Poetry of the Universe

A Mathematical Exploration of the Cosmos

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Paperback
$17.00 US
4.63"W x 7.22"H x 0.58"D  
On sale Jan 15, 1996 | 224 Pages | 9780385474290
Grades 9-12 + AP/IB

Poetry of the Universe is a delightful and compelling narrative charting the evolution of mathematical ideas that have helped to illuminate the nature of the observable universe. In a richly anecdotal fashion, the book explores the leaps of imagination and vision in mathematics that have helped pioneer our understanding of the world around us.  Along the way the book introduces such seminal figures as Leonhard Euler, Carl Friedrich Gauss, and Bernhard Riemann--the Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms of mathematics.

PRAISE FOR POETRY OF THE UNIVERSE

"An elegant introduction to many of the beauties of mathematics and their relationship to the physical world."  --Roger Penrose, author of The Emperor's New Mind

"Lucid, precise and comprehensible...[Poetry of the Universe] joins the very small number of works that allows a non-mathematical audience to share in the essence of the mathematician's delight."  -Boston Globe

"[Osserman] has drawn a picture of the universe that is at once magnificient and truly charming."  --New York Times Book Review

"Thoroughly delightful.  It shows how mathematics and our understanding of the universe evolve together.  Osserman's lucid explanations and passion make this book daring in scope and yet richly personal."  --George F. Smoot, astrophysicist, Unversity of California at Berkeley

About

Poetry of the Universe is a delightful and compelling narrative charting the evolution of mathematical ideas that have helped to illuminate the nature of the observable universe. In a richly anecdotal fashion, the book explores the leaps of imagination and vision in mathematics that have helped pioneer our understanding of the world around us.  Along the way the book introduces such seminal figures as Leonhard Euler, Carl Friedrich Gauss, and Bernhard Riemann--the Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms of mathematics.

PRAISE FOR POETRY OF THE UNIVERSE

"An elegant introduction to many of the beauties of mathematics and their relationship to the physical world."  --Roger Penrose, author of The Emperor's New Mind

"Lucid, precise and comprehensible...[Poetry of the Universe] joins the very small number of works that allows a non-mathematical audience to share in the essence of the mathematician's delight."  -Boston Globe

"[Osserman] has drawn a picture of the universe that is at once magnificient and truly charming."  --New York Times Book Review

"Thoroughly delightful.  It shows how mathematics and our understanding of the universe evolve together.  Osserman's lucid explanations and passion make this book daring in scope and yet richly personal."  --George F. Smoot, astrophysicist, Unversity of California at Berkeley

Author

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