I like “Numb3rs”. Not just the kind that let you do math, but also the TV show that attempts to popularize the life and minds of scientists. Centering on the stories of Charlie, a math prodigy and the youngest full faculty member at “CalPoly” (clearly modeled on CalTech), and his FBI agent brother, Don, the show explores crime and life through physics and math. Sure, it cuts corners, but it’s punchy and fun. It’s characatures of the math genius and the physics theorist/experimentalist are fun, and try to deviate from the stereotypes.
The best part is that you get to hear the word “baryogenesis” in Friday night TV. Last night, Charlie’s friend and mentor, Professor Larry Fleinhardt, refers to this term for the matter/antimatter asymmetry formed in the early universe, as he describes how chaotic and unpredictable his current relationship is. People always complain that it’s impossible to sell the science that my experiment, BaBar, does. I say that if you can marry relationships and the word “baryogenesis” in the same sentence, and give a one sentence expalanation of the latter, youre more than halfway there.
Thanks, Numb3rs.
