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"The great book of nature," said
Galileo, "can be read only by those who know the language
in which it was written. And this language is mathematics."
In The Language of Mathematics, Keith
Devlin reveals the vital role mathematics plays in our eternal
quest to understand who we are and the world we live in.
More than just the study of numbers, mathematics provides
us with the eyes to recognize and describe the hidden patterns
of life -- patterns that exist in the physical, biological,
and social worlds without, and the realm of ideas and thoughts
within.
Taking the reader on a wondrous journey
through the invisible universe that surrounds us -- a universe
made visible by mathematics -- Devlin shows us what keeps
a jumbo jet in the air, explains how we are able to view
a football game on TV, and describes the mathematics that
allow us to predict the weather, the behaviour of the stock
market, and the outcomes of elections. Microwave ovens,
telephone cables, children's toys, pacemakers, automobiles,
and computers -- all operate on mathematical principles.
Far from a dry and esoteric subject, mathematics is a rich
and living part of our culture.
An award-winning author, Keith Devlin conveys
both the historical development and the current breadth
of mathematics without assuming any technical knowledge
or ability on the part of the reader. He proves that the
guiding principles of some of the most mysterious mathematical
topics can be made comprehensible.
A brilliant exploration of an often woefully
misunderstood subject, The Language of Mathematics
celebrates the simplicity, the precision, the purity, and
the elegance of mathematics.
Keith Devlin is Dean of the School of
Science at St. Mary's College of California and Senior Researcher
at Stanford University's Center for the Study of Language
and Information. A key participant in the six-part PBS television
series Life by the Numbers, he is the author of the
companion volume of the same title, as well as Goodbye,
Descartes; Logic and Information; Mathematics:
The Science of Patterns. Since 1983, he has written a
regular column on mathematics and computers for The
Guardian in his native England, and writes a monthly
column, Devlin's Angle, for the Web journal MAA Online.
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