- Imprint: Profile Books
- Published: 02/02/2012
- Price: £15.99
- Format: Paperback
- Extent: 352p
- Edition Illustration Details:
- ISBN: 9781846685316
- Subject: Other,Popular Science
- Edited By: John Davey
Seventeen Equations that Changed the World
Ian Stewart
A unique history of humanity told through its seventeen defining equations; from Pythagoras to Calculus.
From Newton's Law of Gravity to the Black-Scholes model used by bankers to predict the markets, equations, are everywhere - and they are fundamental to everyday life.InSeventeen Equations that Changed the World, acclaimed mathematician Ian Stewart sets out seventeen groundbreaking equations that have altered the course of human history. He explores how Pythagoras's Theorem led to GPS and SatNav; how logarithms are applied in architecture; why imaginary numbers were important in the development of the digital camera, and what is really going on with Schrödinger's cat.Entertaining, surprising and vastly informative,Seventeen Equations that Changed the Worldis a highly original exploration - and explanation - of life on earth.Now available in paperback, this is the another brilliant and accessible popular science classic from the writer who brought you theCabinet of Mathematical CuriositiesandHoard of Mathematical Treasures.
About the Author
Ian Stewart is a Mathematics Professor at Warwick University. His many books includeMathematics of Life[9781846681981],Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities[9781846683459], andThe Science of Discworldtrilogywith Terry Pratchett. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, appears frequently on radio and television, and does research on pattern formation and network dynamics.
Reviews
'Praise forThe Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities:'Stewart has a genius for explanation ... Find a comfortable chair for some holiday puzzling: mathematics doesn't come more entertaining than this.', New Scientist
'Stewart has served up the instructive equivalent of a Michelin-starred tasting menu', Guardian
'His wondrous world of worked-out maths and joined-up thinking is radical and even romantic', Ian Finlayson, Times
'Interesting and authoritative', BBC Focus
