000			02788nam a2200277 a 4500
001			4036
003			CUTN
005			20130610121605.0
008			931130s1994 nyua b 00100 eng
010			_a93046702
020			_a0471536563 (acidfree paper) _c: $22.95
035			_a6904499
040			_aDLC _cDLC _dDLC
050	0	0	_aQA21 _b.D785 1994
090			_aQA21 _bDun
100	1	0	_aDunham, William _d, 1947- _zDUN
245	1	4	_aThe mathematical universe _b: an alphabetical journey through the great proofs, problems, and personalities _c/ William Dunham.
260	0		_aNew York _b: Wiley & Sons _c, c1994.
300			_avi, 314 p. _b: ill. _c; 25 cm.
504			_aIncludes bibliographical references (p. 297-307) and index.
520			_aFrom the simple elegance of the Pythagorean theorem to the looking-glass world of Russell's Paradox and the summed infinities of integral calculus, experience the beauty and majesty of the mathematical universe. William Dunham, author of the popular Journey Through Genius, will give you a rare sampling of its joys. Writing in his trademark razor-sharp style, Dunham introduces a tantalizing selection of the great proofs, notorious disputes, and intriguing unsolved mysteries. Subjects range from the golden age of Greek geometry to the furthest frontier of infinite series. In chapters spanning the field from A to Z, discover the marvels of the Monte Carlo Method and the ancient riddle of Dido's Problem. Scale the heights of the Himalayas with famed surveyor Sir George Everest and puzzle over the fascinating conundrum of Fermat's Last Theorem. Dunham explores more than five thousand years of mathematical history, digging into the earliest records in Egypt, Babylon, India, and China, and turning up surprising tales and tidbits from modern times. All along the way, Dunham portrays the great masters of math at their work. In colorful anecdotes, the brilliant - often eccentric - luminaries chart the course of mathematical progress. Among them are the battling Bernoulli brothers, Jakob and Johann, who worked tirelessly to one-up each other's theorems; the famed Isaac Newton and largely forgotten Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who independently and virtually simultaneously discovered "the calculus"; and the exceptionally determined genius Sofia Kovalevskaia, who discovered the rules of trigonometry for herself when she was left without instruction. Your passport to rich rewards, The Mathematical Universe is accessible to any reader with a basic knowledge of algebra and geometry. You will come away from this exhilarating book with a keen sense of the power and splendor of the magical mathematical world.
650		0	_aMathematics _xHistory.
650		0	_aMathematicians _xHistory.
942			_2ddc _cBOOKS
999			_c3929 _d3929