Synopses & Reviews
Contrary to most people's perseptions of math as a soulless world of gray individuals, in reality the course of mathematics reveal frequent dramatic conceptual changes. Here is an introduction to the subject that highlights the major turning points.
Synopsis
Contrary to most people's perceptions of math as a soulless world of gray individuals, in reality the course of mathematics reveals frequent dramatic conceptual changes. The subject has applications in such diverse studies as physics, crystallography, and computing. Mathematicians are deeply passionate creatures whose personal visions have led to vicious priority disputes and power struggles. Here is an introduction to the subject that highlights the major turning points -- such as the counter intuitive idea of the square root of minus one, geometrics with no parallel lines, and space filling curves.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 172) and index.