Turning a Sphere Inside Out

Jan 1, 1979

0h 22m

★ 0.0

Unfolding the impossible: turning a sphere inside out, without a single crease.

Overview

This video is about the problem of turning a sphere inside out, by passing the surface through itself, without making any holes or creases. Mathematicians believed the problem to be unsolvable until 1958, when Stephen Smale proved otherwise. The motion of turning a sphere inside out, called a regular homotopy, is extremely difficult to visualize. The homotopy in this film was developed by Bernard Morin, a blind mathematician. The motion is illustrated with a sequence of chicken-wire models, built by Charles Pugh, showing the crucial stages in the motion. Commentary is provided by mathematicians Nelson L. Max, Stephen Smale, and Charles Pugh, and by physicist Judith Bregmann.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

The Topology Films Project

Case Western Reserve University

Education Development Center (E/D/C)

International Film Bureau

Turning a Sphere Inside Out Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Self

Nelson Max

Self

Stephen Smale

Self

Charles Pugh

Self

Judith Bregman

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Turning a Sphere Inside Out

Overview

Genres

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Turning a Sphere Inside Out Trailers