Skip to main content
The Great Math Mystery

Up Next

Arctic Ghost Ship

Arctic Ghost Ship

Season 42 Episode 16
53:37
Making North America: Origins

Making North America: Origins

Season 42 Episode 20
53:35
Making North America: Life

Making North America: Life

Season 42 Episode 21
53:35
Making North America: Human

Making North America: Human

Season 42 Episode 22
53:36
Inside Einstein's Mind

Inside Einstein's Mind

Season 42 Episode 23
53:07
Iceman Reborn

Iceman Reborn

Season 43 Episode 5
53:32
Can Alzheimer's Be Stopped?

Can Alzheimer's Be Stopped?

Season 43 Episode 8
52:51
Bombing Hitler's Supergun

Bombing Hitler's Supergun

Season 43 Episode 14
53:49
School of the Future

School of the Future

Season 43 Episode 15
1:53:34
Ultimate Cruise Ship

Ultimate Cruise Ship

Season 44 Episode 4
53:09
Building Chernobyl's MegaTomb

Building Chernobyl's MegaTomb

Season 44 Episode 8
52:55
Killer Volcanoes

Killer Volcanoes

Season 44 Episode 16
54:10
Back to Show
NOVA

The Great Math Mystery

Season 42 Episode 7

Join NOVA on a mathematical mystery tour—a provocative exploration of math's astonishing power across the centuries. We discover math's signature in the swirl of a nautilus shell, the whirlpool of a galaxy, and the spiral in the center of a sunflower. It all leads to the ultimate riddle: Is math a human invention or the discovery of the language of the universe?

Watch Preview
Only Available with Passport Starting
4/27/2020
Support Provided By
Season
Ancient Maya Metropolis
53:31
Explore great ancient Maya cities and why their inhabitants abandoned them.
Alaskan Dinosaurs
53:21
Intrepid paleontologists discover that dinosaurs thrived in the Arctic’s cold and dark.
Edible Insects
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:28
Take a tasty look at insect foods that could benefit our health and our warming planet.
Particles Unknown
53:28
Join the hunt for the universe’s most common—yet most elusive and baffling—particle.
The Cannabis Question
53:36
As state-legalized cannabis spreads, NOVA explores its little-known risks and benefits.
Reef Rescue
54:06
Scientists race to help corals adapt to warming oceans through assisted evolution.
Looking for Life on Mars
53:46
NASA launches its most ambitious search yet for traces of ancient life on Mars.
NOVA Season 47
53:32
Discover the fascinating chemistry that makes our world and everything in it—including us.
Beyond the Elements: Indestructible
53:30
Discover the fascinating chemistry that makes our world and everything in it—including us.
Beyond the Elements: Reactions
53:31
Discover the fascinating chemistry that makes our world and everything in it—including us.
Can We Cool the Planet?
53:31
Scientists look to geoengineering and other methods to cool the planet.
Nature's Fear Factor
53:21
Can bringing predators—and fear—back into an ecosystem help restore its natural balance?
Active loading indicator