Mage Merlin's Unsolved Mathematical Mysteries Paperback ? August 24, 2021

Devadoss, Satyan; Harvey, Matthew

ISBN 10: 0262542757 / ISBN 13: 9780262542753

Verlag: The MIT Press, 2021

Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 379225891

Inhaltsangabe:

Sixteen of today's greatest unsolved mathematical puzzles in a story-driven, illustrated volume that invites readers to peek over the edge of the unknown.

Most people think of mathematics as a set of useful tools designed to answer analytical questions, beginning with simple arithmetic and ending with advanced calculus. But, as Mage Merlin's Unsolved Mathematical Mysteries shows, mathematics is filled with intriguing mysteries that take us to the edge of the unknown. This richly illustrated, story-driven volume presents sixteen of today's greatest unsolved mathematical puzzles, all understandable by anyone with elementary math skills. These intriguing mysteries are presented to readers as puzzles that have time-traveled from Camelot, preserved in the notebook of Merlin, the wise magician in King Arthur's court.

Our guide is Mage Maryam (named in honor of the brilliant young mathematician, the late Maryam Mirzakhani), a distant descendant of Merlin. Maryam introduces the mysteries--each of which is presented across two beautifully illustrated pages--and provides mathematical and historical context afterward. We find Merlin confronting mathematical puzzles involving tinker toys (a present for Camelot's princesses from the sorceress Morgana), cake-slicing at a festival, Lancelot's labyrinth, a vault for the Holy Grail, and more. Each mystery is a sword awaiting removal from its stone, capturing the beauty and power of mathematics.

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor: Satyan Linus Devadoss is the Fletcher Jones Professor of Applied Mathematics and Professor of Computer Science at the University of San Diego. A recipient of two national teaching awards, he has published on topics ranging from origami and cartography to phylogenetics and particle collisions. Matthew Harvey is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Virginia's College at Wise and the author of the textbook Geometry Illuminated.

Bibliografische Details

Titel: Mage Merlin's Unsolved Mathematical ...
Verlag: The MIT Press
Erscheinungsdatum: 2021
Einband: Softcover
Zustand: New