Leonhard Euler: Mathematical Genius in the Enlightenment - Rilegato

Calinger, Ronald S.

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0691119279 ISBN 13: 9780691119274

Casa editrice: Princeton Univ Pr, 2015

Riassunto

This is the first full-scale biography of Leonhard Euler (1707–83), one of the greatest mathematicians and theoretical physicists of all time. In this comprehensive and authoritative account, Ronald Calinger connects the story of Euler's eventful life to the astonishing achievements that place him in the company of Archimedes, Newton, and Gauss. Drawing chiefly on Euler’s massive published works and correspondence, which fill more than eighty volumes so far, this biography sets Euler’s work in its multilayered context—personal, intellectual, institutional, political, cultural, religious, and social. It is a story of nearly incessant accomplishment, from Euler’s fundamental contributions to almost every area of pure and applied mathematics—especially calculus, number theory, notation, optics, and celestial, rational, and fluid mechanics—to his advancements in shipbuilding, telescopes, ballistics, cartography, chronology, and music theory.

The narrative takes the reader from Euler’s childhood and education in Basel through his first period in St. Petersburg, 1727–41, where he gained a European reputation by solving the Basel problem and systematically developing analytical mechanics. Invited to Berlin by Frederick II, Euler published his famous Introductio in analysin infinitorum, devised continuum mechanics, and proposed a pulse theory of light. Returning to St. Petersburg in 1766, he created the analytical calculus of variations, developed the most precise lunar theory of the time that supported Newton’s dynamics, and published the best-selling Letters to a German Princess—all despite eye problems that ended in near-total blindness. In telling the remarkable story of Euler and how his achievements brought pan-European distinction to the Petersburg and Berlin academies of sciences, the book also demonstrates with new depth and detail the central role of mathematics in the Enlightenment.

Su questo libro

L'autore:

Ronald S. Calinger is professor emeritus of history at the Catholic University of America and the founding chancellor of the Euler Society. His books include A Contextual History of Mathematics, Vita Mathematica, and Classics of Mathematics.

Dalla quarta di copertina:

"This is the first real biography of Leonhard Euler, and I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that it is the most important book about Euler to appear in any western European language in the past century. The scholarship is absolutely first rate and is based largely on original sources, a monumental feat. Many of the details are new, but so is the grand synthesis that puts them together in one narrative. I learned something new from almost every page."--Dominic Klyve, Central Washington University

"Comprehensive and thorough, this study of the life, work, and times of Leonhard Euler is written in an accessible style and strikes the right balance between his technical accomplishments and historical context. This will be a standard, foundational work on which all future scholarship on Euler, eighteenth-century mathematics and science, and indeed Enlightenment intellectual life will rest."--Kathryn M. Olesko, Georgetown University

"This will be the authoritative work on Euler's life. Embodying a great deal of research and information, the book provides a complete biography, connecting the year-by-year circumstances of Euler's life with his scientific work. One of the book's strengths is its account of the personal, institutional, and political milieu that formed the context of Euler's career."--Craig Fraser, University of Toronto

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Princeton Univ Pr
• Data di pubblicazione: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0691119279
• ISBN 13: 9780691119274
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 669