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How the Subjective Side of Math Can Save Our Communities | Luther Palmer | TEDxDayton


One of the beauties of math is its objectivity. As Luther’s mother used to say, “One plus one is always two regardless of your skin color or what part of town you’re from.” But there’s more to math than that. In this talk, a lifelong self-professed math addict explains why the context in which math is done matters as much as the answer it provides. Unfortunately, the more a person enjoys math, the less likely they are to think about the context and problems to which their math skills will be applied. “Math is objective in its doing, but it’s anything but objective in its using.” Luther Palmer, Ph.D. has dedicated his life to spreading the good news about the transformative and life-saving power of Mathematics and Science. As a minister of Math, Dr. Palmer truly believes that no one has wandered too far away from Math to reconnect with its beauty and promise. Dr. Palmer’s current mission field is the Electrical Engineering Department at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, where he is a professor and robotics researcher. He is a constant crusader for the utility of Math and Science in our everyday lives and enjoys engaging with the young and old about what this can look like. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx 


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