books:

	• The Mathematical Tourist: New and Updated Snapshots of Modern Mathematics (Mathematical Tourist) Ivars Peterson Owl Books, 1998 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Beginning with the world of numbers one is enchanted chapter by chapter into the labryinth. Some effort is required on the reader's part but that is rewarded in full measure. It is something to ponder the sheer beauty of ideas and proofs. Patterns and their "invention" surprisingly correspond to aspects of nature.

The presentation here is excellent. I found this book a great joy to read. While much that is presented here I have read before, the work still gives me further insight on things that I missed. This book is a gem.

for more information click here

for more information click here

Take the Tour

Let me start off by saying that this is not a work for the layman or the mentally lazy. It deals with several outstanding mathematical issues in so far as they relate to our understanding of the universe. The writing is erudite, refined and continually interesting. Subjects as far-ranging as knot theory (I didn't know it existed), fractals, prime numbers, multi-dimensions, shapes, hyperspace - it's all here with a large number of illustrations and drawings including several color plates of fractals produced by computer.

What a way to start the journey to the world of Mathematics.You open the book and start reading it.True to the title he takes you to a guided tour into the world of Mathematics considering each pillar of Mathematics as a country on its own.
I have a read a four Volume series on the World of Mathematics by Newmann and I did wonder how beautifully the Mathematical areas with its own *Scenic beauty* has been described.But when I read this one,Yes ! I did get a feeling of having travelled to Mathematics World visited each place and had a good insight into each one.
Ivars Peterson starts the journey by first visiting the Number World.He names this as the "Prime pursuit" and then slowly into the *theory of mathematical spaces* -topology and minimal surfaces.Wait!I hear you asking if it is all about pure mathematics.Certainly not,then and there to make the passengers feel comfortable ,just like a real guide ,he introduces the usefulness of the concepts in the emperical world.Be it quantum computing-the century's scientific thirst or the age-old yet golden primes ,the journey is very smooth ,no harsh surprises what one would term as mathematics of the mathematicians.This one is for the layman..A cool and lucid entry and exit in the world of Mathematics.
After reading this book you will wonder,"have I visited so many *places* " but you will feel that you have learnt so many Mathematical stuffs,what this world is all about and mind you ,all these without even the slightest fatigue:)

A must read Popular Maths Book!

for more information click here

Wonderful Guide

Not every topic in here is appealing to me--for example, I loved the chaos, fractals, and prime number sections and skimmed the sections on higher dimensions and topology. But the point is that Peterson gives a skilled description of each area of mathematics. There are enough pictures / illustrations and intuitive explanations / examples for a layman, but also enough "real" mathematics to inform one who has a decent background in math. And of course, the additional resources listed for each chapter would allow one to more formally pursue a topic that captures one's interest.

Overall a very fun read. And Peterson's brief treatment of the clash of computers with mathematical theorems is thought-provoking.

I have NOT read the updated edition yet but the original was quite good; surely the updated only improves upon it.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2



In the first edition of The Mathematical Tourist, renowned science journalist Ivars Peterson took readers on an unforgettable tour through the sometimes bizarre, but always fascinating, landscape of modern mathematics. Now the journey continues in a new, updated edition that includes all the latest information on mathematical proofs, fractals, prime numbers, and chaos, as well as new material on

* the relationship between mathematical knots and DNA
* how computers based on quantum logic can significantly speed up the factoring of large composite numbers
* the relationship between four-dimensional geometry and physical theories of the nature of matter
* the application of cellular automata models to social questions and the peregrinations of virtual ants
* a novel mathematical model of quasicrystals based on decagon-shaped tiles

Blazing a trail through rows of austere symbols and dense lines of formulae, Peterson explores the central ideas behind the work of professional mathematicians-- how and where their pieces of the mathematical puzzle fit in, the sources of their ideas, their fountains of inspiration, and the images that carry them from one discovery to another.

for more information click here

hot

or

not?

What's your opinion?     Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

Mathematics for Fun and Relaxation
My all-time favourite non-fiction!
Sheer Pleasure of Mathematics !
Math Bedside Reading

mathematical

	Discovering Statistics Using SPSS (Introducing Statistical Methods ... Investment Valuation: Tools and Techniques for Determining the Value ... CRC Standard Mathematical Tables and Formulae, 30th Edition Forgotten Calculus A Mathematician's Apology (Canto)

mathematics

	The Princeton Companion to Mathematics Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics: Grades 5-8 (Teaching ... Advanced Engineering Mathematics, Student Solutions Manual and Study ... Everyday Mathematics Student Reference Book Grade 5 About Teaching Mathematics: A K-8 Resource, 3rd Edition

snapshots

	Snapshots from Hell Snapshot Chronicles: Inventing the American Photo Album Snapshots from the Wedding (Paperstar Book) Phototherapy Techniques: Exploring the Secrets of Personal Snapshots ... Snapshot (Carlotta Carlyle Mysteries)

search for books
new and updated, mathematical, mathematics, modern, new, snapshots, tourist, updated