Science & Technology Q&A for Kids & Others:
Science & Technology Q&A for Kids (and others) [Episode 161] »
1 hour 13 minutes
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Stephen Wolfram Livestreams
Science & Technology Q&A for Kids & Others (161 videos)
Weekly ask-me-anything about science & technology
Science & Technology Q&A for Kids & Others:
Science & Technology Q&A for Kids (and others) [Episode 160] »
1 hour 25 minutes
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Science & Technology Q&A for Kids & Others:
Science & Technology Q&A for Kids (and others) [Episode 159] »
1 hour 13 minutes
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Science & Technology Q&A for Kids & Others:
Science & Technology Q&A for Kids (and others) [Episode 158] »
1 hour 29 minutes
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Books have been relatively unchanged—would you say that's a "technology" that has been mastered?
My son asks: Given there's a max amount of information you can store in a given region of space, how can we simulate complex systems (like brains or universes) without exceeding physical limits?
We're taught science discovers truth through observation and experiment. But in practice, I see science building mathematical models that work—sometimes treated as exact reality. How do you, as a scientist, separate calculation tools from physical truth in your actual work? Where does experience draw that line?
What lessons can we learn from the evolution of flight? Beyond the mechanics, Dawkins reflects In the book Flights of Fancy on the broader implications of flight evolution, considering what it reveals about natural selection, adaptation and the interconnectedness of life.
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Science & Technology Q&A for Kids & Others:
Science & Technology Q&A for Kids (and others) [Episode 157] »
1 hour 25 minutes
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How would you, Stephen Wolfram, think about replacing textbooks in education? What are some better tools for the classroom?
Can you teach us how to be scientists? What's the first step?
Intellectual curiosity is required to be a good scientist. And moral character, to stand by what you find, even if controversial.
If you can explain it in simple terms, you understand it.
I wanted to be a scientist as a kid, but I was actively discouraged from doing that. What would you tell to a kid to encourage them?
How will new technology and especially GenAI change our education, and what role should parents play during this crucial transition?
Do you think it would be [good] to make some infrastructures to think more creatively, e.g. logging your thoughts and trying to dissect your mental models, etc.?
In my experience, the kids that should become scientists start asking, "How do we know that?" early on. And for most adults (especially teachers!), that is the hardest question.
I heard that physicists still don't understand how friction works. Is that true?
How would you answer where this universe gets its "expanding substance" from?
Would you be open to the possibility of other mathematics than the one we use now? Would be happy to hear your thoughts on this subject.
Do you think that the emergence of AI in our lives marks the end of curiosity, or the beginning of an era where curiosity will grow even greater because it will be satisfied?
What effect do you think wide-scale adoption of LLMs will have on the boundary of the knowable?
How do you feel about integrating 3D models, animations, AI... overall media, to learning science? For example, having as output a 3D model and animation of flight path instead of just numbers and plain text on paper?
How would you think about encryption in the age of AI and LLMs? It seems like they would be able to pick up the patterns with ease once exposed.
Is it possible to build a compact mechanical SHA256 encryption device that will be resistant to solar flares?
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Science & Technology Q&A for Kids & Others:
Science & Technology Q&A for Kids (and others) [Episode 156] »
1 hour 22 minutes
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Can you talk about lambda calculus?
Any thoughts on numerology?
My current favorite approximation to a constant (e, in this case) is (1 + 9^-4^(7*6))^3^2^85, which uses each of the digits 1–9 only once and is accurate to 18 septillion digits. Atmospheric noise is about as random as we can get, I think.
How does IBM Watson AI stand against modern LLMs?
Would the LLM have the same reaction time to compete and press the buzzer as humans? Is it possible someday we may predict the weather years in advance?
Well then, is weather a good random sequence?
How do you calculate wind speed if wind is just a pressure difference?
If the Earth started rotating in reverse, would that have an effect on weather?
What would it take to stabilize the weather (like using wind farms in reverse or controlling ground albedo or atmosphere composition) so that we know it exactly?
Can the Earth's tilt ever be affected? What kind of changes would this cause?
There is a rather large difference between what the ideal climate would be and what changes will mean trouble for us, given our current infrastructure.
Even the weather can't agree on what the weather should be.
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