Biologists have long dismissed mathematics as being unable to meaningfully contribute to our understanding of living beings. Within the past ten years, however, mathematicians have proven that they hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of our world--and ourselves. In The Mathematics of Life, Ian Stewart provides a fascinating overview of the vital but little-recognized role mathematics has played in pulling back the curtain on the hidden complexities of the natural world--and how its contribution will be even more vital in the years ahead. In his characteristically clear and entertaining fashion, Stewart explains how mathematicians and biologists have come to work together on some of the most difficult scientific problems that the human race has ever tackled, including the nature and origin of life itself.
School maths is not the interesting part. The real fun is elsewhere. Like a magpie, Ian Stewart has collected the most enlightening, entertaining and vexing 'curiosities' of maths over the years... Now, the private collection is displayed in his cabinet. There are some hidden gems of logic, geometry and probability -- like how to extract a cherry from a cocktail glass (harder than you think), a pop up dodecahedron, the real reason why you can't divide anything by zero and some tips for making money by proving the obvious. Scattered among these are keys to unlocking the mysteries of Fermat's last theorem, the Poincaré Conjecture, chaos theory, and the P/NP problem for which a million dollar prize is on offer. There are beguiling secrets about familiar names like Pythagoras or prime numbers, as well as anecdotes about great mathematicians. Pull out the drawers of the Professor's cabinet and who knows what could happen...
The transition from school mathematics to university mathematics is seldom straightforward. Students are faced with a disconnect between the algorithmic and informal attitude to mathematics at school, versus a new emphasis on proof, based on logic, and a more abstract development of general concepts, based on set theory. The authors have many years' experience of the potential difficulties involved, through teaching first-year undergraduates and researching the ways in which students and mathematicians think. The book explains the motivation behind abstract foundational material based on students' experiences of school mathematics, and explicitly suggests ways students can make sense of form...
In Professor Stewart's Casebook of Mathematical Mysteries, acclaimed mathematician Ian Stewart presents an enticing collection of mathematical curios and conundrums. With a new puzzle on each page, this compendium of brainteasers will both teach and delight. Guided by stalwart detective Hemlock Soames and his sidekick, Dr. John Watsup, readers will delve into almost two hundred mathematical problems, puzzles, and facts. Tackling subjects from mathematical dates (such as Pi Day), what we don't know about primes, and why the Earth is round, this clever, mind-expanding book demonstrates the power and fun inherent in mathematics.
Ian Stewart has done an outstanding job of presenting a comprehensive overview of Eric Berne, his life, his philosophy and his significant contributions to the fields of personality and psychotherapy... Stewart has made a significant and unique contribution to the literature of transactional analysis. This book deserves reading by all transactional analysts' - "Transactional Analysis Journal " Eric Berne is probably still best known as the author of the bestselling Games People Play, yet his professional writings on transactional analysis fill several books and his practice of psychotherapy was distilled from more than thirty years' experience of work with clients. Ian Stewart draws Berne's ideas together in a unique and accessible form and concludes that Berne emerges not only as a skilled communicator but also as a profound thinker who offers a major contribution to counselling and psychotherapy this century.
Mathematician Ian Stewart tells readers what he wishes he had known when he was a student. He takes up subjects ranging from the philosophical to the practical-what mathematics is and why it’s worth doing, the relationship between logic and proof, the role of beauty in mathematical thinking, the future of mathematics, how to deal with the peculiarities of the mathematical community, and many others.
Since 1973, Galois Theory has been educating undergraduate students on Galois groups and classical Galois theory. In Galois Theory, Fourth Edition, mathematician and popular science author Ian Stewart updates this well-established textbook for today’s algebra students. New to the Fourth Edition The replacement of the topological proof of the fundamental theorem of algebra with a simple and plausible result from point-set topology and estimates that will be familiar to anyone who has taken a first course in analysis Revised chapter on ruler-and-compass constructions that results in a more elegant theory and simpler proofs A section on constructions using an angle-trisector since it is an intriguing and direct application of the methods developed A new chapter that takes a retrospective look at what Galois actually did compared to what many assume he did Updated references This bestseller continues to deliver a rigorous yet engaging treatment of the subject while keeping pace with current educational requirements. More than 200 exercises and a wealth of historical notes augment the proofs, formulas, and theorems.
There are some mathematical problems whose significance goes beyond the ordinary - like Fermat's Last Theorem or Goldbach's Conjecture - they are the enigmas which define mathematics. The Great Mathematical Problems explains why these problems exist, why they matter, what drives mathematicians to incredible lengths to solve them and where they stand in the context of mathematics and science as a whole. It contains solved problems - like the Poincaré Conjecture, cracked by the eccentric genius Grigori Perelman, who refused academic honours and a million-dollar prize for his work, and ones which, like the Riemann Hypothesis, remain baffling after centuries. Stewart is the guide to this mysterious and exciting world, showing how modern mathematicians constantly rise to the challenges set by their predecessors, as the great mathematical problems of the past succumb to the new techniques and ideas of the present.
Sixteen columns from the French edition of Scientific American feature oddball characters and wacky wordplay in a mathematical wonderland of puzzles and games that also imparts significant mathematical ideas. 1992 edition.