The Universal Book of Mathematics: From Abracadabra to Zeno's Paradoxes

by David Darling

What makes a number weird, and why, as far as anyone can tell, aren’t weird numbers odd? What do monsters, moonshine, and 24-dimensional oranges have in common? Why couldn’t Sam Loyd get a patent for his famous fifteen puzzle? What is the significance of the statement "the smallest number not nameable in under ten words"? Can one infinity be larger than another? If you are fascinated by the weird, the odd, the curious, and the just plain puzzling, it’s no wonder that you’re drawn to mathematics. And, if you can’t resist the urge to indulge these fascinations–and discover plenty of new ones while you’re at it–welcome to this book.

This unique, one-stop, A-to-Z resource is packed with more than 1,800 entries that cover everything from nuts-and-bolts math to the most arcane unsolved theorems, from profiles of notable mathematicians to intriguing puzzles, challenging games, and even math humor.

The noted astronomer and celebrated author David Darling has always been inspired by the impact of mathematics on the imagination. He has, therefore, taken this opportunity to expound on every significant number, shape, ratio, dimension, theorem, conjecture, set, and paradox in the mathematical universe. And he provides more in-depth information than the entire current crop of math dictionaries combined!

You’ll find stimulating discussions on the search for a fourth dimension and its impact on such authors as H. G. Wells and Edwin Abbott; the reality of imaginary numbers; parallel universes; and patterns in the heart of chaos. You’ll also discover the number that infects the whole of mathematics and places fundamental limits on what we can know; the "cloud" that surrounds every real number; and how to marry a sultan’s daughter.

The Universal Book of Mathematics is fully cross-referenced and brimming with all of the history, science, and numerical magic you need to make sense of everything from nothing to an infinite number of infinities. Whether you’re an amateur mathematician, a recreational math buff, or a dedicated student of numbers, this is the helpful resource, the entertaining pastime, and the indispensable reference you’ve been waiting for.

Genres: Mathematics, Nonfiction

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

There is more than one author in the database with this name. Not all books on this profile may belong to the same person.

David Darling is a science writer and astronomer. He is the author of many books, including the bestselling Equations of Eternity, and the popular online resource The Worlds of David Darling. He lives in Dundee, Scotland.

Reviews

[Ebteckar.com]

تجميع موسوعي فريد عرض فيه الكاتب المصطلحات الرياضية، والمفاهيم، والمسائل والألغاز بالإضافة إلى المخططات والصور التوضيحية إلى جانب مجموعة من السير الذاتية القصيرة لعدد من العلماء الرائدين في علم الرياضيات .

يتجول الكاتب بين سطور الكتاب في مختلف العمليات الحسابية البسيط منها والمعقد ... يوفر الكتاب تناول جديد لعلم الرياضيات يختلف عن ذلك الذي يدرس في الفصول المدرسية وبين جدران الجامعة .. يعالج الكاتب العديد من المواضيع التي لا تتوقع أن تجدها في قواميس الرياضيات الأكثر أكاديمية كالشطرنج الكلاسيكي على سبيل المثال، والجدير بالذكر أن الأسلوب البسيط للكاتب يساعد القاريء على فهم ما يتم وصفه وشرحه من مصطلحات ومفاهيم رياضية

وسواء كنت من هواة الرياضيات أو طالب متخصص في لغة الأرقام ستحظى في قراءتك لكتاب الرياضيات الموسوعي الجامع بمغامرة حافلة بكل من سحر التاريخ والعلوم، وطرائف الأعداد .. فالهدف هو تقديم خلاصة وافية غير عادية .. خيالية ورائعة لوجه الرياضيات الذي لم تتعلمه بالمدرسة


للمزيد :

http://www.ebteckar.com/index.php?opt...

[Huu]

Got clear and precise but quick reference of most of math terms

[Gabriel]

A fun peruser. Monstrous Moonshine conjecture, happy number, Klein bottle, sphericon and Dirac string trick are some of my favorite entry's.