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Adventure IV · 5 episodes

Facing Infinity

What a three-pound brain can understand about the universe

What can a lump of matter understand… about the infinity it is made of?

Start the adventure
  • about 60 min
  • Not started yet
  • Mathematics · Physics · Astronomy · Philosophy
Photograph: Earth, blue and white and half lit, rises above the gray horizon of the Moon, against the black of space.
NASA/William Anders · Public domain

In this adventure…

  • You will fit infinitely many guests into a full hotel.
  • You will see light take two paths at once.
  • You will measure how long your inner second lasts.
  • You will see yourself from 3.7 billion miles away.

What’s inside: 5 episodes with experiments, 3 episodes with bets, 2 episodes to listen to, 1 episode with films.

The episodes

  1. The Infinite HotelAre there more whole numbers than even numbers?There are several infinities, and some are bigger than others. Some questions about them will never have an answer. 12 min
    • Experiments
    • Bets
  2. Light That HesitatesGrains of light facing two slits. Where do they land?A grain of light takes two paths at once, as long as nobody is looking. 11 min
    • Experiments
    • Bets
  3. Elastic TimeCount ten seconds in your head. We are timing you.Your inner clock cheats, and so does the universe’s. 13 min
    • Experiments
    • Bets
  4. The Pale Blue DotHere is a photo. Find Earth in it.From 3.7 billion miles away, all of human history fits in a single pixel. 12 min
    • Experiments
    • Sounds
    • Films
  5. Who Is There?Close your eyes. Look for the one who is thinking.The last mystery lies a few inches behind your eyes. And the last subject of this journey is you. 12 min
    • Experiments
    • Sounds

You will meet

  • Old photograph of a bearded man in a suit.Georg Cantor1845 – 1918
  • Old photograph of a man with a goatee, wearing a hat.David Hilbert1862 – 1943
  • Black-and-white photograph of a man with tousled hair and a mustache, in a suit.Albert Einstein1879 – 1955
  • Black-and-white photograph: Marie Curie, her gray hair pinned up, looks solemnly at the camera.Marie Curie1867 – 1934
  • MSMichel Siffre1939 – 2024
  • Black-and-white photograph: Carl Sagan speaks from behind a lectern, his hand reaching out toward the audience.Carl Sagan1934 – 1996
  • Painted portrait: David Hume, with a round face and a powdered wig, in a red coat embroidered with gold.David Hume1711 – 1776

The whole journey