N Is a Number: A Portrait of Paul Erdas

A man with no home and no job, Paul ErdAs was the most prolific mathematician who ever lived. A wandering genius, ErdAs, who died in 1996 at the age of 83, spent his life engaged in a cosmic struggle to uncover truths hidden by a stubborn adversary - God. In N is a Number he describes this metaphysical duel with the same wry humor he applied to politics, relationships and death. The documentary follows him through four countries to discover what makes mathematicians tick. N is a Number presents ErdAs' mathematical quest, its personal and philosophical dimensions, and the tragic historical events that molded his life. Two animated sequences illustrate the kinds of problems ErdAs pursued throughout his life. N is a Number is a one-hour documentary film made with support from the American Mathematical Society, Films Arts Foundation, the Heineman Foundation, the Mathematical Association of America and the National Science Foundations' Information Science Education Program.