Praise for Five Golden Rules

"Casti is one of the great science writers of the 1990s. . . . If you'd like to have fun while giving your brain a first-class workout, then check this book out."-Keay Davidson in the San Francisco Examiner.

"Five Golden Rules is caviar for the inquiring reader. . . . There is joy here in watching the unfolding of these intricate and beautiful techniques. Casti's gift is to be able to let the nonmathematical reader share in his understanding of the beauty of a good theory." -Christian Science Monitor.

"Merely knowing about the existence of some of these golden rules may spark new, interesting-maybe revolutionary-ideas in your mind." -Robert Matthews in New Scientist (United Kingdom).

"This book has meat! It is solid fare, food for thought. Five Golden Rules makes math less forbidding and much more interesting." -Ben Bova in the Hartford Courant

"With this groundbreaking work, John Casti shows himself to be a great mathematics writer. Five Golden Rules is a feast of rare new delights all made perfectly comprehensible." -Rudy Rucker, author of The Fourth Dimension.

"With the lucid informality for which he has become known, John Casti has written an engaging and articulate examination of five great mathematical theorems and their myriad applications." -John Allen Paulos, author of A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper.

Reprint of a demanding popular treatment of five theorems. Choice, June 1996 carries a good review of the 1996 printing.
Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

How did mathematics influence the decoding of Nazi war plans, the prediction of trends on the stock market and the invention of computers? This book reveals seven of the most important theorems in 20th-century mathematics.

In Five Golden Rules, John L. Casti serves as curator to a brilliant collection of 20th-century mathematical theories, leading us on a fascinating journey of discovery and insight. Probing the frontiers of modern mathematics, Casti examines the origins of some of the most important findings of this century. This is a tale of mystery and logic, elegance and reason; it is the story of five monumental mathematical breakthroughs and how they shape our lives. All those intrigued by the mathematical process, nonacademics and professionals alike, will find this an enlightening, eye-opening, and entertaining work. High school algebra or geometry - and enthusiasm - are the only prerequisites. From the theorem that provided the impetus for modern computers to the calculations that sent the first men to the Moon, these breakthroughs have transformed our lives. Casti illustrates each theorem with a dazzling array of real-world problems it has helped solve - how to calculate the shape of space, optimize investment returns, even chart the course of the development of organisms. Along the way, we meet the leading thinkers of the day: John von Neumann, L. E. J. Brouwer, Marston Morse, and Alan Turing, among others. And we come to understand the combination of circumstances that led each to such revolutionary discoveries as the Minimax Theorem, which spawned the exciting field of game theory, and the Simplex Method, which underpins the powerful tools of optimization theory.

Eines der ersten Bücher, das sich ausschließlich mit den durchschlagenden mathematischen Erfolgen des 20. Jahrhunderts auseinandersetzt, und zwar in leicht verständlicher, informativer und prägnanter Form. Die führenden Köpfe dieser mathematischen "Erfindungen" werden vorgestellt, und der Leser erfährt, wie das Zusammenspiel bestimmter Umstände zu so revolutionären Entdeckungen wie dem Minimax Theorem und der Simplexmethode geführt hat. Der anerkannte Autor John L. Casti ist Sachwalter dieser brillanten Sammlung mathematischer Theorien des 20. Jahrhunderts, mit der er uns einlädt zu einer Entdeckungsreise in die Welt der Mathematik. Er untersucht den Ursprung der bedeutendsten mathematischen Erkenntnisse dieses Jahrhunderts. Eine Geschichte der Geheimnisse und Logik, der Eleganz und Vernunft- kurz: die Geschichte der fünf Riesenerfolge in der Mathematik und wie sie unser Leben verändert haben. Alle, Nichtakademiker wie auch Experten, die fasziniert sind von mathematischen Verfahren, werden dieses aufschlußreiche und unterhaltsame Werk schätzen. Die einzigen Voraussetzungen für die Lektüre dieses Buches sind Kenntnisse in Schulalgebra oder Geometrie und eine gute Portion Begeisterung. (10/97)

With the lucid informality for which he has become known, John Casti has written an engaging and articulate examination of five great mathematical theorems and their myriad applications. -John Allen Paulos, author of A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper.

The Minimax Theorem (Game Theory).

The Brouwer Fixed-Point Theorem (Topology).

Morse's Theorem (Singularity Theory).

The Halting Theorem (Theory of Computation).

The Simplex Method (Optimization Theory).

Bibliography.

Index.