Author: Lynn Gamwell
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691165289
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 576
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Book Description
This is a cultural history of mathematics and art, from antiquity to the present. Mathematicians and artists have long been on a quest to understand the physical world they see before them and the abstract objects they know by thought alone. Taking readers on a tour of the practice of mathematics and the philosophical ideas that drive the discipline, Lynn Gamwell points out the important ways mathematical concepts have been expressed by artists. Sumptuous illustrations of artworks and cogent math diagrams are featured in Gamwell's comprehensive exploration. Gamwell begins by describing mathematics from antiquity to the Enlightenment, including Greek, Islamic, and Asian mathematics. Then focusing on modern culture, Gamwell traces mathematicians' search for the foundations of their science, such as David Hilbert's conception of mathematics as an arrangement of meaning-free signs, as well as artists' search for the essence of their craft, such as Aleksandr Rodchenko's monochrome paintings. She shows that self-reflection is inherent to the practice of both modern mathematics and art, and that this introspection points to a deep resonance between the two fields: Kurt Gödel posed questions about the nature of mathematics in the language of mathematics and Jasper Johns asked "What is art?" in the vocabulary of art. Throughout, Gamwell describes the personalities and cultural environments of a multitude of mathematicians and artists, from Gottlob Frege and Benoît Mandelbrot to Max Bill and Xu Bing. Mathematics and Art demonstrates how mathematical ideas are embodied in the visual arts and will enlighten all who are interested in the complex intellectual pursuits, personalities, and cultural settings that connect these vast disciplines.
Author: Dan Pedoe
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486164063
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 162
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Book Description
This lighthearted work uses a variety of practical applications and puzzles to take a look at today's mathematical trends. In nine chapters, Professor Pedoe covers mathematical games, chance and choice, automatic thinking, and more.
Author: Joel David Hamkins
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262362562
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 132
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Book Description
How to write mathematical proofs, shown in fully-worked out examples. This is a companion volume Joel Hamkins's Proof and the Art of Mathematics, providing fully worked-out solutions to all of the odd-numbered exercises as well as a few of the even-numbered exercises. In many cases, the solutions go beyond the exercise question itself to the natural extensions of the ideas, helping readers learn how to approach a mathematical investigation. As Hamkins asks, "Once you have solved a problem, why not push the ideas harder to see what further you can prove with them?" These solutions offer readers examples of how to write a mathematical proofs. The mathematical development of this text follows the main book, with the same chapter topics in the same order, and all theorem and exercise numbers in this text refer to the corresponding statements of the main text.
Author: Robert Kaplan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1608198693
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 417
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Book Description
Traces the development of mathematical thinking and describes the characteristics of the "republic of numbers" in terms of humankind's fascination with, and growing knowledge of, infinity.
Author: Béla Bollobás
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139936662
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 376
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Book Description
Can a Christian escape from a lion? How quickly can a rumour spread? Can you fool an airline into accepting oversize baggage? Recreational mathematics is full of frivolous questions where the mathematician's art can be brought to bear. But play often has a purpose. In mathematics, it can sharpen skills, provide amusement, or simply surprise, and books of problems have been the stock-in-trade of mathematicians for centuries. This collection is designed to be sipped from, rather than consumed in one sitting. The questions range in difficulty: the most challenging offer a glimpse of deep results that engage mathematicians today; even the easiest prompt readers to think about mathematics. All come with solutions, many with hints, and most with illustrations. Whether you are an expert, or a beginner or an amateur mathematician, this book will delight for a lifetime.
Author: Stephen Ornes
Publisher: Sterling New York
ISBN: 9781454930440
Category : MATHEMATICS
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
The worlds of visual art and mathematics beautifully unite in this spectacular volume by award-winning writer Stephen Ornes. He explores the growing sensation of math art, presenting such pieces as a colorful crocheted representation of non-Euclidian geometry that looks like sea coral and a 65-ton, 28-foot-tall bronze sculpture covered in a space-filling curve. We learn the artist's story for every work, plus the mathematical concepts and equations behind the art.
Author: Jerry P. King
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1489963391
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 312
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Book Description
The beauty of mathematics eludes all but a small, select handful of people. This monumental classic will illuminate the aesthetic delights of mathematics for all to behold. Why should only a tiny aristocracy hold the key to appreciating the elegance of mathematics? Why should intelligent, cultured people, who can easily articulate the brilliance of Shakespeare's imagery, quake at the prospect of deciphering a simple algebraic formula? Jerry King, a mathematics professor and a poet, razes the barriers between a world of two cultures and hands us the tools for appreciating the art and treasures of this elegant discipline. In his fluid, poetic voice, he initiates us into the splendid wonders of the Mathworld. He provides us with an original framework for contemplating mathematics as art. He deepens our ultimate comprehension of art by comparing the beauty of a Rembrandt as well as a Jackson Pollock with the riches to be mined in an elegant proof. Like the great philosophers of the past, Dr. King searches for pure Truth--a quest possible today only in the realm of mathematics. With his infectious enthusiasm, he explains with utmost clarity the intellectually stimulating underpinnings of both pure and applied mathematics. He goes on to decry how our educational system has failed by perfunctorily teaching us mathematics, depriving us of the pillars of beauty upon which mathematics rests. Never before has a book spoken so eloquently to our soul in instilling an appreciation for the grandeur of mathematics. Through Dr. King, the muses of mathematics will no longer sing for others and not for us. The elegant world of mathematics awaits us all to savor.
Author: Sasho Kalajdzievski
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1584889144
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 282
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Book Description
Math and Art: An Introduction to Visual Mathematics explores the potential of mathematics to generate visually appealing objects and reveals some of the beauty of mathematics. With downloadable resources and a 16-page full-color insert, it includes numerous illustrations, computer-generated graphics, photographs, and art reproductions to demonstrate how mathematics can inspire art. Basic Math Topics and Their Visual Aspects Focusing on accessible, visually interesting, and mathematically relevant topics, the text unifies mathematics subjects through their visual and conceptual beauty. Sequentially organized according to mathematical maturity level, each chapter covers a cross section of mathematics, from fundamental Euclidean geometry, tilings, and fractals to hyperbolic geometry, platonic solids, and topology. For art students, the book stresses an understanding of the mathematical background of relatively complicated yet intriguing visual objects. For science students, it presents various elegant mathematical theories and notions. Comprehensive Material for a Math in Art Course Providing all of the material for a complete one-semester course on mathematics in art, this self-contained text shows how artistic practice with mathematics and a comprehension of mathematical concepts are needed to logically and creatively appreciate the field of mathematics.
Author: Michael Brooks
Publisher: Pantheon
ISBN: 1524748994
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 337
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Book Description
An illuminating, millennia-spanning history of the impact mathematics has had on the world, and the fascinating people who have mastered its inherent power Counting is not innate to our nature, and without education humans can rarely count past three — beyond that, it’s just “more.” But once harnessed by our ancestors, the power of numbers allowed humanity to flourish in ways that continue to lead to discoveries and enrich our lives today. Ancient tax collectors used basic numeracy to fuel the growth of early civilization, navigators used clever geometrical tricks to engage in trade and connect people across vast distances, astronomers used logarithms to unlock the secrets of the heavens, and their descendants put them to use to land us on the moon. In every case, mathematics has proved to be a greatly underappreciated engine of human progress. In this captivating, sweeping history, Michael Brooks acts as our guide through the ages. He makes the case that mathematics was one of the foundational innovations that catapulted humanity from a nomadic existence to civilization, and that it has since then been instrumental in every great leap of humankind. Here are ancient Egyptian priests, Babylonian bureaucrats, medieval architects, dueling Swiss brothers, renaissance painters, and an eccentric professor who invented the infrastructure of the online world. Their stories clearly demonstrate that the invention of mathematics was every bit as important to the human species as was the discovery of fire. From first page to last, The Art of More brings mathematics back into the heart of what it means to be human.
Author: Eugenia Cheng
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 154167250X
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 321
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Book Description
How both logical and emotional reasoning can help us live better in our post-truth world In a world where fake news stories change election outcomes, has rationality become futile? In The Art of Logic in an Illogical World, Eugenia Cheng throws a lifeline to readers drowning in the illogic of contemporary life. Cheng is a mathematician, so she knows how to make an airtight argument. But even for her, logic sometimes falls prey to emotion, which is why she still fears flying and eats more cookies than she should. If a mathematician can't be logical, what are we to do? In this book, Cheng reveals the inner workings and limitations of logic, and explains why alogic -- for example, emotion -- is vital to how we think and communicate. Cheng shows us how to use logic and alogic together to navigate a world awash in bigotry, mansplaining, and manipulative memes. Insightful, useful, and funny, this essential book is for anyone who wants to think more clearly.
