Toy Models

Do you want to come see some toys? "Toy" here has a special sense: an object of everyday life which can be found or made in minutes, yet which, if played with imaginatively, reveals a behavior that sets mathematicians and physicists thinking for days. In this show, Tadashi will perform table-top demos of several such toys and explore the mathematics and physics that open up from them. Some of the toys will be well known but revisited afresh, some will be original, and all will be, it is hoped, entertaining. The talk is held in conjunction with the Program for Women and Mathematics, sponsored by the Institute and Princeton University, with support from the National Science Foundation.