Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula

Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula PDF Author: Paul J. Nahin
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691175918
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
In the mid-eighteenth century, Swiss-born mathematician Leonhard Euler developed a formula so innovative and complex that it continues to inspire research, discussion, and even the occasional limerick. Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula shares the fascinating story of this groundbreaking formula—long regarded as the gold standard for mathematical beauty—and shows why it still lies at the heart of complex number theory. In some ways a sequel to Nahin's An Imaginary Tale, this book examines the many applications of complex numbers alongside intriguing stories from the history of mathematics. Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula is accessible to any reader familiar with calculus and differential equations, and promises to inspire mathematicians for years to come.

Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula

Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula PDF Author: Paul J. Nahin
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691175918
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 416

Get Book Here

Book Description
In the mid-eighteenth century, Swiss-born mathematician Leonhard Euler developed a formula so innovative and complex that it continues to inspire research, discussion, and even the occasional limerick. Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula shares the fascinating story of this groundbreaking formula—long regarded as the gold standard for mathematical beauty—and shows why it still lies at the heart of complex number theory. In some ways a sequel to Nahin's An Imaginary Tale, this book examines the many applications of complex numbers alongside intriguing stories from the history of mathematics. Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula is accessible to any reader familiar with calculus and differential equations, and promises to inspire mathematicians for years to come.

Euler's Gem

Euler's Gem PDF Author: David S. Richeson
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691191999
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
How a simple equation reshaped mathematics Leonhard Euler’s polyhedron formula describes the structure of many objects—from soccer balls and gemstones to Buckminster Fuller’s buildings and giant all-carbon molecules. Yet Euler’s theorem is so simple it can be explained to a child. From ancient Greek geometry to today’s cutting-edge research, Euler’s Gem celebrates the discovery of Euler’s beloved polyhedron formula and its far-reaching impact on topology, the study of shapes. Using wonderful examples and numerous illustrations, David Richeson presents this mathematical idea’s many elegant and unexpected applications, such as showing why there is always some windless spot on earth, how to measure the acreage of a tree farm by counting trees, and how many crayons are needed to color any map. Filled with a who’s who of brilliant mathematicians who questioned, refined, and contributed to a remarkable theorem’s development, Euler’s Gem will fascinate every mathematics enthusiast. This paperback edition contains a new preface by the author.

Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula

Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula PDF Author: Paul J. Nahin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic book
Languages : en
Pages : 432

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Book Description


A Most Elegant Equation

A Most Elegant Equation PDF Author: David Stipp
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 0465093787
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
An award-winning science writer introduces us to mathematics using the extraordinary equation that unites five of mathematics' most important numbers Bertrand Russell wrote that mathematics can exalt "as surely as poetry." This is especially true of one equation: ei(pi) + 1 = 0, the brainchild of Leonhard Euler, the Mozart of mathematics. More than two centuries after Euler's death, it is still regarded as a conceptual diamond of unsurpassed beauty. Called Euler's identity or God's equation, it includes just five numbers but represents an astonishing revelation of hidden connections. It ties together everything from basic arithmetic to compound interest, the circumference of a circle, trigonometry, calculus, and even infinity. In David Stipp's hands, Euler's identity formula becomes a contemplative stroll through the glories of mathematics. The result is an ode to this magical field.

An Imaginary Tale

An Imaginary Tale PDF Author: Paul Nahin
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400833892
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
Today complex numbers have such widespread practical use--from electrical engineering to aeronautics--that few people would expect the story behind their derivation to be filled with adventure and enigma. In An Imaginary Tale, Paul Nahin tells the 2000-year-old history of one of mathematics' most elusive numbers, the square root of minus one, also known as i. He recreates the baffling mathematical problems that conjured it up, and the colorful characters who tried to solve them. In 1878, when two brothers stole a mathematical papyrus from the ancient Egyptian burial site in the Valley of Kings, they led scholars to the earliest known occurrence of the square root of a negative number. The papyrus offered a specific numerical example of how to calculate the volume of a truncated square pyramid, which implied the need for i. In the first century, the mathematician-engineer Heron of Alexandria encountered I in a separate project, but fudged the arithmetic; medieval mathematicians stumbled upon the concept while grappling with the meaning of negative numbers, but dismissed their square roots as nonsense. By the time of Descartes, a theoretical use for these elusive square roots--now called "imaginary numbers"--was suspected, but efforts to solve them led to intense, bitter debates. The notorious i finally won acceptance and was put to use in complex analysis and theoretical physics in Napoleonic times. Addressing readers with both a general and scholarly interest in mathematics, Nahin weaves into this narrative entertaining historical facts and mathematical discussions, including the application of complex numbers and functions to important problems, such as Kepler's laws of planetary motion and ac electrical circuits. This book can be read as an engaging history, almost a biography, of one of the most evasive and pervasive "numbers" in all of mathematics. Some images inside the book are unavailable due to digital copyright restrictions.

Number-Crunching

Number-Crunching PDF Author: Paul Nahin
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400839580
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 406

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Book Description
More stimulating mathematics puzzles from bestselling author Paul Nahin How do technicians repair broken communications cables at the bottom of the ocean without actually seeing them? What's the likelihood of plucking a needle out of a haystack the size of the Earth? And is it possible to use computers to create a universal library of everything ever written or every photo ever taken? These are just some of the intriguing questions that best-selling popular math writer Paul Nahin tackles in Number-Crunching. Through brilliant math ideas and entertaining stories, Nahin demonstrates how odd and unusual math problems can be solved by bringing together basic physics ideas and today's powerful computers. Some of the outcomes discussed are so counterintuitive they will leave readers astonished. Nahin looks at how the art of number-crunching has changed since the advent of computers, and how high-speed technology helps to solve fascinating conundrums such as the three-body, Monte Carlo, leapfrog, and gambler's ruin problems. Along the way, Nahin traverses topics that include algebra, trigonometry, geometry, calculus, number theory, differential equations, Fourier series, electronics, and computers in science fiction. He gives historical background for the problems presented, offers many examples and numerous challenges, supplies MATLAB codes for all the theories discussed, and includes detailed and complete solutions. Exploring the intimate relationship between mathematics, physics, and the tremendous power of modern computers, Number-Crunching will appeal to anyone interested in understanding how these three important fields join forces to solve today's thorniest puzzles.

Digital Dice

Digital Dice PDF Author: Paul J. Nahin
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691126982
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
A collection of twenty-one real-life probability puzzles and shows how to get numerical answers without having to solve complicated mathematical equations.

Nonplussed!

Nonplussed! PDF Author: Julian Havil
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400837383
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 213

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Book Description
Math—the application of reasonable logic to reasonable assumptions—usually produces reasonable results. But sometimes math generates astonishing paradoxes—conclusions that seem completely unreasonable or just plain impossible but that are nevertheless demonstrably true. Did you know that a losing sports team can become a winning one by adding worse players than its opponents? Or that the thirteenth of the month is more likely to be a Friday than any other day? Or that cones can roll unaided uphill? In Nonplussed!—a delightfully eclectic collection of paradoxes from many different areas of math—popular-math writer Julian Havil reveals the math that shows the truth of these and many other unbelievable ideas. Nonplussed! pays special attention to problems from probability and statistics, areas where intuition can easily be wrong. These problems include the vagaries of tennis scoring, what can be deduced from tossing a needle, and disadvantageous games that form winning combinations. Other chapters address everything from the historically important Torricelli's Trumpet to the mind-warping implications of objects that live on high dimensions. Readers learn about the colorful history and people associated with many of these problems in addition to their mathematical proofs. Nonplussed! will appeal to anyone with a calculus background who enjoys popular math books or puzzles.

Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt

Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt PDF Author: Paul Nahin
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400833469
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
An incomparable collection of stimulating math puzzles from bestselling author Paul Nahin What does quilting have to do with electric circuit theory? The answer is just one of the fascinating ways that best-selling popular math writer Paul Nahin illustrates the deep interplay of math and physics in the world around us in his latest book of challenging mathematical puzzles, Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt. With his trademark combination of intriguing mathematical problems and the historical anecdotes surrounding them, Nahin invites readers on an exciting and informative exploration of some of the many ways math and physics combine to create something vastly more powerful, useful, and interesting than either is by itself. In a series of brief and largely self-contained chapters, Nahin discusses a wide range of topics in which math and physics are mutually dependent and mutually illuminating, from Newtonian gravity and Newton's laws of mechanics to ballistics, air drag, and electricity. The mathematical subjects range from algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus to differential equations, Fourier series, and theoretical and Monte Carlo probability. Each chapter includes problems—some three dozen in all—that challenge readers to try their hand at applying what they have learned. Just as in his other books of mathematical puzzles, Nahin discusses the historical background of each problem, gives many examples, includes MATLAB codes, and provides complete and detailed solutions at the end. Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt will appeal to students interested in new math and physics applications, teachers looking for unusual examples to use in class—and anyone who enjoys popular math books.

In Pursuit of Zeta-3

In Pursuit of Zeta-3 PDF Author: Paul J. Nahin
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691206074
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 342

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Book Description
"For centuries, mathematicians have tried, and failed, to solve the zeta-3 problem. This problem is simple in its formulation, but remains unsolved to this day, despite the attempts of some of the world's greatest mathematicians to solve it. The problem can be stated as follows: is there a simple symbolic formula for the following sum: 1+(1/2)^3+(1/3)^3+(1/4)^3+...? Although it is possible to calculate the approximate numerical value of the sum (for those interested, it's 1.20205...), there is no known symbolic expression. A symbolic formula would not only provide an exact value for the sum, but would allow for greater insight into its characteristics and properties. The answers to these questions are not of purely academic interest; the zeta-3 problem has close connections to physics, engineering, and other areas of mathematics. Zeta-3 arises in quantum electrodynamics and in number theory, for instance, and it is closely connected to the Riemann hypothesis. In In Pursuit of zeta-3, Paul Nahin turns his sharp, witty eye on the zeta-3 problem. He describes the problem's history, and provides numerous "challenge questions" to engage readers, along with Matlab code. Unlike other, similarly challenging problems, anyone with a basic mathematical background can understand the problem-making it an ideal choice for a pop math book"--