The Mathematical Tourist

The Mathematical Tourist
Author: Ivars Peterson
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 273
Release: 1998-04-15
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0805071598

In the first edition of The Mathematical Tourist, renowned science journalist Ivars Peterson took readers on an unforgettable tour through the sometimes bizarre, but always fascinating, landscape of modern mathematics. Now the journey continues in a new, updated edition that includes all the latest information on mathematical proofs, fractals, prime numbers, and chaos, as well as new material on * the relationship between mathematical knots and DNA * how computers based on quantum logic can significantly speed up the factoring of large composite numbers * the relationship between four-dimensional geometry and physical theories of the nature of matter * the application of cellular automata models to social questions and the peregrinations of virtual ants * a novel mathematical model of quasicrystals based on decagon-shaped tiles Blazing a trail through rows of austere symbols and dense lines of formulae, Peterson explores the central ideas behind the work of professional mathematicians-- how and where their pieces of the mathematical puzzle fit in, the sources of their ideas, their fountains of inspiration, and the images that carry them from one discovery to another.

Problems and Solutions from The Mathematical Visitor, 1877-1896

Problems and Solutions from The Mathematical Visitor, 1877-1896
Author: Stanley Rabinowitz
Publisher: MathPro Press
Total Pages: 276
Release: 1996
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780962640155

This book contains all 344 problems that were originally published in the 19th century journal, The Mathematical Visitor, classified by subject. Little-known to most mathematicians today, these problems represent lost treasure from mathematical antiquity. All solutions that were originally published in the journal are also included.

The Mathematical Tourist

The Mathematical Tourist
Author: Ivars Peterson
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Total Pages: 400
Release: 1998-04-15
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1429963344

In the first edition of The Mathematical Tourist, renowned science journalist Ivars Peterson took readers on an unforgettable tour through the sometimes bizarre, but always fascinating, landscape of modern mathematics. Now the journey continues in a new, updated edition that includes all the latest information on mathematical proofs, fractals, prime numbers, and chaos, as well as new material on * the relationship between mathematical knots and DNA * how computers based on quantum logic can significantly speed up the factoring of large composite numbers * the relationship between four-dimensional geometry and physical theories of the nature of matter * the application of cellular automata models to social questions and the peregrinations of virtual ants * a novel mathematical model of quasicrystals based on decagon-shaped tiles Blazing a trail through rows of austere symbols and dense lines of formulae, Peterson explores the central ideas behind the work of professional mathematicians-- how and where their pieces of the mathematical puzzle fit in, the sources of their ideas, their fountains of inspiration, and the images that carry them from one discovery to another.

The Mathematical Tourist

The Mathematical Tourist
Author: Ivars Peterson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2001
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN:

A revised, updated edition of Peterson's classic work. Presents the latest information on mathematical proofs, fractals, prime numbers, and chaos, as well as new material on such intriguing topics as the relationship between mathematical knots and DNA; the application of cellular automata models to social questions; and the significant increase in the speed of factoring large composite numbers by means of computers based on quantum logic.

Quantum Field Theory

Quantum Field Theory
Author: G. B. Folland
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2008-08-26
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0821847058

Quantum field theory has been a great success for physics, but it is difficult for mathematicians to learn because it is mathematically incomplete. Folland, who is a mathematician, has spent considerable time digesting the physical theory and sorting out the mathematical issues in it. Fortunately for mathematicians, Folland is a gifted expositor. The purpose of this book is to present the elements of quantum field theory, with the goal of understanding the behavior of elementary particles rather than building formal mathematical structures, in a form that will be comprehensible to mathematicians. Rigorous definitions and arguments are presented as far as they are available, but the text proceeds on a more informal level when necessary, with due care in identifying the difficulties. The book begins with a review of classical physics and quantum mechanics, then proceeds through the construction of free quantum fields to the perturbation-theoretic development of interacting field theory and renormalization theory, with emphasis on quantum electrodynamics. The final two chapters present the functional integral approach and the elements of gauge field theory, including the Salam-Weinberg model of electromagnetic and weak interactions.

Advances In The History Of Mathematics Education

Advances In The History Of Mathematics Education
Author: Alexander Karp
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2022-06-20
Genre: Education
ISBN: 3030952355

This book is a collection of scholarly studies in the history of mathematics education, very abbreviated versions of which were presented at the ICMI Congress in 2021. The book discusses issues in education in Brazil and Belgium, in Poland and Spain, in Russia and the United States. Probably the main factor that unifies the chapters of the book is their attention to key moments in the formation of the field of mathematics education. Topics discussed in the book include the formation and development of mathematics education for women; the role of the research mathematician in the formation of standards for writing textbooks; the formation of curricula and the most active figures in this formation during the New Math period; the formation of certain distinctive features of curricula in Poland; the formation of the views of David Eugene Smith and the influence of European mathematics education on him; the formation of the American mathematics community; and the creation of such forms of student assessment as entrance exams to higher educational institutions. The book is of interest not only to historians of mathematics education, but also to wide segments of specialists in other areas of mathematics education.