Why Are Waves So Hard to Grasp?

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Recorded18 Nov 2025

Publisherquantapodcast.quantamagazine.org ↗

Handlerec:4092120

Show notes

At first glance, studying the math of waves seems like it should be smooth sailing. But the equations that describe even the gentlest rolling waves are a mathematical nightmare to solve. On this week’s episode, host Samir Patel speaks with math staff writer Joseph Howlett why waves are so elusive, even in a simplified world of equations. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the people behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math.Audio coda is "The Merry Golden Tree" by Shovel Dance Collective.

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