Euler's Gem: The Polyhedron Formula and the Birth of Topology
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.42 (641 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0691154570 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 336 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-05-10 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
More Evidence that Mathematics Is Beautiful Gene B. Chase If you want a popularized book-length treatment of string theory, you have two kinds of choices. Brian Greene uses no equations, save in an occasional endnote. Roger Penrose uses 1136 equation-filled pages to teach you all of mathematics you would need to know--although far too fast for anyone to le. Jonathan C. Cast said Stay away if you're interested in mathematics. I've read the first two or three chapters of this, and I still don't know what "topology" is supposed to be, or why someone would be interested in it (and I'm a professional computer programmer with a bachelor's degree in math who can recite the definition of a topological space from memory --- I'm . J. Wrenholt said Start here.. This is the best introduction to topology that I've found. While the book is very easy to read, I learned some very interesting mathematical concepts from it. The book partly history with some biographical information in almost every chapter. But the more important thing is the presentation of devel
You will not be disappointed."--Jeanine Daems, Mathematical Intelligencer"The book is a pleasure to read for professional mathematicians, students of mathematicians or anyone with a general interest in mathematics."--European Mathematical Society Newsletter"I found much more to like than to criticize in Euler's Gem. Winner of the 2010 Euler Book Prize, Mathematical Association of AmericaOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2009"The author has achieved a remarkable feat, introducing a naïve reader to a rich history without compromising the insights and without leaving out a delicious detail. It was a pleasure reading this book, and I recommend it to everyone who is not afraid of mathematical arguments and has ever wondered what this field of 'rubbersheet geometry' is about. I recommend it both to professional mathematicians and to their seatmates."--Jeremy L. Furthermore, he describes the development
Richeson is associate professor of mathematics at Dickinson College. David S.
In 1750, Euler observed that any polyhedron composed of V vertices, E edges, and F faces satisfies the equation V-E+F=2. 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. 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.. 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. Yet Euler's formula is so simple it can be explained to a child. Using wonderful examples and numerous illustrations, Richeson presents the formula'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. David Richeson tells how the Greeks missed the formula entirely; how Descartes almost discovered it but fell short; how nineteenth-century mathematicians widened the formula's scope in ways that Euler never envisioned by adapting it for use with doughnut shapes, smooth surfaces, and higher dimension