Oct 19, 2026 · 22 min · 14 segments
Wonder whether AI solved one of math's hardest problems in this gentle sleep story. Soothing narration and calming reflections guide you toward peaceful, restful slumber. Let your mind drift slowly…
Mordecai-Mark Mac LowGuest
Neil deGrasse TysonHostWe have a set of mathematical equations called the Navier-Stokes equations.
[laughs] They wrote down a set of equations which have stood the test of time.
We still use them today, but they could not prove that these equations would never blow up, that you would not get regions where the equations would predict a value of the fluid speed that reached infinity.
... because mathematically, sure, an equation can asymptote to infinity.
But in a physical system, that suggests that your equation is going to need an, it- it's an approximation that needs an additional approximation t- to come close to reality.
So when you first learn physics, you learn about equ- Newton's laws of motion.
We have a set of mathematical equations called the Navier-Stokes equations.
[laughs] They wrote down a set of equations which have stood the test of time.
We still use them today, but they could not prove that these equations would never blow up, that you would not get regions where the equations would predict a value of the fluid speed that reached infinity.
... because mathematically, sure, an equation can asymptote to infinity.
But in a physical system, that suggests that your equation is going to need an, it- it's an approximation that needs an additional approximation t- to come close to reality.
So when you first learn physics, you learn about equ- Newton's laws of motion.
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