the ancient nine chapter one ian k smith

These are handy rules of thumb for distinguishing between, respectively, applied and pure mathematics. providing new theoretical questions for mathematicians to explore further. providing the tools which let scientists understand what nature is doing 2. Two of the main things that maths are for are 1. Having gotten our attention, Stewart trots through the history of major mathematical discoveries including Kepler discovering that the planets move not in circles but in ellipses the discovery that the nature of acceleration is ‘not a fundamental quality, but a rate of change’, then Newton and Leibniz inventing calculus to help us work outcomplex rates of change, and so on.

It is a more or less systematic way of digging out the rules and structures that lie behind some observed pattern or regularity, and then using those rules and structures to explain what’s going on. Mathematics is brilliant at helping us to solve puzzles. Thus Stewart begins the book by describing just some of nature’s multitude of patterns: the regular movements of the stars in the night sky the sixfold symmetry of snowflakes the stripes of tigers and zebras the recurring patterns of sand dunes rainbows the spiral of a snail’s shell why nearly all flowers have petals arranged in one of the following numbers 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89 the regular patterns or ‘rhythms’ made by animals scuttling, walking, flying and swimming. It makes for a wonderfully illuminating read. He wants to help us see the world as a mathematician sees it, full of clues and information which can lead us to deeper and deeper appreciation of the patterns and harmonies all around us.

Stewart writes in a marvellously clear style but, more importantly, he is interesting: he sees the world in an interesting way, in a mathematical way, and manages to convey the wonder and strangeness and powerful insights which seeing the world in terms of patterns and shapes, numbers and maths, gives you. Ian Stewart is a mathematician and prolific author, having written over 40 books on all aspects of maths, as well as publishing several guides to the maths used in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books, writing half a dozen textbooks for students, and co-authoring a couple of science fiction novels.

The ancient nine chapter one ian k smith