Leonard Mlodinow

Biography:

Leonard Mlodinow received his doctorate in physics from Berkeley, was an Alexander von Humboldt fellow at the Max-Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics, and now teaches about random processes to future experimental scientists at Caltech. Along the way he also wrote for the television series MacGyver and Star Trek: The Next Generation. His previous books include Euclid's Window: The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace, Feynman's Rainbow: A Search for Beauty in Physics and in Life, and, with Stephen Hawking, A Briefer History of Time. He has lived in Chicago, Boston, Berkeley, Munich, Los Angeles, New York, and, now, in South Pasadena, California.

Past Shows:

	Probability & Randomness
	Saturday May 9, 2009

Physicist and author Leonard Mlodinow discussed his exploration into probability and randomness and showed how our lives are more shaped by chance than some may expect. Detailing his findings, he explained, "I'm not saying that the world is completely random. I'm saying that randomness is a component that we have to recognize when extraordinary events happen." Appearing during the first hour, author and researcher Tracy Twyman talked about the magic behind money and how it may be used to recover from the present financial crisis. ... More
Host: Ian Punnett

	The Influence of Randomness
	Wednesday May 14, 2008

Appearing in the middle two hours, physicist and writer Leonard Mlodinow spoke about his recent studies on randomness, and the influence it has in our daily lives. The title of his new book, The Drunkard's Walk, refers to the idea that we often end up getting to places through a meandering pathway. Randomness takes the form of unplanned or unpredictable events, which can end up greatly affecting a person's choices and outcomes, he explained. Even though someone might have certain abilities, due to circumstances beyond their control, there is a certain amount of variation in how things turn out. He cited some instances in baseball, such as the year when Roger Maris hit 61 homeruns, even though his average was 45, as an example of random variation. George shared an incident when he had a life-saving intuition while driving, and Mlodinow suggested that when people have certain intuitions they may be responding to subconscious physical cues. The last hour featured Open Lines w ... More
Host: George Noory

	Physics and Life
	Sunday June 22, 2003

Physicist Leonard Mlodinow, was Barbara's guest on Sunday night. He discussed his bookFeynman’s Rainbow, which draws on hisextensive and lively conversations with Richard Feynman, the legendary Nobel Prize Winner. ... More
Host: