Sacred Mathematics

Sacred Mathematics
Author: Fukagawa Hidetoshi
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 392
Release: 2021-08-10
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1400829712

Between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries Japan was totally isolated from the West by imperial decree. During that time, a unique brand of homegrown mathematics flourished, one that was completely uninfluenced by developments in Western mathematics. People from all walks of life--samurai, farmers, and merchants--inscribed a wide variety of geometry problems on wooden tablets called sangaku and hung them in Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines throughout Japan. Sacred Mathematics is the first book published in the West to fully examine this tantalizing--and incredibly beautiful--mathematical tradition. Fukagawa Hidetoshi and Tony Rothman present for the first time in English excerpts from the travel diary of a nineteenth-century Japanese mathematician, Yamaguchi Kanzan, who journeyed on foot throughout Japan to collect temple geometry problems. The authors set this fascinating travel narrative--and almost everything else that is known about temple geometry--within the broader cultural and historical context of the period. They explain the sacred and devotional aspects of sangaku, and reveal how Japanese folk mathematicians discovered many well-known theorems independently of mathematicians in the West--and in some cases much earlier. The book is generously illustrated with photographs of the tablets and stunning artwork of the period. Then there are the geometry problems themselves, nearly two hundred of them, fully illustrated and ranging from the utterly simple to the virtually impossible. Solutions for most are provided. A unique book in every respect, Sacred Mathematics demonstrates how mathematical thinking can vary by culture yet transcend cultural and geographic boundaries.

Spectral Geometry of Shapes

Spectral Geometry of Shapes
Author: Jing Hua
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2019-10-26
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0128138424

Spectral Geometry of Shapes presents unique shape analysis approaches based on shape spectrum in differential geometry. It provides insights on how to develop geometry-based methods for 3D shape analysis. The book is an ideal learning resource for graduate students and researchers in computer science, computer engineering and applied mathematics who have an interest in 3D shape analysis, shape motion analysis, image analysis, medical image analysis, computer vision and computer graphics. Due to the rapid advancement of 3D acquisition technologies there has been a big increase in 3D shape data that requires a variety of shape analysis methods, hence the need for this comprehensive resource.

Johannes Kepler and the New Astronomy

Johannes Kepler and the New Astronomy
Author: James R. Voelkel
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 146
Release: 2001-10-11
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 019515021X

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) is remembered, along with Copernicus and Galileo, as one of the greatest Renaissance astronomers. A gifted analytical thinker, he made major contributions to physics, astronomy, and mathematics. Kepler was trained as a theologian, yet did not hesitate to challenge church doctrine and prevailing scientific beliefs by supporting the theory of a Sun-centered solar system. As Imperial Mathematician to the Holy Roman Emperor, he analyzed the precise observations of the heavens that his predecessor, the great astronomer Tycho Brahe, had recorded. The book follows the ingenious scientist along the difficult pathway from raw data to his monumental discovery--the three Laws of Planetary Motion. Kepler also made fundamental contributions to optical theory, including a correct description of the function of the eye and a new and improved telescope design. His unique Rudolfine Tables, universal calculations of planetary motion, were unprecedented in their accuracy. James Voelkel vividly describes these scientific achievements, providing enough background in astronomy and geometry so even beginners can follow Kepler's thinking and enjoy this book. Equally captivating is his account of Kepler's tumultuous life, plagued by misery, disease, war, and fervent religious persecution.Oxford Portraits in Science is an ongoing series of scientific biographies for young adults. Written by top scholars and writers, each biography examines the personality of its subject as well as the thought process leading to his or her discoveries. These illustrated biographies combine accessible technical information with compelling personal stories to portray the scientists whose work has shaped our understanding of the natural world.

The Mathematical Theory of Black Holes

The Mathematical Theory of Black Holes
Author: Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 676
Release: 1998
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780198503705

Part of the reissued Oxford Classic Texts in the Physical Sciences series, this book was first published in 1983, and has swiftly become one of the great modern classics of relativity theory. It represents a personal testament to the work of the author, who spent several years writing and working-out the entire subject matter. The theory of black holes is the most simple and beautiful consequence of Einstein's relativity theory. At the time of writing there was no physical evidence for the existence of these objects, therefore all that Professor Chandrasekhar used for their construction were modern mathematical concepts of space and time. Since that time a growing body of evidence has pointed to the truth of Professor Chandrasekhar's findings, and the wisdom contained in this book has become fully evident.

Geometric Mechanics and Symmetry

Geometric Mechanics and Symmetry
Author: Darryl D. Holm
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 537
Release: 2009-07-30
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0199212902

A graduate level text based partly on lectures in geometry, mechanics, and symmetry given at Imperial College London, this book links traditional classical mechanics texts and advanced modern mathematical treatments of the subject.

Science before Socrates

Science before Socrates
Author: Daniel Graham
Publisher: OUP USA
Total Pages: 302
Release: 2013-08-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0199959781

In Science before Socrates, Daniel W. Graham argues against the belief that the Presocratic philosophers did not produce any empirical science and that the first major Greek science, astronomy, did not develop until at least the time of Plato. Instead, Graham proposes that the advances made by Presocratic philosophers in the study of astronomy deserve to be considered as scientific contributions.

The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy

The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy
Author: James Evans
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 495
Release: 1998-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 0195095391

Birth of astronomy -- Celestial sphere -- Some applications of spherics -- Calendars and time reckoning -- Solar theory -- Fixed stars -- Planetary theory -- Frequently used tables -- Appendix : patterns for models.

Christopher Saxton, Elizabethan Map-maker

Christopher Saxton, Elizabethan Map-maker
Author: Ifor M. Evans
Publisher:
Total Pages: 208
Release: 1979
Genre: Science
ISBN:

Christopher Saxton was a surveyor by profession. His major achievement was a survey of English and Welsh counties which he began in 1574 and completed by 1579.