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The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved: How Mathematical Genius Discovered The Language Of Symmetry - Couverture rigide

Livio, Mario

 
9780743258203: The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved: How Mathematical Genius Discovered The Language Of Symmetry
Couverture rigide
ISBN 10 : 0743258207 ISBN 13 : 9780743258203
Editeur : Simon & Schuster, 2005

Synopsis

Book by Livio Mario

Les informations fournies dans la section « Synopsis » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

Présentation de l'éditeur

What do Bach's compositions, Rubik's Cube, the way we choose our mates, and the physics of subatomic particles have in common? All are governed by the laws of symmetry, which elegantly unify scientific and artistic principles. Yet the mathematical language of symmetry-known as group theory-did not emerge from the study of symmetry at all, but from an equation that couldn't be solved.

For thousands of years mathematicians solved progressively more difficult algebraic equations, until they encountered the quintic equation, which resisted solution for three centuries. Working independently, two great prodigies ultimately proved that the quintic cannot be solved by a simple formula. These geniuses, a Norwegian named Niels Henrik Abel and a romantic Frenchman named Évariste Galois, both died tragically young. Their incredible labor, however, produced the origins of group theory.

The first extensive, popular account of the mathematics of symmetry and order, The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved is told not through abstract formulas but in a beautifully written and dramatic account of the lives and work of some of the greatest and most intriguing mathematicians in history.

Revue de presse

"A wide-ranging exploration of the phenomenon of symmetry....There's math, yes, but there are also tales of love, violence, history -- and the whole, in this case, turns out to be greater than the sum of those parts." -- Mary Carmichael, Newsweek

"Fascinating. . . . [Livio] writes passionately about the role of symmetry in human perception and the arts." -- The Economist

"A lively and fascinating read for a broad audience." -- Nature

Les informations fournies dans la section « A propos du livre » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

Éditeur
Simon & Schuster
Date d'édition
2005
Langue
anglais
ISBN 10 
0743258207
ISBN 13 
9780743258203
Reliure
Relié
Nombre de pages
353
Coordonnées du fabricant
non disponible
Personne responsable
non disponible