The Symmetries of Things

The Symmetries of Things PDF Author: John H. Conway
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1439864896
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 442

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Book Description
Start with a single shape. Repeat it in some way—translation, reflection over a line, rotation around a point—and you have created symmetry. Symmetry is a fundamental phenomenon in art, science, and nature that has been captured, described, and analyzed using mathematical concepts for a long time. Inspired by the geometric intuition of Bill Thurston and empowered by his own analytical skills, John Conway, with his coauthors, has developed a comprehensive mathematical theory of symmetry that allows the description and classification of symmetries in numerous geometric environments. This richly and compellingly illustrated book addresses the phenomenological, analytical, and mathematical aspects of symmetry on three levels that build on one another and will speak to interested lay people, artists, working mathematicians, and researchers.

The Symmetries of Things

The Symmetries of Things PDF Author: John H. Conway
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1439864896
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 442

Get Book Here

Book Description
Start with a single shape. Repeat it in some way—translation, reflection over a line, rotation around a point—and you have created symmetry. Symmetry is a fundamental phenomenon in art, science, and nature that has been captured, described, and analyzed using mathematical concepts for a long time. Inspired by the geometric intuition of Bill Thurston and empowered by his own analytical skills, John Conway, with his coauthors, has developed a comprehensive mathematical theory of symmetry that allows the description and classification of symmetries in numerous geometric environments. This richly and compellingly illustrated book addresses the phenomenological, analytical, and mathematical aspects of symmetry on three levels that build on one another and will speak to interested lay people, artists, working mathematicians, and researchers.

Open Problems in Communication and Computation

Open Problems in Communication and Computation PDF Author: Thomas M. Cover
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461248086
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
Thomas M. Cover and B. Gopinatb The papers in this volume are the contributions to a special workshop on problems in communication and computation conducted in the summers of 1984 and 1985 in Morristown, New Jersey, and the summer of 1986 in Palo Alto. California. The structure of this workshop was unique: no recent results. no surveys. Instead. we asked for outstanding open prob~ lems in the field. There are many famous open problems, including the question P = NP?, the simplex conjecture in communication theory, the capacity region of the broadcast channel. and the two·helper problem in information theory. Beyond these well-defined problems are certain grand research goals. What is the general theory of information flow in stochastic networks? What is a comprehensive theory of computational complexity? What about a unification of algorithmic complexity and computational complex ity? Is there a notion of energy-free computation? And if so, where do information theory, communication theory, computer science, and physics meet at the atomic level? Is there a duality between computation and communication? Finally. what is the ultimate impact of algorithmic com plexity on probability theory? And what is its relationship to information theory? The idea was to present problems on the first day. try to solve them on the second day, and present the solutions on the third day. In actual fact, only one problem was solved during the meeting -- El Gamal's prob· lem on noisy communication over a common line.

Genius at Play

Genius at Play PDF Author: Siobhan Roberts
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691267510
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 480

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Book Description
A multifaceted biography of a brilliant mathematician and iconoclast A mathematician unlike any other, John Horton Conway (1937–2020) possessed a rock star’s charisma, a polymath’s promiscuous curiosity, and a sly sense of humor. Conway found fame as a barefoot professor at Cambridge, where he discovered the Conway groups in mathematical symmetry and the aptly named surreal numbers. He also invented the cult classic Game of Life, a cellular automaton that demonstrates how simplicity generates complexity—and provides an analogy for mathematics and the entire universe. Moving to Princeton in 1987, Conway used ropes, dice, pennies, coat hangers, and the occasional Slinky to illustrate his winning imagination and share his nerdish delights. Genius at Play tells the story of this ambassador-at-large for the beauties and joys of mathematics, lays bare Conway’s personal and professional idiosyncrasies, and offers an intimate look into the mind of one of the twentieth century’s most endearing and original intellectuals.

Look and Say

Look and Say PDF Author: Axel Scheffler
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780857632678
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
This engaging new Pip and Posy picture book features richly-detailed scenes, a conversational, friendly text and Axel Scheffler's characteristic touches of humour. The 'Can you find these things?' panel along the bottom of each page adds an 'I-spy' game element for extra fun - an ideal book for parent and child to share.

Really Useful Bertie

Really Useful Bertie PDF Author: Based On W. Awdry
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780749857653
Category : Children's stories
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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Book Description
These six titles each contain a sixteen-page story, some picture puzzles and a 'spot the difference' spread designed to engage the child's interest and confidence in reading. The vocabulary used is taken from the National Curriculum word list plus key words from the TTE Learning programme. These words are repeated both within the stories and across the range for maximum benefit to the child.

The Cuckoo's Egg

The Cuckoo's Egg PDF Author: Cliff Stoll
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1668048167
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 432

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Book Description
In this white-knuckled true story that is “as exciting as any action novel” (The New York Times Book Review), an astronomer-turned-cyber-detective begins a personal quest to expose a hidden network of spies that threatens national security and leads all the way to the KGB. When Cliff Stoll followed the trail of a 75-cent accounting error at his workplace, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, it led him to the presence of an unauthorized user on the system. Suddenly, Stoll found himself crossing paths with a hacker named “Hunter” who had managed to break into sensitive United States networks and steal vital information. Stoll made the dangerous decision to begin a one-man hunt of his own: spying on the spy. It was a high-stakes game of deception, broken codes, satellites, and missile bases, one that eventually gained the attention of the CIA. What started as simply observing soon became a game of cat and mouse that ultimately reached all the way to the KGB.

Surreal Numbers

Surreal Numbers PDF Author: Donald Ervin Knuth
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
ISBN: 9780201038125
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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Book Description
Nearly 30 years ago, John Horton Conway introduced a new way to construct numbers. Donald E. Knuth, in appreciation of this revolutionary system, took a week off from work on The Art of Computer Programming to write an introduction to Conway's method. Never content with the ordinary, Knuth wrote this introduction as a work of fiction--a novelette. If not a steamy romance, the book nonetheless shows how a young couple turned on to pure mathematics and found total happiness. The book's primary aim, Knuth explains in a postscript, is not so much to teach Conway's theory as "to teach how one might go about developing such a theory." He continues: "Therefore, as the two characters in this book gradually explore and build up Conway's number system, I have recorded their false starts and frustrations as well as their good ideas. I wanted to give a reasonably faithful portrayal of the important principles, techniques, joys, passions, and philosophy of mathematics, so I wrote the story as I was actually doing the research myself."... It is an astonishing feat of legerdemain. An empty hat rests on a table made of a few axioms of standard set theory. Conway waves two simple rules in the air, then reaches into almost nothing and pulls out an infinitely rich tapestry of numbers that form a real and closed field. Every real number is surrounded by a host of new numbers that lie closer to it than any other "real" value does. The system is truly "surreal." quoted from Martin Gardner, Mathematical Magic Show, pp. 16--19 Surreal Numbers, now in its 13th printing, will appeal to anyone who might enjoy an engaging dialogue on abstract mathematical ideas, and who might wish to experience how new mathematics is created. 0201038129B04062001

Jobs People Do

Jobs People Do PDF Author: Felicity Brooks
Publisher: Usborne Books
ISBN: 9781409551409
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Follow a busy and exciting day in the lives of Tessa the Teacher, Fred the Firefighter, Vicky the Vet, Daisy the Doctor, Frank the Farmer and Sam the Chef.

Usborne Look and Say

Usborne Look and Say PDF Author: Jo Litchfield
Publisher: Usborne Books
ISBN: 9780794507022
Category : Animals
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This stocky, sturdy board book is perfect for little hands and stand up to lots of page turning. From tractors to a farmer's cows, this book makes learning about farms fun.

Ladybird Im Ready to Look and Say!

Ladybird Im Ready to Look and Say! PDF Author: Ladybird
Publisher: Ladybird
ISBN: 9780723295532
Category : English language
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This Ladybird picture dictionary I'm Ready to Look and Say forms part of the Ladybird I'm Ready series. It has colourful art and offers opportunities for vocabulary building as well as introducing key topics for children starting nursery or school. There are fascinating scenes on every double page spread of this vibrant picture-word book. There are different themes such as 'In my home' and 'Places I go' with carefully drawn objects clearly labelled within their context. Some of the contexts include 'In the kitchen', 'In my bedroom', 'At a party', 'At the zoo' and 'At school'. Environmental sounds have been added to the scenes, which forms part of Phonics Phase 1 in early learning. Children are asked to look for objects in the picture and name them and are encouraged to discuss their routine in their own personal environment. This Ladybird book will spark the imagination and prompt discussion. A perfect introduction to words and sounds.