The Mathematical Tourist

The Mathematical Tourist PDF Author: Ivars Peterson
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0805071598
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
In the first edition of The Mathematical Tourist, renowned science journalist Ivars Peterson took readers on an unforgettable tour through the sometimes bizarre, but always fascinating, landscape of modern mathematics. Now the journey continues in a new, updated edition that includes all the latest information on mathematical proofs, fractals, prime numbers, and chaos, as well as new material on * the relationship between mathematical knots and DNA * how computers based on quantum logic can significantly speed up the factoring of large composite numbers * the relationship between four-dimensional geometry and physical theories of the nature of matter * the application of cellular automata models to social questions and the peregrinations of virtual ants * a novel mathematical model of quasicrystals based on decagon-shaped tiles Blazing a trail through rows of austere symbols and dense lines of formulae, Peterson explores the central ideas behind the work of professional mathematicians-- how and where their pieces of the mathematical puzzle fit in, the sources of their ideas, their fountains of inspiration, and the images that carry them from one discovery to another.

The Mathematical Tourist

The Mathematical Tourist PDF Author: Ivars Peterson
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0805071598
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 273

Get Book Here

Book Description
In the first edition of The Mathematical Tourist, renowned science journalist Ivars Peterson took readers on an unforgettable tour through the sometimes bizarre, but always fascinating, landscape of modern mathematics. Now the journey continues in a new, updated edition that includes all the latest information on mathematical proofs, fractals, prime numbers, and chaos, as well as new material on * the relationship between mathematical knots and DNA * how computers based on quantum logic can significantly speed up the factoring of large composite numbers * the relationship between four-dimensional geometry and physical theories of the nature of matter * the application of cellular automata models to social questions and the peregrinations of virtual ants * a novel mathematical model of quasicrystals based on decagon-shaped tiles Blazing a trail through rows of austere symbols and dense lines of formulae, Peterson explores the central ideas behind the work of professional mathematicians-- how and where their pieces of the mathematical puzzle fit in, the sources of their ideas, their fountains of inspiration, and the images that carry them from one discovery to another.

The Mathematical Tourist

The Mathematical Tourist PDF Author: Ivars Peterson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
A revised, updated edition of Peterson's classic work. Presents the latest information on mathematical proofs, fractals, prime numbers, and chaos, as well as new material on such intriguing topics as the relationship between mathematical knots and DNA; the application of cellular automata models to social questions; and the significant increase in the speed of factoring large composite numbers by means of computers based on quantum logic.

Mathematical Treks: From Surreal Numbers to Magic Circles

Mathematical Treks: From Surreal Numbers to Magic Circles PDF Author: Ivars Peterson
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
ISBN: 1470458519
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description


Islands of Truth

Islands of Truth PDF Author: Ivars Peterson
Publisher: W H Freeman & Company
ISBN: 9780716721482
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
Ivars Peterson has come up with another itinerary of Mathland - where the habitat is mysterious and the inhabitants fascinating. He explores uncharted islands, introducing strange vibrations in the shadows of chaos, new twists in knot physics, and the straight side of circles. The tour is enjoyable to experienced travellers and first-time tourists alike. Peterson, a journalist with Science News, makes the arcane intelligible by interpreting mathematics into engaging prose.

Quantum Field Theory: A Tourist Guide for Mathematicians

Quantum Field Theory: A Tourist Guide for Mathematicians PDF Author: Gerald B. Folland
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
ISBN: 1470464837
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
Quantum field theory has been a great success for physics, but it is difficult for mathematicians to learn because it is mathematically incomplete. Folland, who is a mathematician, has spent considerable time digesting the physical theory and sorting out the mathematical issues in it. Fortunately for mathematicians, Folland is a gifted expositor. The purpose of this book is to present the elements of quantum field theory, with the goal of understanding the behavior of elementary particles rather than building formal mathematical structures, in a form that will be comprehensible to mathematicians. Rigorous definitions and arguments are presented as far as they are available, but the text proceeds on a more informal level when necessary, with due care in identifying the difficulties. The book begins with a review of classical physics and quantum mechanics, then proceeds through the construction of free quantum fields to the perturbation-theoretic development of interacting field theory and renormalization theory, with emphasis on quantum electrodynamics. The final two chapters present the functional integral approach and the elements of gauge field theory, including the Salam–Weinberg model of electromagnetic and weak interactions.

Newton's Clock

Newton's Clock PDF Author: Ivars Peterson
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0716723964
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 341

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Book Description
With his critically acclaimed best-sellers The Mathematical Tourism and Islands of Truth, Ivars Peterson took readers to the frontiers of modern mathematics. His new book provides an up-to-date look at one of science's greatest detective stories: the search for order in the workings of the solar system. In the late 1600s, Sir Isaac Newton provided what astronomers had long sought: a seemingly reliable way of calculating planetary orbits and positions. Newton's laws of motion and his coherent, mathematical view of the universe dominated scientific discourse for centuries. At the same time, observers recorded subtle, unexpected movements of the planets and other bodies, suggesting that the solar system is not as placid and predictable as its venerable clock work image suggests. Today, scientists can go beyond the hand calculations, mathematical tables, and massive observational logs that limited the explorations of Newton, Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and others. Using supercomputers to simulate the dynamics of the solar system, modern astronomers are learning more about the motions they observe and uncovering some astonishing examples of chaotic behavior in the heavens. Nonetheless, the long-term stability of the solar system remains a perplexing, unsolved issue, with each step toward its resolution exposing additional uncertainties and deeper mysteries. To show how our view of the solar system has changed from clocklike precision to chaos and complexity, Newton's Clock describes the development of celestial mechanics through the ages - from the star charts of ancient navigators to the seminal discoveries of the 17th century from the crucial work of Poincare to thestartling, sometimes controversial findings and theories made possible by modern mathematics and computer simulations. The result makes for entertaining and provocative reading, equal parts science, history and intellectual adventure.

Math Trek

Math Trek PDF Author: Ivars Peterson
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0471315702
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 135

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Book Description
There s a new amusement park in town. Come on in and find out allthe exciting ways you can have fun with math in everyday life.Wander through the fractal forest, take a ride on the M?obius-striproller coaster, and get dizzy learning about how math makes theTilt-A-Whirl possible. The more activities you try, the more you lllearn how cool it can be to see the world through the eyes of amathematician. Once you ve sampled some of the interesting and unique projects inMath Trek, from untangling unknots to winning games with weird diceto figuring out secret codes, you ll see that every trip to theMathZone is an exciting adventure!

Love and Math

Love and Math PDF Author: Edward Frenkel
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465069959
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
An awesome, globe-spanning, and New York Times bestselling journey through the beauty and power of mathematics What if you had to take an art class in which you were only taught how to paint a fence? What if you were never shown the paintings of van Gogh and Picasso, weren't even told they existed? Alas, this is how math is taught, and so for most of us it becomes the intellectual equivalent of watching paint dry. In Love and Math, renowned mathematician Edward Frenkel reveals a side of math we've never seen, suffused with all the beauty and elegance of a work of art. In this heartfelt and passionate book, Frenkel shows that mathematics, far from occupying a specialist niche, goes to the heart of all matter, uniting us across cultures, time, and space. Love and Math tells two intertwined stories: of the wonders of mathematics and of one young man's journey learning and living it. Having braved a discriminatory educational system to become one of the twenty-first century's leading mathematicians, Frenkel now works on one of the biggest ideas to come out of math in the last 50 years: the Langlands Program. Considered by many to be a Grand Unified Theory of mathematics, the Langlands Program enables researchers to translate findings from one field to another so that they can solve problems, such as Fermat's last theorem, that had seemed intractable before. At its core, Love and Math is a story about accessing a new way of thinking, which can enrich our lives and empower us to better understand the world and our place in it. It is an invitation to discover the magic hidden universe of mathematics.

Quantum Theory for Mathematicians

Quantum Theory for Mathematicians PDF Author: Brian C. Hall
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461471168
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 566

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Book Description
Although ideas from quantum physics play an important role in many parts of modern mathematics, there are few books about quantum mechanics aimed at mathematicians. This book introduces the main ideas of quantum mechanics in language familiar to mathematicians. Readers with little prior exposure to physics will enjoy the book's conversational tone as they delve into such topics as the Hilbert space approach to quantum theory; the Schrödinger equation in one space dimension; the Spectral Theorem for bounded and unbounded self-adjoint operators; the Stone–von Neumann Theorem; the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin approximation; the role of Lie groups and Lie algebras in quantum mechanics; and the path-integral approach to quantum mechanics. The numerous exercises at the end of each chapter make the book suitable for both graduate courses and independent study. Most of the text is accessible to graduate students in mathematics who have had a first course in real analysis, covering the basics of L2 spaces and Hilbert spaces. The final chapters introduce readers who are familiar with the theory of manifolds to more advanced topics, including geometric quantization.

The Mathematics of the Heavens and the Earth

The Mathematics of the Heavens and the Earth PDF Author: Glen Van Brummelen
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400833310
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
The Mathematics of the Heavens and the Earth is the first major history in English of the origins and early development of trigonometry. Glen Van Brummelen identifies the earliest known trigonometric precursors in ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Greece, and he examines the revolutionary discoveries of Hipparchus, the Greek astronomer believed to have been the first to make systematic use of trigonometry in the second century BC while studying the motions of the stars. The book traces trigonometry's development into a full-fledged mathematical discipline in India and Islam; explores its applications to such areas as geography and seafaring navigation in the European Middle Ages and Renaissance; and shows how trigonometry retained its ancient roots at the same time that it became an important part of the foundation of modern mathematics. The Mathematics of the Heavens and the Earth looks at the controversies as well, including disputes over whether Hipparchus was indeed the father of trigonometry, whether Indian trigonometry is original or derived from the Greeks, and the extent to which Western science is indebted to Islamic trigonometry and astronomy. The book also features extended excerpts of translations of original texts, and detailed yet accessible explanations of the mathematics in them. No other book on trigonometry offers the historical breadth, analytical depth, and coverage of non-Western mathematics that readers will find in The Mathematics of the Heavens and the Earth.