Mathematical Encounters of the Second Kind

Mathematical Encounters of the Second Kind PDF Author: Philip J. Davis
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461224624
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 311

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Book Description
A number of years ago, Harriet Sheridan, then Dean of Brown University, organized a series oflectures in which individual faculty members described how it came about that they entered their various fields. I was invited to participate in this series and found in the invitation an opportunity to recall events going back to my early teens. The lecture was well received and its reception encouraged me to work up an expanded version. My manuscript lay dormant all these years. In the meanwhile, sufficiently many other mathematical experiences and encounters accumulated to make this little book. My 1981 lecture is the basis of the first piece: "Napoleon's Theorem. " Although there is a connection between the first piece and the second, the four pieces here are essentially independent. The sec ond piece, "Carpenter and the Napoleon Ascription," has as its object a full description of a certain type of scholar-storyteller (of whom I have known and admired several). It is a pastiche, contain ing a salad bar selection blended together by my own imagination. This piece purports, as a secondary goal, to present a solution to a certain unsolved historical problem raised in the first piece. The third piece, "The Man Who Began His Lectures with 'Namely'," is a short reminiscence of Stefan Bergman, one of my teachers of graduate mathematics. Bergman, a remarkable person ality, was born in Poland and came to the United States in 1939.

Mathematical Encounters of the Second Kind

Mathematical Encounters of the Second Kind PDF Author: Philip J. Davis
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461224624
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 311

Get Book Here

Book Description
A number of years ago, Harriet Sheridan, then Dean of Brown University, organized a series oflectures in which individual faculty members described how it came about that they entered their various fields. I was invited to participate in this series and found in the invitation an opportunity to recall events going back to my early teens. The lecture was well received and its reception encouraged me to work up an expanded version. My manuscript lay dormant all these years. In the meanwhile, sufficiently many other mathematical experiences and encounters accumulated to make this little book. My 1981 lecture is the basis of the first piece: "Napoleon's Theorem. " Although there is a connection between the first piece and the second, the four pieces here are essentially independent. The sec ond piece, "Carpenter and the Napoleon Ascription," has as its object a full description of a certain type of scholar-storyteller (of whom I have known and admired several). It is a pastiche, contain ing a salad bar selection blended together by my own imagination. This piece purports, as a secondary goal, to present a solution to a certain unsolved historical problem raised in the first piece. The third piece, "The Man Who Began His Lectures with 'Namely'," is a short reminiscence of Stefan Bergman, one of my teachers of graduate mathematics. Bergman, a remarkable person ality, was born in Poland and came to the United States in 1939.

Mathematical Encounters of the Second Kind

Mathematical Encounters of the Second Kind PDF Author: Philip J. Davis
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9780817639396
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
A memoir of mathematician Philip Davis's life and encounters, some actual and some imaginary, with a number of mathematicians and historical figures. His message focuses on the idea that mathematics can bring people into contacts with each other across centuries, oceans, and cultural difference. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Second Kind of Impossible

The Second Kind of Impossible PDF Author: Paul Steinhardt
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 147672993X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
*Shortlisted for the 2019 Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize* One of the most fascinating scientific detective stories of the last fifty years, an exciting quest for a new form of matter. “A riveting tale of derring-do” (Nature), this book reads like James Gleick’s Chaos combined with an Indiana Jones adventure. When leading Princeton physicist Paul Steinhardt began working in the 1980s, scientists thought they knew all the conceivable forms of matter. The Second Kind of Impossible is the story of Steinhardt’s thirty-five-year-long quest to challenge conventional wisdom. It begins with a curious geometric pattern that inspires two theoretical physicists to propose a radically new type of matter—one that raises the possibility of new materials with never before seen properties, but that violates laws set in stone for centuries. Steinhardt dubs this new form of matter “quasicrystal.” The rest of the scientific community calls it simply impossible. The Second Kind of Impossible captures Steinhardt’s scientific odyssey as it unfolds over decades, first to prove viability, and then to pursue his wildest conjecture—that nature made quasicrystals long before humans discovered them. Along the way, his team encounters clandestine collectors, corrupt scientists, secret diaries, international smugglers, and KGB agents. Their quest culminates in a daring expedition to a distant corner of the Earth, in pursuit of tiny fragments of a meteorite forged at the birth of the solar system. Steinhardt’s discoveries chart a new direction in science. They not only change our ideas about patterns and matter, but also reveal new truths about the processes that shaped our solar system. The underlying science is important, simple, and beautiful—and Steinhardt’s firsthand account is “packed with discovery, disappointment, exhilaration, and persistence...This book is a front-row seat to history as it is made” (Nature).

Guide to Information Sources in Mathematics and Statistics

Guide to Information Sources in Mathematics and Statistics PDF Author: Martha A. Tucker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313053375
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
This book is a reference for librarians, mathematicians, and statisticians involved in college and research level mathematics and statistics in the 21st century. We are in a time of transition in scholarly communications in mathematics, practices which have changed little for a hundred years are giving way to new modes of accessing information. Where journals, books, indexes and catalogs were once the physical representation of a good mathematics library, shelves have given way to computers, and users are often accessing information from remote places. Part I is a historical survey of the past 15 years tracking this huge transition in scholarly communications in mathematics. Part II of the book is the bibliography of resources recommended to support the disciplines of mathematics and statistics. These are grouped by type of material. Publication dates range from the 1800's onwards. Hundreds of electronic resources-some online, both dynamic and static, some in fixed media, are listed among the paper resources. Amazingly a majority of listed electronic resources are free.

Math!

Math! PDF Author: Serge Lang
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1475718608
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 147

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Book Description


Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind

Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind PDF Author: Courtlandt Dixon Barnes Bryan
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ISBN: 9780140195279
Category : Abduction Study Conference
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
A Reporter's Notebook on Alien Abduction, UFOS, and the Conference at MIT Alien abduction is hardly the usual topic for a scientific conference, yet in 1992 just such a conference was held at MIT. Respected journalist C D B Bryan had serious doubts about UFO encounters , but decided to attend with an open mind. This startling and thought-provoking book is the result. Fascinating - compelling, terrifying, haunting, yet entirely rational' - The Baltimore Sun'

Discrete Encounters

Discrete Encounters PDF Author: Craig Bauer
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0429682891
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 733

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Book Description
Eschewing the often standard dry and static writing style of traditional textbooks, Discrete Encounters provides a refreshing approach to discrete mathematics. The author blends traditional course topics and applications with historical context, pop culture references, and open problems. This book focuses on the historical development of the subject and provides fascinating details of the people behind the mathematics, along with their motivations, deepening readers’ appreciation of mathematics. This unique book covers many of the same topics found in traditional textbooks, but does so in an alternative, entertaining style that better captures readers’ attention. In addition to standard discrete mathematics material, the author shows the interplay between the discrete and the continuous and includes high-interest topics such as fractals, chaos theory, cellular automata, money-saving financial mathematics, and much more. Not only will readers gain a greater understanding of mathematics and its culture, they will also be encouraged to further explore the subject. Long lists of references at the end of each chapter make this easy. Highlights: Features fascinating historical context to motivate readers Text includes numerous pop culture references throughout to provide a more engaging reading experience Its unique topic structure presents a fresh approach The text’s narrative style is that of a popular book, not a dry textbook Includes the work of many living mathematicians Its multidisciplinary approach makes it ideal for liberal arts mathematics classes, leisure reading, or as a reference for professors looking to supplement traditional courses Contains many open problems Profusely illustrated

An Invitation to Combinatorics

An Invitation to Combinatorics PDF Author: Shahriar Shahriari
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108756425
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 636

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Book Description
Active student engagement is key to this classroom-tested combinatorics text, boasting 1200+ carefully designed problems, ten mini-projects, section warm-up problems, and chapter opening problems. The author – an award-winning teacher – writes in a conversational style, keeping the reader in mind on every page. Students will stay motivated through glimpses into current research trends and open problems as well as the history and global origins of the subject. All essential topics are covered, including Ramsey theory, enumerative combinatorics including Stirling numbers, partitions of integers, the inclusion-exclusion principle, generating functions, introductory graph theory, and partially ordered sets. Some significant results are presented as sets of guided problems, leading readers to discover them on their own. More than 140 problems have complete solutions and over 250 have hints in the back, making this book ideal for self-study. Ideal for a one semester upper undergraduate course, prerequisites include the calculus sequence and familiarity with proofs.

The Education of a Mathematician

The Education of a Mathematician PDF Author: Philip J. Davis
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1439864071
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
In this charming memoir, a renowned mathematician and winner of the American Book Award traces his career in mathematics from early lessons in horse racing and the realities of life to his adventures on the lecture circuit. A thought-provoking mix of autobiography, history, and insights into the role of mathematics in everyday life, this highly ent

James Stirling’s Methodus Differentialis

James Stirling’s Methodus Differentialis PDF Author: Ian Tweddle
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1447100212
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 301

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Book Description
A new translation makes this classic and important text more generally accessible. The text is placed in its contemporary context, but also related to the interests of practising mathematicians today. This book will be of interest to mathematical historians, researchers, and numerical analysts.