Dr. Tobochnik uses his decades-spanning expertise in computer simulations to present a simple model that shows how wealth inequality is intrinsic to economic activity. He further tweaks the models to demonstrate various mechanisms that can effectively reduce wealth inequality.

Jan is a distinguished professor of natural science at Kalamazoo College and has worked in the Physics and Computer Science program since 1985. He received his bachelor's degree at Amherst College and received his PhD in Physics from Cornell University.

He has co-authored multiple undergraduate textbooks, including Statistical and Thermal Physics with Computer Applications (2010), and An Introduction to Computer Simulation Methods: Applications to Physical Systems (2007). Past editor of the American Journal of Physics, fellow of the American Physical Society since 1999. At Kalamazoo College, his primary research interests are in condensed matter physics.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx