Mime-matics: A Gateway Drug to Mathematics?

Tim Chartier (Davidson College) combines his passions for mathematics (disliked by a large fraction of the public) and mime (oft-mocked and, by nature, silent) into a performance art called mime-matics—and science journalist Ari Daniel was brave enough to do a radio spot on it.

Daniel describes a few of the sketches Chartier does with his wife, Tanya; describes how mime-matics got its start; and elicits reaction from audience members at a show in New York City. He also quotes Chartier liberally. 

Math is inherently, in many of its forms, invisible, so I think that using the art form of mime makes the invisible quality of math visible in a way that feels both exciting and natural to a mathematician.

Listen to the story.