The Spirit of Mathematics

Algebra and All That
Erscheinungsjahr 2023
ISBN: 978-0-19-284508-5
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 192 Seiten, Format (B × H): 135 mm x 203 mm, Gewicht: 268 g

What makes mathematics so special?

Whether you have anxious memories of the subject from school, or solve quadratic equations for fun, David Acheson's book will make you look at mathematics afresh. Following on from his previous bestsellers, The Calculus Story and The Wonder Book of Geometry, here Acheson highlights the power of algebra, combining it with arithmetic and geometry to capture the spirit of mathematics. This short book encompasses an astonishing array of ideas and concepts, from number tricks and magic squares to infinite series and imaginary numbers.

Acheson's enthusiasm is infectious, and, as ever, a sense of quirkiness and fun pervades the book. But it also seeks to crystallize what is special about mathematics: the delight of discovery; the importance of proof; and the joy of contemplating an elegant solution. Using only the simplest of materials, it conjures up the depth and the magic of the subject.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Acheson, David

Fachgebiete

• Mathematik | Informatik Mathematik Algebra
• Mathematik | Informatik Mathematik Mathematik Allgemein Populäre Darstellungen der Mathematik
• Mathematik | Informatik Mathematik Mathematik Allgemein Geschichte der Mathematik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

- 1: Introduction

- 2: Whatever Happened to A, B, and C?

- 3: The 1089 Trick

- 4: Another Kind of Magic

- 5: Just Imagine.

- 6: A Most Unusual Lecture

- 7: Why are Mathematicians Obsessed by Proof?

- 8: Puzzling Mathematics

- 9: Why Does (-1) × (-1) = +1?

- 10: It's a Square World

- 11: Algebra in Action

- 12: 'Compleating the Square'

- 13: Slices of Pi

- 14: The Golden Ratio

- 15: Proof by Chocolate

- 16: The Puzzled Farmer

- 17: Mathematics and Snooker

- 18: The Wicked Schoolteacher

- 19: Trains, Boats, and Planes

- 20: I've Seen That Before, Somewhere.

- 21: An Apple Falls.

- 22: Rollercoaster Mathematics

- 23: The Electric Guitar Revisited

- 24: The Domino Effect

- 25: Real or Imaginary?

- 26: The Square Root of Minus One

- 27: Inspector Riemann Investigates.

- 28: Infinite Danger

- 29: 1 + 1 to the Rescue!

- 30: And Finally.

- Notes and references

- Further Reading

- Index

Über Autor(innen)

David Acheson is Emeritus Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, and was the University's first winner of a National Teaching Fellowship in 2004. He was President of the Mathematical Association from 2010 to 2011, and now lectures widely on mathematics to young people and the general public. In 2013, Acheson was awarded an Honorary D.Sc. by the University of East Anglia for his outstanding work in the popularisation of mathematics. His books include 1089 and All That (OUP, 2002), The Calculus Story, (OUP, 2017), and The Wonder Book of Geometry, (OUP, 2020).