Pi in the Sky : Counting, Thinking, and Being

Barrow, John D.

ISBN 10: 0198539568 / ISBN 13: 9780198539568

Edité par Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 1992

A propos de cet article

Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.

N° de réf. du vendeur GRP63419965

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Pi in the Sky : Counting, Thinking, and Being
• Éditeur: Oxford University Press, Incorporated
• Date de parution: 1992
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0198539568
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780198539568
• Reliure: Couverture rigide
• Édition: 1ST.
• État de l'article: Very Good

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

We have learnt that there is safety in numbers. Our understanding of the world around us has grown with our appreciation of its habits and repetitions. We live in a world of consequences rather than coincidences. This understanding of the way the of the world is founded upon our discovery of the power and utility of "number" in unravelling its innermost workings. From the farthest reaches of space to the inner space of elementary particles of matter we have found the world to dance to a mathematical tune. This book takes a philosophical look at mathematics, and asks whether it is just a human invention, a discovery, part of the mind of God, or a game played on paper with any rules we like. It should be of interest to physicists, philosophers of science, and general readers.

Présentation de l'éditeur

John D. Barrow's Pi in the Sky is a profound -- and profoundly different -- exploration of the world of mathematics: where it comes from, what it is, and where it's going to take us if we follow it to the limit in our search for the ultimate meaning of the universe. Barrow begins by investigating whether math is a purely human invention inspired by our practical needs. Or is it something inherent in nature waiting to be discovered?

In answering these questions, Barrow provides a bridge between the usually irreconcilable worlds of mathematics and theology. Along the way, he treats us to a history of counting all over the world, from Egyptian hieroglyphics to logical friction, from number mysticism to Marxist mathematics. And he introduces us to a host of peculiar individuals who have thought some of the deepest and strangest thoughts that human minds have ever thought, from Lao-Tse to Robert Pirsig, Charles Darwin, and Umberto Eco. Barrow thus provides the historical framework and the intellectual tools necessary to an understanding of some of today's weightiest mathematical concepts.