Books by Ian Stewart
The Annotated Flatland: A Romance Of Many Dimensions
by Ian Stewart
Presents Abbott's examination of the concepts of space, time, and dimension, along with commentary about the work.
Copies
No copies available.
The Beauty of Numbers in Nature: Mathematical Patterns and Principles from the Natural World (The MIT Press)
by Ian Stewart
From a zebra's stripes to a spider's web: an engaging examination of patterns in nature and the mathematics that underlie them.
From a zebra's stripes to a spider's web, from sand dunes to snowflakes, nature is full of patterns underlaid by mathematical principles. In The Beauty of Numbers in Nature, Ian Stewart shows how life forms from the principles of mathematics. Each chapter in The Beauty of Numbers in Nature explores a different kind of patterning system and its mathematical underpinnings. In doing do, the book also uncovers some universal patterns—both in nature and made by humans—from the basic geometry of ancient Greece to the complexities of fractals.
Stewart draws on a wide range of sources to examine the mathematics of patterns: the Pythagoreans' obsession with numbers as the philosophical basis of the universe; a great mathematician who wondered about how a violin makes music; a clerk in a patent office who realized that space and time can get mixed together; a maverick mathematician who questioned why nature spurns such regular geometric shapes as spheres and cylinders in favor of jagged lightning bolts, asymmetrically branching trees, and the uneven terrain of mountainsides.
The book begins with a simple and often-asked question about the shape and individual uniqueness of snowflakes. How can such a strange mixture of regularity and irregularity exist in a tiny bit of frozen water? By the end of the book, readers will have learned that mathematical patterns can come in many guises, some of which don't resemble patterns at all.
Copies
No copies available.
How to Cut a Cake: And Other Mathematical Conundrums
by Ian Stewart
Welcome back to Ian Stewart's magical world of mathematics! Here are twenty more curious puzzles and fantastical mathematical stories from one of the world's most popular and accessible writers on mathematics. This is a strange world of never-ending chess games, empires on the moon, furious fireflies, and, of course, disputes over how best to cut a cake. Each chapter--with titles such as, "How to Play Poker By Post" and "Repealing the Law of Averages"--presents a fascinating mathematical puzzle that is challenging, fun, and introduces the reader to a significant mathematical problem in an engaging and witty way. Illustrated with clever and quirky cartoons, each tale will delight those who love puzzles and mathematical conundrums.
Copies
No copies available.
Cows in the Maze: And Other Mathematical Explorations
by Ian Stewart
Following on the success of his books Math Hysteria and How to Cut a Cake, Ian Stewart is back with more stories and puzzles that are as quirky as they are fascinating, and each from the cutting edge of the world of mathematics.
From the math of mazes, to cones with a twist, and the amazing sphericon--and how to make one--Cows in the Maze takes readers on an exhilarating tour of the world of mathematics. We find out about the mathematics of time travel, explore the shape of teardrops (which are not tear-drop shaped, but something much, much more strange), dance with dodecahedra, and play the game of Hex, among many more strange and delightful mathematical diversions. In the title essay, Stewart introduces readers to Robert Abbott's mind-bending "Where Are the Cows?" maze, which changes every time you pass through it, and is said to be the most difficult maze ever invented. In addition, he shows how a 90-year old woman and a computer scientist cracked a long-standing question about counting magic squares, describes the mathematical patterns in animal movement (walk, trot, gallop), looks at a fusion of art, mathematics, and the physics of sand piles, and reveals how mathematicians can--and do--prove a negative.
Populated by amazing creatures, strange characters, and astonishing mathematics explained in an accessible and fun way, and illustrated with quirky cartoons by artist Spike Gerrell, Cows in the Maze will delight everyone who loves mathematics, puzzles and mathematical conundrums.
Copies
No copies available.
Professor Stewart's Hoard of Mathematical Treasures
by Ian Stewart
Opening another drawer in his Cabinet of Curiosities, renowned mathematics professor Ian Stewart presents a new medley of games, paradoxes, and riddles in Professor Stewart's Hoard of Mathematical Treasures. With wit and aplomb, Stewart mingles casual puzzles with grander forays into ancient and modern mathematical thought.
Amongst a host of arcane and astonishing facts about every kind of number from irrational and imaginary to complex and cuneiform, we learn: How to organize chaos How matter balances anti-matter How to turn a sphere inside out (without creasing it) How to calculate pi by observing the stars . . . and why you can't comb a hairy ball.
Along the way Stewart offers the reader tantalizing glimpses of the mathematics underlying life and the universe. Mind-stretching, enlightening, and endlessly amusing, Professor Stewart's Hoard of Mathematical Treasures will stimulate, delight, and enthrall.
Copies
No copies available.
Professor Stewart's Casebook of Mathematical Mysteries
by Ian Stewart
Acclaimed writer and mathematician Ian Stewart's third miscellany of mathematical curios and conundrums.
In Professor Stewart's Casebook of Mathematical Mysteries, acclaimed mathematician Ian Stewart presents an enticing collection of mathematical curios and conundrums. With a new puzzle on each page, this compendium of brainteasers will both teach and delight.
Guided by stalwart detective Hemlock Soames and his sidekick, Dr. John Watsup, readers will delve into almost two hundred mathematical problems, puzzles, and facts. Tackling subjects from mathematical dates (such as Pi Day), what we don't know about primes, and why the Earth is round, this clever, mind-expanding book demonstrates the power and fun inherent in mathematics.
Copies
No copies available.
Professor Stewart's Incredible Numbers
by Ian Stewart
Renowned mathematician Ian Stewart uses remarkable (and some unremarkable) numbers to introduce readers to the beauty of mathematics.
At its heart, mathematics is about numbers, our fundamental tools for understanding the world. In Professor Stewart's Incredible Numbers, Ian Stewart offers a delightful introduction to the numbers that surround us, from the common (Pi and 2) to the uncommon but no less consequential (1.059463 and 43,252,003,274,489,856,000). Along the way, Stewart takes us through prime numbers, cubic equations, the concept of zero, the possible positions on the Rubik's Cube, the role of numbers in human history, and beyond! An unfailingly genial guide, Stewart brings his characteristic wit and erudition to bear on these incredible numbers, offering an engaging primer on the principles and power of math.
Copies
No copies available.
Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities
by Ian Stewart
Knowing that the most exciting math is not taught in school, Professor Ian Stewart has spent years filling his cabinet with intriguing mathematical games, puzzles, stories, and factoids intended for the adventurous mind. This book reveals the most exhilarating oddities from Professor Stewart's legendary cabinet.
Inside, you will find hidden gems of logic, geometry, and probability-like how to extract a cherry from a cocktail glass (harder than you think), a pop-up dodecahedron, and the real reason why you can't divide anything by zero. Scattered among these are keys to Fermat's last theorem, the Poincaréonjecture, chaos theory, and the P=NP problem (you'll win a million dollars if you solve it). You never know what enigmas you'll find in the Stewart cabinet, but they're sure to be clever, mind-expanding, and delightfully fun.
Copies
No copies available.
Letters to a Young Mathematician (Art of Mentoring (Paperback))
by Ian Stewart
The first scientific entry in the acclaimed Art of Mentoring series from Basic Books, Letters to a Young Mathematician tells readers what Ian Stewart wishes he had known when he was a student and young faculty member. Subjects ranging from the philosophical to the practical -- what mathematics is and why it's worth doing, the relationship between logic and proof, the role of beauty in mathematical thinking, the future of mathematics, how to deal with the peculiarities of the mathematical community, and many others -- are dealt with in Stewart's much-admired style, which combines subtle, easygoing humor with a talent for cutting to the heart of the matter. In the tradition of G.H. Hardy's classic A Mathematician's Apology, this book is sure to be a perennial favorite with students at all levels, as well as with other readers who are curious about the frequently incomprehensible world of mathematics.
Copies
No copies available.
Why Beauty Is Truth: The History of Symmetry
by Ian Stewart
At the heart of relativity theory, quantum mechanics, string theory, and much of modern cosmology lies one concept: symmetry. In Why Beauty Is Truth, world-famous mathematician Ian Stewart narrates the history of the emergence of this remarkable area of study. Stewart introduces us to such characters as the Renaissance Italian genius, rogue, scholar, and gambler Girolamo Cardano, who stole the modern method of solving cubic equations and published it in the first important book on algebra, and the young revolutionary Evariste Galois, who refashioned the whole of mathematics and founded the field of group theory only to die in a pointless duel over a woman before his work was published. Stewart also explores the strange numerology of real mathematics, in which particular numbers have unique and unpredictable properties related to symmetry. He shows how Wilhelm Killing discovered Lie groups” with 14, 52, 78, 133, and 248 dimensions-groups whose very existence is a profound puzzle. Finally, Stewart describes the world beyond superstrings: the octonionic” symmetries that may explain the very existence of the universe.
Copies
No copies available.
Visions of Infinity: The Great Mathematical Problems
by Ian Stewart
It is one of the wonders of mathematics that, for every problem mathematicians solve, another awaits to perplex and galvanize them. Some of these problems are new, while others have puzzled and bewitched thinkers across the ages. Such challenges offer a tantalizing glimpse of the field's unlimited potential, and keep mathematicians looking toward the horizons of intellectual possibility.
In Visions of Infinity, celebrated mathematician Ian Stewart provides a fascinating overview of the most formidable problems mathematicians have vanquished, and those that vex them still. He explains why these problems exist, what drives mathematicians to solve them, and why their efforts matter in the context of science as a whole. The three-century effort to prove Fermat's last theorem -- first posited in 1630, and finally solved by Andrew Wiles in 1995 -- led to the creation of algebraic number theory and complex analysis. The Poincare conjecture, which was cracked in 2002 by the eccentric genius Grigori Perelman, has become fundamental to mathematicians' understanding of three-dimensional shapes. But while mathematicians have made enormous advances in recent years, some problems continue to baffle us. Indeed, the Riemann hypothesis, which Stewart refers to as the "Holy Grail of pure mathematics," and the P/NP problem, which straddles mathematics and computer science, could easily remain unproved for another hundred years.
An approachable and illuminating history of mathematics as told through fourteen of its greatest problems, Visions of Infinity reveals how mathematicians the world over are rising to the challenges set by their predecessors -- and how the enigmas of the past inevitably surrender to the powerful techniques of the present.
Copies
No copies available.
Visions of Infinity: The Great Mathematical Problems
by Ian Stewart
It is one of the wonders of mathematics that, for every problem mathematicians solve, another awaits to perplex and galvanize them. Some of these problems are new, while others have puzzled and bewitched thinkers across the ages. Such challenges offer a tantalizing glimpse of the field's unlimited potential, and keep mathematicians looking toward the horizons of intellectual possibility.
In Visions of Infinity, celebrated mathematician Ian Stewart provides a fascinating overview of the most formidable problems mathematicians have vanquished, and those that vex them still. He explains why these problems exist, what drives mathematicians to solve them, and why their efforts matter in the context of science as a whole. The three-century effort to prove Fermat's last theoremfirst posited in 1630, and finally solved by Andrew Wiles in 1995led to the creation of algebraic number theory and complex analysis. The Poincaré conjecture, which was cracked in 2002 by the eccentric genius Grigori Perelman, has become fundamental to mathematicians' understanding of three-dimensional shapes. But while mathematicians have made enormous advances in recent years, some problems continue to baffle us. Indeed, the Riemann hypothesis, which Stewart refers to as the Holy Grail of pure mathematics,” and the P/NP problem, which straddles mathematics and computer science, could easily remain unproved for another hundred years.
An approachable and illuminating history of mathematics as told through fourteen of its greatest problems, Visions of Infinity reveals how mathematicians the world over are rising to the challenges set by their predecessorsand how the enigmas of the past inevitably surrender to the powerful techniques of the present.
Copies
No copies available.
In Pursuit of the Unknown: 17 Equations That Changed the World
by Ian Stewart
The seventeen equations that form the basis for life as we know it.
Most people are familiar with history's great equations: Newton's Law of Gravity, for instance, or Einstein's theory of relativity. But the way these mathematical breakthroughs have contributed to human progress is seldom appreciated. In In Pursuit of the Unknown, celebrated mathematician Ian Stewart untangles the roots of our most important mathematical statements to show that equations have long been a driving force behind nearly every aspect of our lives.
Using seventeen of our most crucial equations -- including the Wave Equation that allowed engineers to measure a building's response to earthquakes, saving countless lives, and the Black-Scholes model, used by bankers to track the price of financial derivatives over time -- Stewart illustrates that many of the advances we now take for granted were made possible by mathematical discoveries.
An approachable, lively, and informative guide to the mathematical building blocks of modern life, In Pursuit of the Unknown is a penetrating exploration of how we have also used equations to make sense of, and in turn influence, our world.
Copies
No copies available.
In Pursuit of the Unknown: 17 Equations That Changed the World
by Ian Stewart
In In Pursuit Of The Unknown, Celebrated Mathematician Ian Stewart Uses A Handful Of Mathematical Equations To Explore The Vitally Important Connections Between Math And Human Progress. We Often Overlook The Historical Link Between Mathematics And Technological Advances, Says Stewart--but This Connection Is Integral To Any Complete Understanding Of Human History. Equations Are Modeled On The Patterns We Find In The World Around Us, Says Stewart, And It Is Through Equations That We Are Able To Make Sense Of, And In Turn Influence, Our World. Stewart Locates The Origins Of Each Equation He Presents--from Pythagoras's Theorem To Newton's Law Of Gravity To Einstein's Theory Of Relativity--within A Particular Historical Moment, Elucidating The Development Of Mathematical And Philosophical Thought Necessary For Each Equation's Discovery. None Of These Equations Emerged In A Vacuum, Stewart Shows; Each Drew, In Some Way, On Past Equations And The Thinking Of The Day. In Turn, All Of These Equations Paved The Way For Major Developments In Mathematics, Science, Philosophy, And Technology. Without Logarithms (invented In The Early 17th Century By John Napier And Improved By Henry Briggs), Scientists Would Not Have Been Able To Calculate The Movement Of The Planets, And Mathematicians Would Not Have Been Able To Develop Fractal Geometry. The Wave Equation Is One Of The Most Important Equations In Physics, And Is Crucial For Engineers Studying The Vibrations In Vehicles And The Response Of Buildings To Earthquakes. And The Equation At The Heart Of Information Theory, Devised By Claude Shannon, Is The Basis Of Digital Communication Today. An Approachable And Informative Guide To The Equations Upon Which Nearly Every Aspect Of Scientific And Mathematical Understanding Depends, In Pursuit Of The Unknown Is Also A Reminder That Equations Have Profoundly Influenced Our Thinking And Continue To Make Possible Many Of The Advances That We Take For Granted. Why Equations? -- The Squaw Of The Hippopotamus : Pythagoras's Theorem -- Shortening The Proceedings : Logarithms -- Ghosts Of Departed Quantities : Calculus -- The System Of The World : Newton's Law Of Gravity -- Portent Of The Ideal World : The Sqaure Root Of Minus One -- Much Ado About Knotting : Euler's Formula For Polyhedra -- Patterns Of Chance : Normal Distribution -- Good Vibrations : Wave Equation -- Ripples And Blips : Fourier Transform -- The Ascent Of Humanity : Navier-stokes Equation -- Waves In The Ether : Maxwell's Equations -- Law And Disorder : Second Law Of Thermodynamics -- One Thing Is Absolute : Relativity -- Quantum Weirdness : Schrödinger Equation -- Codes, Communications, And Computers : Information Theory -- The Imbalance Of Nature : Chaos Theory -- The Midas Formula : Black-scholes Equation -- What Next? Ian Stewart. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [321]-330) And Index.
Copies
No copies available.
Calculating the Cosmos: How Mathematics Unveils the Universe
by Ian Stewart
A prize-winning popular science writer uses mathematical modeling to explain the cosmos.
In Calculating the Cosmos, Ian Stewart presents an exhilarating guide to the cosmos, from our solar system to the entire universe. He describes the architecture of space and time, dark matter and dark energy, how galaxies form, why stars implode, how everything began, and how it's all going to end. He considers parallel universes, the fine-tuning of the cosmos for life, what forms extraterrestrial life might take, and the likelihood of life on Earth being snuffed out by an asteroid.
Beginning with the Babylonian integration of mathematics into the study of astronomy and cosmology, Stewart traces the evolution of our understanding of the cosmos: How Kepler's laws of planetary motion led Newton to formulate his theory of gravity. How, two centuries later, tiny irregularities in the motion of Mars inspired Einstein to devise his general theory of relativity. How, eighty years ago, the discovery that the universe is expanding led to the development of the Big Bang theory of its origins. How single-point origin and expansion led cosmologists to theorize new components of the universe, such as inflation, dark matter, and dark energy. But does inflation explain the structure of today's universe? Does dark matter actually exist? Could a scientific revolution that will challenge the long-held scientific orthodoxy and once again transform our understanding of the universe be on the way? In an exciting and engaging style, Calculating the Cosmos is a mathematical quest through the intricate realms of astronomy and cosmology.
Copies
No copies available.
The Mathematics of Life
by Ian Stewart
Biologists have long dismissed mathematics as being unable to meaningfully contribute to our understanding of living beings. Within the past ten years, however, mathematicians have proven that they hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of our world -- and ourselves.
In The Mathematics of Life, Ian Stewart provides a fascinating overview of the vital but little-recognized role mathematics has played in pulling back the curtain on the hidden complexities of the natural world -- and how its contribution will be even more vital in the years ahead. In his characteristically clear and entertaining fashion, Stewart explains how mathematicians and biologists have come to work together on some of the most difficult scientific problems that the human race has ever tackled, including the nature and origin of life itself.
Copies
No copies available.
The Science of Discworld: A Novel (Science of Discworld Series)
by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen
Not just another science book and not just another Discworld novella, The Science of Discworld is a creative, mind-bending mash-up of fiction and fact, that offers a wizard’s-eye view of our world that will forever change how you look at the universe.
Can Unseen University’s eccentric wizards and orangutan Librarian possibly shed any useful light on hard, rational Earthly science?
In the course of an exciting experiment, the wizards of Discworld have accidentally created a new universe. Within this universe is a planet that they name Roundworld. Roundworld is, of course, Earth, and the universe is our own. As the wizards watch their creation grow, Terry Pratchett and acclaimed science writers Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen use Discworld to examine science from the outside. Interwoven with the Pratchett’s original story are entertaining, enlightening chapters which explain key scientific principles such as the Big Bang theory and the evolution of life on earth, as well as great moments in the history of science.
Copies
No copies available.
Darwin's Watch: The Science of Discworld III
by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen
When Charles Darwin writes the wrong book and reverses the progress of science, Unseen University’s wizards must once again save Roundworld (Earth, that is) from an apocalyptic end.
Ever since a wizardly experiment inadvertently brought about the creation of Roundworld, the wizard scholars of Unseen University have done their best to put things on the right course. In Darwin's Watch they may face their greatest challenge yet: A man called Darwin has written a bestselling book called The Theology of the Species, and his theory of scientific design has been witlessly embraced by Victorian society. As a result, scientific progress has slowed to a crawl, and the wizards must find a way to change history back to the way it should have been.
DARWIN'S WATCH EXPLORES THE REVERBERATIONS of major scientific advances on our planet and our culture, the dangers of obscurantism, and the theory of evolution as you have never seen it before. This brilliant addition to Pratchett's beloved Discworld series illustrates with great wit and wisdom how the laws of our universe truly are stranger than fiction.
Copies
No copies available.
What's the Use?: How Mathematics Shapes Everyday Life
by Ian Stewart
See the world in a completely new way as an esteemed mathematician shows how math powers the world—from technology to health care and beyond.
Almost all of us have sat in a math class, wondering when we'd ever need to know how to find the roots of a polynomial or graph imaginary numbers. And in one sense, we were right: if we needed to, we'd use a computer. But as Ian Stewart argues in What's the Use?, math isn't just about boring computations. Rather, it offers us new and profound insights into our world, allowing us to accomplish feats as significant as space exploration and organ donation. From the trigonometry that keeps a satellite in orbit to the prime numbers used by the world's most advanced security systems to the imaginary numbers that enable augmented reality, math isn't just relevant to our lives. It is the very fabric of our existence.
Copies
No copies available.
Do Dice Play God?: The Mathematics of Uncertainty
by Ian Stewart
A celebrated mathematician explores how math helps us make sense of the unpredictable
We would like to believe we can know things for certain. We want to be able to figure out who will win an election, if the stock market will crash, or if a suspect definitely committed a crime. But the odds are not in our favor. Life is full of uncertainty --- indeed, scientific advances indicate that the universe might be fundamentally inexact --- and humans are terrible at guessing. When asked to predict the outcome of a chance event, we are almost always wrong.
Thankfully, there is hope. As award-winning mathematician Ian Stewart reveals, over the course of history, mathematics has given us some of the tools we need to better manage the uncertainty that pervades our lives. From forecasting, to medical research, to figuring out how to win Let's Make a Deal, Do Dice Play God? is a surprising and satisfying tour of what we can know, and what we never will.
Copies
No copies available.
Symmetry: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
by Ian Stewart
Symmetry is an immensely important concept in mathematics and throughout the sciences. In this Very Short Introduction, Ian Stewart demonstrates symmetry's deep implications, showing how it even plays a major role in the current search to unify relativity and quantum theory. Stewart, a respected mathematician as well as a widely known popular-science and science-fiction writer, brings to this volume his deep knowledge of the subject and his gift for conveying science to general readers with clarity and humor. He describes how symmetry's applications range across the entire field of mathematics and how symmetry governs the structure of crystals, innumerable types of pattern formation, and how systems change their state as parameters vary. Symmetry is also highly visual, with applications that include animal markings, locomotion, evolutionary biology, elastic buckling, waves, the shape of the Earth, and the form of galaxies. Fundamental physics is governed by symmetries in the laws of nature--Einstein's point that the laws should be the same at all locations and all times.
About the Series:
Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library. Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.
Copies
No copies available.
Math Hysteria: Fun and Games with Mathematics
by Ian Stewart
Welcome to Ian Stewart's strange and magical world of mathematics! Math Hysteria contains twenty quirky tales of mathematical exploration by one of the world's most popular writers on mathematics. Ian Stewart presents us with a wealth of magical puzzles, each one spun around an amazing tale, including "Counting the Cattle of the Sun," "The Great Drain Robbery," and "Preposterous Piratical Predicaments." Fully illustrated with explanatory diagrams, each tale is told with engaging wit, sure to amuse everyone with an interest in puzzles and mathematics. Along the way, we also meet many curious characters. Containing twenty specially-commissioned cartoons, this book will delight all who are familiar with Stewart's many other books, such as What Shape is a Snowflake? and Flatterland and anyone interested in mathematical problems. In short, these stories are engaging, challenging, and lots of fun!
Copies
No copies available.
Calculating the Cosmos
by Ian Stewart
A prize-winning popular science writer uses mathematical modeling to explain the cosmos.
In Calculating the Cosmos, Ian Stewart presents an exhilarating guide to the cosmos, from our solar system to the entire universe. He describes the architecture of space and time, dark matter and dark energy, how galaxies form, why stars implode, how everything began, and how it's all going to end. He considers parallel universes, the fine-tuning of the cosmos for life, what forms extraterrestrial life might take, and the likelihood of life on Earth being snuffed out by an asteroid.
Beginning with the Babylonian integration of mathematics into the study of astronomy and cosmology, Stewart traces the evolution of our understanding of the cosmos: How Kepler's laws of planetary motion led Newton to formulate his theory of gravity. How, two centuries later, tiny irregularities in the motion of Mars inspired Einstein to devise his general theory of relativity. How, eighty years ago, the discovery that the universe is expanding led to the development of the Big Bang theory of its origins. How single-point origin and expansion led cosmologists to theorize new components of the universe, such as inflation, dark matter, and dark energy. But does inflation explain the structure of today's universe? Does dark matter actually exist? Could a scientific revolution that will challenge the long-held scientific orthodoxy and once again transform our understanding of the universe be on the way? In an exciting and engaging style, Calculating the Cosmos is a mathematical quest through the intricate realms of astronomy and cosmology.
Copies
No copies available.
Significant Figures: The Lives and Work of Great Mathematicians
by Ian Stewart
A celebrated mathematician traces the history of math through the lives and work of twenty-five pioneering mathematicians
In Significant Figures, acclaimed mathematician Ian Stewart explores the work of 25 of history's most important mathematicians, showing how they developed on each other's work and built the mathematics we use today.
Through these short biographies, we get acquainted with the history of mathematics from Archimedes to William Thurston, and learn about those too often left out of the cannon, such as Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, the creator of algebra; Ada Lovelace, the world's first computer programmer; and Emmy Noether, whose research on symmetry paved the way for modern physics.
Tracing the evolution of mathematics over the course of two millennia, Significant Figures will educate and delight aspiring mathematicians and experts alike.
Copies
No copies available.
Judgment Day Science of Discworld IV: A Novel
by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen
The wizards of Unseen University are again called upon to defend their creation, Roundworld, this time in a courtroom—where its very existence hangs in the balance.
The Omnians fervently believe that the world is round, not flat, and view the discovery of Roundworld as a vindication of their faith. To leave this artifact in the hands of the wizards would be unacceptable. Not only do the academics hold that Discworld is flat, but by creating the Roundworld universe, they have elevated themselves to the level of gods. Ankh-Morpork’s venerable tyrant Lord Vetinari agrees to a tribunal, where the wizards Ridcully, Rincewind, and Ponder Stibbons can present their case—with key assistance from a Roundworld librarian named Marjorie Daw.
JUDGMENT DAY weaves together explorations of such Earthly topics as big science, creation, subatomic particles, the existence of dark matter, and the psychology of belief--a treat for Discworld fans and readers of popular science alike.
Copies
No copies available.
How to Read Bridges: A Crash Course In Engineering and Architecture
by Ian Stewart, Edward Denison
This accessible book is a visual guide to understanding and identifying architectural styles and engineering techniques of all types of bridges, from ancient Roman arch bridges and nineteenth-century truss bridges prevalent in the United States, to the latest high-design cantilever and suspension bridges of the moment. It explores the elegant and varied ways in which engineers and architects have designed ever longer yet less heavy bridges, devising new methods of construction along the way.
Illustrated throughout with detailed line drawings and cross sections, including dramatic images of the world’s iconic bridges, this charming guide still fits in a pocket or purse—perfect for anyone who likes to explore the dynamic bridges and built environment on foot.
Copies
No copies available.
Infinity: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
by Ian Stewart
Infinity is an intriguing topic, with connections to religion, philosophy, metaphysics, logic, and physics as well as mathematics. Its history goes back to ancient times, with especially important contributions from Euclid, Aristotle, Eudoxus, and Archimedes. The infinitely large (infinite) is intimately related to the infinitely small (infinitesimal). Cosmologists consider sweeping questions about whether space and time are infinite. Philosophers and mathematicians ranging from Zeno to Russell have posed numerous paradoxes about infinity and infinitesimals. Many vital areas of mathematics rest upon some version of infinity. The most obvious, and the first context in which major new techniques depended on formulating infinite processes, is calculus. But there are many others, for example Fourier analysis and fractals.
In this Very Short Introduction, Ian Stewart discusses infinity in mathematics while also drawing in the various other aspects of infinity and explaining some of the major problems and insights arising from this concept. He argues that working with infinity is not just an abstract, intellectual exercise but that it is instead a concept with important practical everyday applications, and considers how mathematicians use infinity and infinitesimals to answer questions or supply techniques that do not appear to involve the infinite.
Copies
No copies available.
The Celts A Modern History
by Ian Stewart
A new history of the Celts that reveals how this once-forgotten people became a pillar of modern national identity in Britain, Ireland, and France
Before the Greeks and Romans, the Celts ruled the ancient world. They sacked Rome, invaded Greece, and conquered much of Europe, from Ireland to Turkey. Celts registered deeply on the classical imagination for a thousand years and were variously described by writers like Caesar and Livy as unruly barbarians, fearless warriors, and gracious hosts. But then, in the early Middle Ages, they vanished. In The Celts, Ian Stewart tells the story of their rediscovery during the Renaissance and their transformation over the next few centuries into one of the most popular European ancestral peoples.
The Celts shows how the idea of this ancient people was recovered by scholars, honed by intellectuals, politicians, and other thinkers of various stripes, and adopted by cultural revivalists and activists as they tried to build European nations and nationalisms during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Long-forgotten, the Celts improbably came to be seen as the ancestors of most western Europeans—and as a pillar of modern national identity in Britain, Ireland, and France.
Based on new research conducted across Europe and in the United States, The Celts reveals when and how we came to call much of Europe “Celtic,” why this idea mattered in the past, and why it still matters today, as the tide of nationalism is once again on the rise.
Copies
No copies available.
Reaching for the Extreme How the Quest for the Biggest, Fewest, and Weirdest Makes Math
by Ian Stewart
From bestselling author and mathematician Ian Stewart, the fascinating story of the extreme problems that have driven math forward from antiquity to today
Many of the deepest and most important areas of mathematics have emerged from questions about extremes—the shortest path between two points on a curved surface, the smallest area spanning a wire, or the fewest colors needed to make a map. Mathematicians have been pushing restlessly toward extremes for thousands of years. The isoperimetric problem, for example—which asks for the shortest route enclosing a given area—can be traced to ancient Carthage. By contrast, it was only in 2017 that the densest ways to pack identical spheres into a 24-dimensional space was proven. In Reaching for the Extreme, bestselling author Ian Stewart, one of the world’s most popular writers on mathematics, presents a dazzling, wide-ranging tour of math’s outer limits.
Stewart tells the stories of sixteen superlative problems—their history, the struggles to solve them, and the uses of some of the results. From the biggest number to the smallest, the fastest fall to the weirdest symmetry, and the best fold to the shortest proof, these questions are either pure thought experiments or are motivated by real-world challenges. The Plateau problem, about the geometry of soap bubbles, led to the notion of a minimal surface—now used in cosmology, biology, and other fields. Meanwhile, the 2023 discovery of a single tile shape that covers the infinite plane without repeating the same pattern has no application—yet.
Reaching for the Extreme illuminates how mathematicians drive knowledge forward by reaching for the edges and solving some of the world’s most fascinating problems.
Copies
No copies available.