we discovered that prime numbers never end,
we stepped into something. Without a boundary.
But that's just the beginning. Because infinity
is not just part of prime numbers. It is part
of the structure of mathematics itself. Another
vast room in this cathedral. And next week, we'll
begin to explore it. So when you think about
prime numbers, you're not thinking alone. You're
stepping into a stream of thought that stretches
across time. From ancient markings on a bone,
to mathematicians like Euclid and Riemann, to
anyone who has ever paused to wonder. To me,
in a world that feels divided, this is something
we share. The same questions, the same curiosity,
the same sense of wonder. Yes, to me, there's
something hopeful in that. So here's a few questions
to wrap up our week. What is math to you? Is
it just a set of problems to solve? Or is it
an invitation? An invitation to notice patterns,
to ask questions, to discover something real
and beautiful that was there before you arrived.
This week, we've only taken a few steps. But
maybe that's enough to see that math is not just
something we use, but something we can enter.
What I saw this week is that truth is not just
something we learn. It is something we can be
drawn into, something beautiful, something worth
exploring. So as you move forward, keep that
invitation in mind to explore, to notice, to
wonder. and to see just how far it can take you.
This is Intersecting Us.