Synopses & Reviews
"In 1611, Kepler wrote an essay wondering why snowflakes always had perfect, sixfold symmetry. It's a simple enough question, but one that no one had ever asked before and one that couldn't actually be answered for another three centuries. Still, in trying to work out an answer, Kepler raised some fascinating questions about physics, math, and biology, and now you can watch in wonder as a great scientific genius unleashes the full force of his intellect on a seemingly trivial question, complete with new illustrations and essays to put it all in perspective."io9, from their list "10 Amazing Science Books That Reveal The Wonders Of The Universe"
When snow began to fall while he was walking across the Charles Bridge in Prague late in 1610, the eminent astronomer Johannes Kepler asked himself the following question: Why do snowflakes, when they first fall, and before they are entangled into larger clumps, always come down with six corners and with six radii tufted like feathers?
In his effort to answer this charming and never-before-asked question about snowflakes, Kepler delves into the nature of beehives, peapods, pomegranates, five-petaled flowers, the spiral shape of the snail's shell, and the formative power of nature itself. While he did not answer his original questionit remained a mystery for another three hundred yearshe did find an occasion for deep and playful thought.
"A most suitable book for any and all during the winter and holiday seasons is a reissue of a holiday present by the great mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler
Even the endnotes in this wonderful little book are interesting and educationally fun to read."Jay Pasachoff, The Key Reporter
New English translation by Jacques Bromberg
Latin text on facing pages
An essay, "The Delights of a Roving Mind" by Owen Gingerich
An essay, "On The Six-Cornered Snowflake" by Guillermo Bleichmar
Snowflake illustrations by Capi Corrales Rodriganez
John Frederick Nims' poem "The Six-Cornered Snowflake"
Notes by Jacques Bromberg and Guillermo Bleichmar
Johannes Kepler (1571-1631) was an important figure in the seventeenth century astronomical revolution. He is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion. Kepler wrote: "If there is anything that can bind the heavenly mind of man to this dusty exile of our earthly home
then it is verily the enjoyment of the mathematical sciences and astronomy."
Synopsis
In 1611, the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler wrote The Six-Cornered Snowflake, which was the first scientific reference to snow crystals. Kepler wondered why snow crystals always exhibit a six-fold symmetry. It would be three hundred years before his question could finally be answered, but in the process of failing to solve its mystery, The Six-Cornered Snowflake raises a remarkable number of deeply significant questions in physics, mathematics, and biology.
This small work is the first recorded step toward a mathematical theory of the genesis of inorganic or organic forms. Beneath its humor and allusive style, it displays a scientific judgment of the highest caliber. In musing on the hexagonal structure of snowflakes, Kepler in effect challenged those who followed him to discover the mathematics of the emergence of visible forms in crystals, plants, and animals.
This Paul Dry Books edition makes a perfect gift, enhanced with illustrations, a fresh translation from the Latin, and introductory essays.
Johannes Kepler (1571-1631) was an important figure in the seventeenth-century astronomical revolution. He is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion. Kepler wrote: “If there is anything that can bind the heavenly mind of man to this dusty exile of our earthly home . . . then it is verily the enjoyment of the mathematical sciences and astronomy.”
Synopsis
Scientific, philosophical, and literary ingenuity come together in this witty musing on the nature of snowflakes.
About the Author
Johannes Kepler (1571 - 1631) was an important figure in the seventeenth century astronomical revolution. He is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion. Kepler wrote: "If there is anything that can bind the heavenly mind of man to this dusty exile of our earthly home...then it is verily the enjoyment of the mathematical sciences and astronomy." Jacques Bromberg is a Ph.D. candidate in the Classics at the University of Pennsylvania. Guillermo Bleichmar earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Havard University in 2007.