universality

In this podcast we talk to Hugo Duminil-Copin, who tells us how his work in statistical physics brings together his two loves – maths and physics.

The second guiding principle in probability theory is more subtle – universality.

It has often been observed that mathematics is astonishingly effective as a tool for understanding the universe. But, asks Phil Wilson, why should this be? Is mathematics a universal truth, and how would we tell?