Geometry has always been about far more than the measurement of shapes. It is at the heart of physics as well as mathematics. Inscribed above the door of Plato’s Academy in Athens were the words, ‘Let no one ignorant of geometry enter’.

From geometry’s classical beginnings, via the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, to the present day, Yang-Hui He will take you on a journey through time and space, culminating in our understanding of spacetime itself. In the 19th century, mathematicians such as Carl Gauss and Bernhard Riemann considered what would happen if we relaxed Euclid’s axioms. The result was the explosion of post-Euclidean geometry, which paved the way for Einstein’s theory of relativity and the birth of modern physics.

Singularity solutions of spacetime geometry have led to the discovery of black holes. And string theory, in the attempt to unify quantum mechanics with relativity, is giving rise to a brave new world of quantum geometry. If you’re ignorant of any of this on arrival, rest assured that by the time you leave you’ll be fit to enter Plato’s Academy.

This event is in partnership with the London Institute for Mathematical Sciences (LIMS).

How To Book Your Tickets

1. Select the number of tickets you want from our platform. You can choose a Free TFG Ticket or a Free TFG Ticket with £5 Donation - all £5 goes straight to the Royal Institution to continue their amazing scientific education work. Both tickets allow the same entry to the event.
2. You will receive a PDF confirmation email from Tickets for Good
3. The purchase of this ticket adds you to the guest list for this event, so please state your name on arrival

Additional Information

• Discourse Events are one of the Ri’s oldest and most prestigious series of talks. To find out more, visit: https://www.rigb.org/whats-on/how-geometry-created-modern-physics-discourse

• Doors to the Theatre will open at about 6.50pm. All attendees must be seated in the Theatre by 7.25pm. The Discourse will start at 7.30pm. A Pay Bar will be available from 6.00pm. It will open again after the talk, until 9.30pm.

This event is suitable for ages 15 and above. However for most events, younger children are more than welcome to attend with parental permission. Children aged under 13 years must be with accompanying adult. If you are unsure of the suitability of an event for a young person, please contact the event organisers at events@ri.ac.uk

As we are not the event organisers, we recommend that you check https://www.rigb.org/whats-on/how-geometry-created-modern-physics-discourse for event-specific information. We will endeavour to pass on any updates, including scheduling changes and cancellations, as soon as we receive them but cannot guarantee this.