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Full Description
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.
Contents
Why Equations? 1. The squaw on the hippopotamus 2. Shortening the proceedings 3. Ghosts of departed quantities 4. The system of the world 5. Portent of the ideal world 6. Much ado about knotting 7. Patterns of chance 8. Good vibrations 9. Ripples and blips 10. The ascent of humanity 11. Waves in the ether 12. Law and disorder 13. One thing is absolute 14. Quantum weirdness 15. Codes, communications, and computers 16. The imbalance of nature 17. The Midas formula Where Next?
