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    How Math Explains the World: A Guide to the Power of Numbers, from Car Repair to Modern Physics
    Unavailable
    How Math Explains the World: A Guide to the Power of Numbers, from Car Repair to Modern Physics
    Unavailable
    How Math Explains the World: A Guide to the Power of Numbers, from Car Repair to Modern Physics
    Ebook416 pages7 hours

    How Math Explains the World: A Guide to the Power of Numbers, from Car Repair to Modern Physics

    By James D. Stein, Jr.

    3.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    In How Math Explains the World, mathematician Stein reveals how seemingly arcane mathematical investigations and discoveries have led to bigger, more world-shaking insights into the nature of our world. In the four main sections of the book, Stein tells the stories of the mathematical thinkers who discerned some of the most fundamental aspects of our universe. From their successes and failures, delusions, and even duels, the trajectories of their innovations—and their impact on society—are traced in this fascinating narrative. Quantum mechanics, space-time, chaos theory and the workings of complex systems, and the impossibility of a "perfect" democracy are all here. Stein's book is both mind-bending and practical, as he explains the best way for a salesman to plan a trip, examines why any thought you could have is imbedded in the number p , and—perhaps most importantly—answers one of the modern world's toughest questions: why the garage can never get your car repaired on time.

    Friendly, entertaining, and fun, How Math Explains the World is the first book by one of California's most popular math teachers, a veteran of both "math for poets" and Princeton's Institute for Advanced Studies. And it's perfect for any reader wanting to know how math makes both science and the world tick.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMar 17, 2009
    ISBN9780061828683
    Unavailable
    How Math Explains the World: A Guide to the Power of Numbers, from Car Repair to Modern Physics
    Author

    James D. Stein, Jr.

    James D. Stein is a professor of mathematics at California State University, Long Beach. A graduate of Yale University and the University of California, Berkeley, he lives in Redondo Beach, California.

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    Reviews for How Math Explains the World

    3.5/5

    18 ratings2 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Very interesting. I know that there is more about math. just share. Thanks a lot from the deep of my hearth.
    • 4/5
      James D. Stein is a professor of mathematics at California State University at Long Beach and a very lucid popularizer of the subject. His latest book acquaints us non-mathematicians with a selection of illustrations of how math enables us to better understand the world and, in some instances, why certain problems are inherently unsolvable. Despite the subtitle, the book has very little to say about car repair; a fair amount to impart about modern physics; and a great deal to share about a few topics you might not expect to involve mathematics. Despite the subject matter, the book is not replete with equations. I found the most equation-intense chapter of the book (dealing with the general solution to cubic and quartic polynomials) to be fascinating, but not all readers will share my enthusiasm for this topic. As a rule, the author prefers (where possible) tables and arrays rather than equations to make his points. And at least for a fleeting moment, you will think you understand the concept of entropy and the second law of thermodynamics.Highly recommended for the non-mathematician who wants a taste of what math pros do for a living. (JAB)