03/04/2018

IMPA alumnus creates 'Fantastic Mathematical World'

“Hello, fantastic citizens!” It is with this cheerful greeting that Régis Varão begins all the videos on his YouTube channel. Accompanied by Joaquim, a special recording colleague, the professor from Unicamp (State University of Campinas) shows how it is possible to expand the conception of the universe and life through mathematics.

Titled “Fantastic Mathematical World” , the channel premiered on March 14th, the date on which Pi Day is celebrated annually . The motivation for embracing the project is longstanding. For years, Varão nurtured the desire to create a work of popularizing mathematics. On YouTube, he found the necessary conditions for the idea to flourish.

"It's an excellent platform for promotion, it's accessible to everyone, and it allows for the recording of short videos," the professor explains.

The channel's distinguishing feature is its approach. Varão argues that mathematics is not just about doing calculations, which is why, until now, only important mathematical topics that don't involve calculations have been presented. Over time, the professor hopes to have the opportunity to discuss questions such as "what is mathematics for?", "how to study it?" and "what is academic life like?".

Although he intends to address topics more commonly seen in master's and doctoral programs, Varão believes that students in their final years of elementary school can already enjoy the videos. The language of the productions is easy and humorous. But if they don't understand it at first, that's okay.

“It’s normal not to learn things perfectly all at once,” Varão explains. “Nothing I’ve learned in my life has been perfect the first time. When you know something, people might think you learned it quickly, but life isn’t like that,” he adds.

With a master's and doctorate from IMPA, the mathematician assures that, by saying he never learns anything on the first try, he teaches more than the video itself is capable of conveying. "I'm showing that learning is a process that involves effort," Varão states.