Worlds within Worlds
2006
Fourth Estate Ltd (Verlag)
978-1-84115-645-3 (ISBN)
Fourth Estate Ltd (Verlag)
978-1-84115-645-3 (ISBN)
- Titel wird leider nicht erscheinen
- Artikel merken
Like "Fermat's Last Theorem", Jim Holt reveals the hidden history and personalities behind one of the most dangerous ideas in mathematics -- the infinitesimal.
Like 'Fermat's Last Theorem', Jim Holt reveals the hidden history and personalities behind one of the most dangerous ideas in mathematics -- the infinitesimal. For most people the idea of the infinite conjures up images of inconceivable vastness, worlds without end. But there is another kind of infinite, one that is equally marvellous and, for all its seeming humility, far more important to the course of civilization -- that is the infinitely small -- the infinitesimal. The idea of the infintely small has been one of the most powerful tools in the history of science. Invented by the Greeks to 'save the reality' of the world, it was quickly attacked by Zeno and banned from natural philosophy by Aristotle and Euclid. Regarded as fundamentally destabilising by governments and radical thinkers such as Hume and Marx, the infinitesimal has continued a shadowy existence in the thoughts of mystics and theologians, until it was rehabilitated in the 1960s by the brilliant Abraham Robinson. 'Worlds within Worlds' is a corruscating study in the history of mathematics and a brilliant biography of an idea.
Like 'Fermat's Last Theorem', Jim Holt reveals the hidden history and personalities behind one of the most dangerous ideas in mathematics -- the infinitesimal. For most people the idea of the infinite conjures up images of inconceivable vastness, worlds without end. But there is another kind of infinite, one that is equally marvellous and, for all its seeming humility, far more important to the course of civilization -- that is the infinitely small -- the infinitesimal. The idea of the infintely small has been one of the most powerful tools in the history of science. Invented by the Greeks to 'save the reality' of the world, it was quickly attacked by Zeno and banned from natural philosophy by Aristotle and Euclid. Regarded as fundamentally destabilising by governments and radical thinkers such as Hume and Marx, the infinitesimal has continued a shadowy existence in the thoughts of mystics and theologians, until it was rehabilitated in the 1960s by the brilliant Abraham Robinson. 'Worlds within Worlds' is a corruscating study in the history of mathematics and a brilliant biography of an idea.
Jim Holt is a highly respected journalist who has written for 'Prospect', 'The New Yorker', 'The Literary Review', 'Talk' and 'New York Review of Books'. He has a regular column discussing ideas and science in 'The New York Times'. He lives in New York.
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 18.9.2006 |
|---|---|
| Zusatzinfo | 15 b/w integrated |
| Verlagsort | London |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 132 x 184 mm |
| Themenwelt | Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik |
| Mathematik / Informatik ► Mathematik ► Geschichte der Mathematik | |
| Naturwissenschaften | |
| ISBN-10 | 1-84115-645-0 / 1841156450 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-84115-645-3 / 9781841156453 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
Mehr entdecken
aus dem Bereich
aus dem Bereich
a secret world of intuition and curiosity
Buch | Hardcover (2024)
Yale University Press (Verlag)
CHF 45,80
a global history of Mathematics & its Unsung Trailblazers
Buch | Softcover (2024)
Penguin Books Ltd (Verlag)
CHF 22,65
Das Jahrhundert, in dem die Mathematik sich neu erfand. 1870-1970
Buch | Hardcover (2022)
Heyne (Verlag)
CHF 30,80
