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Meta Math!: The Quest for Omega
Gregory Chaitin, one of the world’s foremost mathematicians, leads us on a spellbinding journey, illuminating the process by which he arrived at his groundbreaking theory.
Chaitin’s revolutionary discovery, the Omega number, is an exquisitely complex representation of unknowability in mathematics. His investigations shed light on what we can ultimately know about the universe and the very nature of life. In an infectious and enthusiastic narrative, Chaitin delineates the specific intellectual and intuitive steps he took toward the discovery. He takes us to the very frontiers of scientific thinking, and helps us to appreciate the art—and the sheer beauty—in the science of math.
Chaitin’s revolutionary discovery, the Omega number, is an exquisitely complex representation of unknowability in mathematics. His investigations shed light on what we can ultimately know about the universe and the very nature of life. In an infectious and enthusiastic narrative, Chaitin delineates the specific intellectual and intuitive steps he took toward the discovery. He takes us to the very frontiers of scientific thinking, and helps us to appreciate the art—and the sheer beauty—in the science of math.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Gregory Chaitin
23 books44 followersGregory Chaitin is widely known for his work on metamathematics and for his discovery of the celebrated Omega number, which proved the fundamental unknowability of math. He is the author of many books on mathematics, including Meta Math! The Quest for Omega. Proving Darwin is his first book on biology. Chaitin was for many years at the IBM Watson Research Center in New York. The research described in this book was carried out at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, where Chaitin is now a professor. An Argentine-American, he is an honorary professor at the University of Buenos Aires and has an honorary doctorate from the National University of Cordoba, the oldest university in Argentina.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
January 9, 2021
L’auteur présente clairement le cheminement qui l’a amené à définir la fameuse constante Oméga de Chaitin et dans quel contexte ce cheminement a eu lieu
Il expose quelques réflexions personnelles sur l’ordinateur et les changements qu’il a permis
C’était un livre très intéressant tant sur le contenu mathématique (et métamathématique) qui y est détaillé que sur les implications philosophiques soulevés par ce contenu
Je le recommande vivement aux amateurs de mathématiques
Il expose quelques réflexions personnelles sur l’ordinateur et les changements qu’il a permis
C’était un livre très intéressant tant sur le contenu mathématique (et métamathématique) qui y est détaillé que sur les implications philosophiques soulevés par ce contenu
Je le recommande vivement aux amateurs de mathématiques
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review