February 5, 2019
What’s Yellow and Equivalent to the Axiom of Choice?
In the early and mid 20th century, the foundations of mathematics were a hot topic that plagued many of the finest mathematicians of the time. One particular issue was with the use of an axiom known as the “Axiom of Choice”. Today, we accept the Axiom of Choice without too much fuss, but we still often acknowledge its use with extra care than is taken with other axioms. Why was this axiom so contentious? What eventually won mathematics over to its favor? What’s Yellow and Equivalent to the Axiom of Choice? In our talk, we will explore the answers to these questions and related topics.