The Big Questions: Mathematics - Rilegato

Tony Crilly

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 1849162409 ISBN 13: 9781849162401

Casa editrice: Quercus Publishing Plc, 2011

Riassunto

The Big Questions series is designed to let renowned experts address the 20 most fundamental and frequently asked questions of a major branch of science or philosophy. Each 3000-word essay simply and concisely examines a question that has eternally perplexed enquiring minds, and provides answers from history's great thinkers. This ambitious project is a unique distillation of humanity's best ideas. In Big Questions: Mathematics, Tony Crilly answers the 20 key questions: What is maths for? Where do numbers come from? Why are primes the atoms of maths? What are the strangest numbers? Are imaginary numbers real? How big is infinity? Where do parallel lines meet? What is the maths of the universe? Are statistics lies? Can maths guarantee riches? Is there a formula for everything? Why are three dimensions not enough? Can a butterfly's wings really cause a hurricane? Can we create an unbreakable code? Is maths beauty? Can maths predict the future? What shape is the universe? What is symmetry? Is maths true? Is there anything left to solve?

Su questo libro

L'autore

Tony Crilly is Reader in Mathematical Sciences at Middlesex University, having previously taught at the University of Michigan, the City University in Hong Kong and the Open University. His principal research interest is the history of mathematics, and he has written and edited many works on fractals, chaos and computing. He is the author of the acclaimed biography of the English mathematician Arthur Cayley and the hugely successful 50 Mathematical Ideas You Really Need to Know.

Contenuti

Introduction. What is mathematics for? - An introduction to purposes and prospects. Where do numbers come from? - From notches on bones to hexadecimals. Why are primes the atoms of mathematics? - Building blocks and the fundamental theorem of arithmetic. Which are the strangest numbers? - Real, irrational and transcendental numbers. Are imaginary numbers truly imaginary? - From the imaginary 'I' to octonions. How big is infinity? - Set theory and the infinity revolution. Where do parallel lines meet? - The birth of new geometries. What is the mathematics of the universe? - The Calculus miracle. Are statistics lies? - Data, proof and 'damned lies'. Can mathematics guarantee riches? - Uncertainty, chance and probability theory. Is there a formula for everything? - Mathematical recipes and the search for knowledge. Why are three dimensions not enough? - Higher dimensions, monster curves and fractals. Can a butterfly's wings really cause a hurricane? - Chaos theory, weather equations and strange attractors. Can we create an unbreakable code? - Ciphers, the Enigma machine and quantum computers. Is mathematics beautiful? - Music, art, golden numbers and the Fibonacci sequence. Can mathematics predict the future? - Mathematical models, simulations and game theory. What shape is the universe? - Topology, manifolds and the Poincare conjecture. What is symmetry? - Patterns, dualities and the fundamental nature of reality. Is mathematics true? - From Plato's reality to Godel's incompleteness theorems. Is there anything left to solve? - The great unsolved problems and the future of mathematics. Glossary. Index.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Quercus Publishing Plc
• Data di pubblicazione: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1849162409
• ISBN 13: 9781849162401
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 208
• Redattore: Simon Blackburn