PIMS Public Lecture: Cake and Mathematics

Guidobaldo del Monte (1545-1647), a patron and friend of Galileo Galilei, believed he had witnessed the creation of something out of nothing when he established mathematically that zero equals one. He thereby thought that he had proved the existence of God! Although I daren't be so bold with my claims, I am willing to prove instead that one equals two. And, moreover, just to convince you that I am right I will do so multiple times over, drawing upon a wide spectrum of mathematical techniques: algebra and arithmetic, probability and mechanics, pure thought and physical action! Will you be able to find fault with any of my "proofs?"