All rights reserved. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. I would never have imagined that the development (or discovery) of i came from the root of the cubic, instead of the root of the quadratic as I had previously thought.Wonderful book detailing the history of brilliant men and how they came across the imaginary axis. That starting point, followed asOf the various books about the history and “life and times” of the major mathematical constants, I like this the best. The notorious i finally won acceptance and was put to use in complex analysis and theoretical physics in Napoleonic times.Addressing readers with both a general and scholarly interest in mathematics, Nahin weaves into this narrative entertaining historical facts and mathematical discussions, including the application of complex numbers and functions to important problems, such as Kepler's laws of planetary motion and ac electrical circuits. Another good thing about this book is that the author's arguments and explanations are mostly simple and can be followed...While best read by those with a pad of paper, a pencil and their fare share of mathematical knowledge, this has been a very cool read about the history of the imaginary number and how mathematicians think.Best to have some familiarity with calculus; given that, this is a wonderful book about the historical development of mathematics involving imaginary numbers. After reading this book you'll come to know what is imaginary is not actually imaginary.I had no idea that the few short lessons I had on the imaginary number had such a complicated background. How do we learn and understand the world? “i” is probably the most difficult of those constants to deal with, given its abstract nature. That starting point, followed as it was by the geometry of i struck me as an ideal way to approach its introduction and initial teaching at the high school. Or a fascinating diversion for scientists/engineers who want to know more depth behind those i/j symbols they often have to juggle. Plenty of equations and some tough concepts to get your teeth into.For anyone with even a vague interest in Mathematics above secondary school, or looking to teach it - a brilliant must-read. Welcome back. Nahin gives explanations of what he is doing, but he does not shy away from just showing steps.
In the first century, the mathematician-engineer Heron of Alexandria encountered I in a separate project, but fudged the arithmetic; medieval mathematicians stumbled upon the concept while grappling with the meaning of negative numbers, but dismissed their square roots as nonsense. Nahin gives explanations of what he is doing, but he does not shy away from just showing steps. Our Maths in a minute series explores key mathematical concepts in just a few words. Addressing readers with both a general and scholarly interest in mathematics, Nahin weaves into this narrative entertaining historical facts, mathematical discussions, and the application of complex numbers and functions to important problems.An Imaginary Tale: The Story of the Square Root of Minus OneI've been bored with reading novels lately, so I was looking for something a bit more inspiring and challenging.
Now, after Great history and math book. It was an interesting but tedious read.The author gets his message across very well but is too practical for me.An excellent book about the history of one of the most important developments in mathematics!The short answer -- way too much algebra and too little history.The short answer -- way too much algebra and too little history.Wonderful book detailing the history of brilliant men and how they came across the imaginary axis. The history is also well-done and with one exception, I found it to be comprehensive and well-researched. Finally, despite This covers the history of using i, or the square root of negative one. ―Eli Maor, author of Trigonometric Delights, e: The Story of a Number, and To Infinity and Beyond Yoshua Bengio believes it all comes down to our agency.How can we all get back to work safely in the face of a lingering pandemic?A new way of looking at the physical world promises to shed light on some of the problems physics as we know it can't deal with.Would the "points per game" method have led to a fair outcome of the Premier League?
It covers the subject without apologies for using mathematics, and I personally enjoy this. I think that people who have studied mathematics long enough to understand this book also know enough to be bored by it. In other words, it is another book I would recommend if you like math/physics/engineering history.First math book I read that actually had a lot of satisfying math. It does require a decent level of calculus, but all examples are very easy to follow and the math history part of the book is quite entertaining.