It Must be Beautiful: Great Equations of Modern Science

Farmelo, Graham

ISBN 10: 1862074798 / ISBN 13: 9781862074798

Published by Granta Books, 2002

About this Item

First edition. Light wear to boards. Content is clean and bright. Good DJ with some edge wear and tears.

Seller Inventory # 9999-999101097755

Bibliographic Details

• Title: It Must be Beautiful: Great Equations of Modern Science
• Publisher: Granta Books
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1862074798
• ISBN 13: 9781862074798
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

About this title

Synopsis

It Must Be Beautiful is a collection of 12 essays on the power and beauty of modern scientific equations by some of the world's foremost scientists and historians. Contributors include Steven Weinberg, Peter Galison, John Maynard Smith, and Frank Wilczek.

Reviews

The power of equations can seem magical, writes MIT physics professor Frank Wilczek in an essay on the Dirac Equation, which describes the movement of quantum particles. Like the brooms created by the Sorcerer's Apprentice, they can take on a life of their own, giving birth to consequences that their creator did not expect, cannot control, and may even find repugnant. Though it seems like an odd reversal of the scientific method to do the math first and then find the data that fit, it has happened time and again. These 11 essays contributed by various scientists and science writers (e.g., Roger Penrose, Peter Galison, Oliver Morton, and Steven Weinberg) describe scientific advances that derived from mathematical theory such as Einstein's thought experiments on relativity, a game theory equation that predicted animal behavior, or the discovery that the mathematics of chaos describes the real-world phenomenon. A fascinating history of science for educated nonmathematical readers; for larger public and academic libraries. Amy Brunvand, Univ. of Utah Lib., Salt Lake City
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Equations lie at the heart of many of the most successful scientific theories. This book presents the great equations of modern science for nonmathematical readers, attempting to convey some of their power and beauty. The editor cast a wide net in gathering these 12 essays, which encompass the formula for the chemical reaction that destroys ozone; an explanation of two equations that underlie the Internet and data transmission generally; mathematical mapping applied to evolution; editor Farmelo's own explication of Planck's energy formula; and more. Two of the big names in physics are on Farmelo's roster of writers, Roger Penrose and Steven Weinberg, as are twentieth-century physics' most fecund formulas: Einstein's special and general relativity equations; Schrodinger's wave equation; the Dirac equation; and others. Contributors include Peter Galison, Aisling Irwin, and Robert May. Gilbert Taylor
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