The Shape of a Life: One Mathematician's Search for the Universe's Hidden Geometry - Hardcover

Yau, Shing-Tung; Nadis, Steve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300235909 ISBN 13: 9780300235906

Verlag: Yale University Press, 2019

Über diesen Titel

Críticas

"The book is an unexpectedly intimate look into a highly accomplished man, his colleagues and friends, the development of a new field of geometric analysis, and a glimpse into a truly uncommon mind."-Nina MacLaughlin, Boston Globe "For decades, mathematician Shing-Tung Yau-a winner of the 1982 Fields Medal-has been central to the cross-fertilization between modern mathematics and physics. His work in geometry, for instance, underlies much of string theory. This volume, co-authored with science writer Steve Nadis, is an intimate account of Yau's life"-Barbara Kiser, Nature "An eye-opening and insightful account... Yau's life story is an inspiring example of the power education." -Dan Eady, South China Morning Post "Yau and Nadis's The Shape of a Life opens a window into the fascinating mind and world of today's equivalent of Apollonius of Perga, `The Great Geometer' of antiquity."-Mario Livio, author of Brilliant Blunders "The interesting life of a remarkably influential modern mathematician."-Juan Maldacena, Institute for Advanced Study "This book tells a fascinating story of a life lived between multiple cultures-China and the West, and mathematics and physics. Yau's journey from poverty in Hong Kong to the top levels of the mathematics world was not a simple one."-Edward Witten, Institute for Advanced Study "Candid, deep, and truly inspiring, The Shape of a Life is studded with unexpected insights into Yau's thinking. An extraordinary story about an extraordinary person."-Gish Jen, author of The Girl at the Baggage Claim: Explaining the East-West Culture Gap "The remarkable story of one of the world's most accomplished mathematicians, Shing-Tung Yau, who has made profound contributions in pure mathematics, general relativity, and string theory. Yau's personal journey-from escaping China as a youngster, leading a gang outside Hong Kong, becoming captivated by mathematics, to making breakthroughs that thrust him on the world stage-inspires us all with humankind's irrepressible spirit of discovery."-Brian Greene, author of The Elegant Universe

Reseña del editor

A Fields medalist recounts his lifelong transnational effort to uncover the geometric shape-the Calabi-Yau manifold-that may store the hidden dimensions of our universe. Harvard geometer and Fields medalist Shing-Tung Yau has provided a mathematical foundation for string theory, offered new insights into black holes, and mathematically demonstrated the stability of our universe. In this autobiography, Yau reflects on his improbable journey to becoming one of the world's most distinguished mathematicians. Beginning with an impoverished childhood in China and Hong Kong, Yau takes readers through his doctoral studies at Berkeley during the height of the Vietnam War protests, his Fields Medal-winning proof of the Calabi conjecture, his return to China, and his pioneering work in geometric analysis. This new branch of geometry, which Yau built up with his friends and colleagues, has paved the way for solutions to several important and previously intransigent problems. With complicated ideas explained for a broad audience, this book offers readers not only insights into the life of an eminent mathematician, but also an accessible way to understand advanced and highly abstract concepts in mathematics and theoretical physics.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Yale University Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0300235909
• ISBN 13: 9780300235906
• Einband: Tapa dura
• Sprache: Englisch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 328