Journey through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.87 (947 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 014014739X |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-07-07 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Now William Dunham gives them the attention they deserve.Dunham places each theorem within its historical context and explores the very human and often turbulent life of the creator — from Archimedes, the absentminded theoretician whose absorption in his work often precluded eating or bathing, to Gerolamo Cardano, the sixteenth-century mathematician whose accomplishments flourished despite a bizarre array of misadventures, to the paranoid genius of modern times, Georg Cantor. Like masterpieces of art, music, and literature, great mathematical theorems are creative milestones, works of genius destined to last forever. He also provides step-by-step proofs for the theorems, each easily accessible to readers with no more than a knowledge of high school mathematics.A rare combination of the historical, biographical, and mathematical, Journey Through Genius is a fascinating introduction to a neglected field of human creativity.
He devotes each chapter to a principal result of mathematics, such as the solution of the cubic series and the divergence of the harmonic series. In Journey through Genius, author William Dunham strikes an extraordinary balance between the historical and technical. Not only does this book tell the stories of the people behind the math, but it also includes discussions and rigorous proofs of the relevant mathematical results.
nice look at mathematics and important theorems Dunham has done an excellent job of taking us through the history of mathematics providing a context with the civilization of the time. He shapes his production around what he considers to be the great theorems of mathematics.The order of presentation is chronological. Early on we see great admiration for Euclid and his "Elements" as two of Euclid's theorems appear on the list, a proof of the Pythagorean theorem and the proof that there are infinitely many primes. Euler and Cantor are also honored with two theorems included among the collection.However there is m. "The BEST Book I Ever Read On Mathematics" according to Sytelus. There are lots and lots of books written on mathematics claiming to target mass audience and containing none to negligible real "mathematics". Yeah, I'm talking about those funny stupid books which keeps talking about math for The BEST Book I Ever Read On Mathematics Sytelus There are lots and lots of books written on mathematics claiming to target mass audience and containing none to negligible real "mathematics". Yeah, I'm talking about those funny stupid books which keeps talking about math for 400 pages but shy away from putting one real equation or proof. Well, this book is different and if you ask me, it's the best book on mathematics I've came across so far. It's the collection of some of the cleverest not-too-obvious theorems derived from the scratch with really fluid explanation and plenty of diagrams. One of the coolest thi. 00 pages but shy away from putting one real equation or proof. Well, this book is different and if you ask me, it's the best book on mathematics I've came across so far. It's the collection of some of the cleverest not-too-obvious theorems derived from the scratch with really fluid explanation and plenty of diagrams. One of the coolest thi. "Sublime beauty" according to Michael P. McGarry. Rarely is it properly appreciated that mathematics is one of the arts, and --- like all the other arts --- has created monuments of surpassing beauty through the centuries. Dunham does a wonderful job in this whirlwind tour of the past two thousand years of mathematics. He presents math as a story of triumph after triumph. Each chapter highlights one "great" theorem, and in every chapter he makes clear the context of the theorem by discussing preceding work, the life of the mathematician who proved the theorem, and the applications it opened up. He is masterful a