What is the largest number less than 1?
If x and y are any of two different positive numbers, which is larger, x2 + y2 or 2xy?
What do you get if you cross a cube and an octahedron?
Discover the surprising answers as David Wells conclusively proves that: you Are a mathematician
Praise for David Wells's
The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers.
"This is a fascinating, strange, and probably unique book, one that I will look at again and again. As soon as I had taken a good look at it, I went out and bought three more copies to give to friends." —New Scientist.
"David Wells's book about curious and interesting numbers is a quirky classic." —William Dunham Author, Journey Through Genius.
Are you on friendly terms with numbers? You will be after reading this delightful introduction to the fascinating and challenging world of mathematics. Bestselling author David Wells, a Cambridge math scholar and former teacher, explores the many patterns, properties —and problems —associated with numbers in a witty, thoroughly engaging style that is both entertaining and informative. Whether you are a math aficionado or whether you, as the author puts it, "panic and start sweating at the sight of a sum," Wells makes one point abundantly clear: You Are a Mathematician.
From basic arithmetic to algebraic equations, from the purely practical to the abstract, this is an ideal guide to the potential and pleasures of math. Surprising patterns emerge from the simplest groupings of numbers. The many secrets hidden inside of triangles are revealed, as are the origins of a host of mathematical theories and principles, from Aristotle to Euclid and Galileo. On a journey from the ancient Greeks to quantum theory, Wells shares intriguing anecdotes from history, such as how eighteenth-century European military commanders calculated how many cannonballs their enemies had stacked up next to their cannons.
David Wells invites us to discover the sense of wonder and fun that is so much a part of mathematics. Mathematical thinking is often very much like a game, relying on cunning tactics, deep strategy, and brilliant combinations as much as on observation, analogy, and informed guesswork. To illustrate, Wells includes over 100 brainteasing puzzles and problems, ranging from Ptolemy's theorem to Euler's famous solution to the Königsberg bridge problem and Koch's snowflake curve. Modern-day computer buffs will also enjoy the underground classic, the Game of Life, invented by Princeton mathematician John Conway.
Offering a comprehensive and stimulating look at the myriad aspects of mathematics —whether as a household helper or an invaluable tool of science —You Are a Mathematician covers a wide range of topics and applications. It is an ideal guide to the potential and pleasures to be found in math.
This consumable book provides lesson support material for students to analyze and complete. It provides a long-term record of each student’s mathematical development.
A Course of Mathematics for Engineers and Scientists
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本书将社会价值论的理论和方法引入网络原生数字资源的研究中, 以情报学信息资源管理理论为研究基础, 主要采用了文献研究法, 比较研究法, 案例分析法, 唯物辩证法等研究方法, ...
貝葉斯生於1701年,出生地可能在赫特福德郡(Hertfordshire)。他父親約書亞(Joshua)是長老會牧師,而湯瑪斯也跟隨他的腳步。他在愛丁堡大學攻讀理則學(logic)與神學(theology),當過父親的助手一小段時間,而後在坦布里治威爾斯(Tunbridge Wells)的錫安山 ...
我国《周髀算经》一开始就记载了周朝初年(约公元前1100年左右)的周公与学者商高的对话,其中就谈到“勾三股四弦五”,即勾股定理的特殊形式;还记载了在周公之后的陈子,曾用勾股定理和相似图形的比例关系,推算过地球与太阳的距离和太阳的直径,同时为勾股定.
YOUR BRAIN+MATH>YOUR BRAIN-MATH 寫給每個人的數學讀本, 不管你是喜歡還是厭惡數學,都不能錯過這本書! 數學奇才布伊斯曼帶領讀者穿越歷史, 從兩河文明、古埃及、中國到現代, ...
Focuses on the successive construction and development of the basic number systems of mathematics: positive integers, integers, rational numbers, real numbers and complex numbers.
This is an advanced text for the one- or two-semester course in analysis taught primarily to math, science, computer science, and electrical engineering majors at the junior, senior or graduate...