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Few scientists have the ability to convey the complexity and
richness of their specialty in terms the general reader can appreciate. Morris
Kline is of that rare breed of scientist, as his earlier books, including Mathematics
in Western Culture, Mathematical Thought from Ancient to Modern Times,
and Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty, attest. His
subject here is the knowledge that we have gained through the use of mathematics.
Since ancient Greek times and increasingly as we approach modern times, Kline
observes, mathematics has been our most powerful instrument for the exploration
of the physical world. Mathematics has transcended and outclassed perception.
We can't observe phenomena like gravitation, electromagnetic waves, the universe
of space-time, and the structure of atoms directly through our senses.
In this book, Kline recounts how scientists have turned more
and more to mathematics to stretch our knowledge as opposed to relying strictly
on the empirical method of observation and experimentation. He deals with the
Greeks, early modern scientists such as Galileo and Newton, and the twentieth-century
theories of relativity and quanta. Why mathematics works, how we know what we
know, and specific aspects of the power of mathematics are also treated.
Morris Kline is Professor of Mathematics, Emeritus, at New
York University. His many books include Why Johnny Can't Add, Mathematics
and the Physical World, Mathematics: A Cultural Approach, and Electromagnetic
Theory and Geometrical Optics. |
