1089 and All That de David Acheson

1089 and All That: A Journey into Mathematics

David Acheson

en Limba Engleză Paperback – 21 oct 2010

David Acheson's extraordinary little book makes mathematics accessible to everyone. From very simple beginnings he takes us on a thrilling journey to some deep mathematical ideas. On the way, via Kepler and Newton, he explains what calculus really means, gives a brief history of pi, and even takes us to chaos theory and imaginary numbers. Every short chapter is carefully crafted to ensure that no one will get lost on the journey. Packed with puzzles and illustratedby world famous cartoonists, this is one of the most readable and imaginative books on mathematics ever written.

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Recenzii

Fasten your seatbelts!
There are more fascinating things in the book that cannot be described here. So, here is the message to all potential readers of this type of mathematical writing: even though you have doubtless read everything by Keith Devlin, Simon Singh, Martin Gardner, Raymond Smullyan, Lewis Carroll and you-name-it, this wonderful work is yet another 'must' for your bookshelf!
...pages filled with a contagious enthusiasm... It has been produced with great care: at more than one point, one notices how artfully figures were placed. For example, at least twice a surprising conclusion appears just as we turn the page... This book packs a lifetime of wisdom and delight into sixteen brief chapters.
I was surprised to see how much substantial mathematics David Acheson has squeezed into this well-crafted litte book... Even mathematicians will find fresh perspectives on old themes in this playful and inventive book.
... this wonderful work is yet another 'must' for your bookshelf!... Well-known topics are not missing in the book, [readers] will always find something new and interesting in this book... each reader, whether mathematician or keen layman, will be delighted.
... parts of this book are extremely funny... [It is] an ideal stocking filler... an ideal present for friends and relatives who are not mathematicians, but have enough curiosity to spend a gentle afternoon trying to find out what mathematics is about... Buy this book.
This is an excellent and entertaining little book... Every teenage mathematician and every school library should have a copy... a most entertaining read.
It's an adorable, lovable, inspiring little masterpiece!
... easy, light style ... covers many classic 'gems' of mathematics with the aim of providing the reader with a feel and, where possible, a readable explanation of the more intriguing parts of the subject.
On the surface this book is another of those 'let's look at the funny things about numbers' books. But no, this one was far more than that. It treated subjects briefly but in depth and breadth, linked them together, didn't make assumptions about my mathematical understanding, but neither did it waste time looking into all the minutiae of the subject. Truly inspiring and a great read over a weekend.
This is a splendid little book. It has something for everyone, from the most "mathematically disadvantaged" even as far as those gnarled and bruised from a lifetime's engagement with such doughty opponents as the Navier-Stokes equations! David Acheson has brought together a collection of familiar topics which combine a solid mathematical content with a capacity to intrigue... the reader is left with a sense of the magic of mathematics.
There are a few mathematicians who succeed in writing popular accounts of their craft without being superficial or condescending. With this book Acheson has joined the best of them.
Most readers will find something to stimulate them in this book... The book is well illustrated with a nice balance of photos, diagrams and cartoons, and the text is easy to read, conveying the author's enjoyment of his subject. Anyone teaching mathematics would be stimulated by 1089 and all that: A Journey into Mathematics and it should find a place on the library shelves wherever mathematics is taught beyond GCSE.
Who would like this book? Absolutely anyone. It is so nicely written, so charming, and so entertainingly lighthearted, that it is an absolute little gem.
One of the happier effects of the explosion in popular science books is that every so often an author presents scientific ideas in a new way... Starting from such minimalist material, David Acheson works his way up to chaos and catastrophe. Not a page passes without at least one intriguing insight... This is a clever book, and anything but trivial... all mathematicians should buy at least a dozen copies to hand out to people they meet at parties. My enthusiasm for it knows no bounds.
A lovely little book.

Notă biografică

David Acheson is Emeritus Fellow in Mathematics at Jesus College, Oxford. He was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2004 for his 'outstanding contributions to teaching and learning', and was President of the Mathematical Association for 2010-11. He gives many popular maths lectures to the general public, of all ages, and these often end with a short demonstration of maths applied to the electric guitar. He is also author of From Calculus to Chaos (OUP 1997)and Elementary Fluid Dynamics (OUP 1990).

Cuprins

1: 1089 and All That; 2: "In Love with Geometrie"; 3: But ... that's Absurd ...; 4: The Trouble with Algebra; 5: The Heavens in Motion; 6: All Change!; 7: On Being as Small as Possible; 8: "Are We Nearly There?"; 9: A Brief History of pi; 10: Good Vibrations; 11: Great Mistakes; 12: What is the Secret of All Life?; 13: e=2.718 ...; 14: Chaos and Catastrophe; 15: Not Quite the Indian Rope Trick; 16: Real or Imaginary?

1089 and All That: A Journey into Mathematics

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1089 and All That: A Journey into Mathematics

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