Coincidences, Chaos, and All That Math Jazz: Making Light of Weighty Ideas by Edward B Burger

Coincidences, Chaos, and All That Math Jazz: Making Light of Weighty Ideas by Edward B Burger

Improbable? Yes. Impossible? Noan irreverent, entertaining, readable, and completely understandable explanation of lofty mathematical ideas. By starting in the familiar world and using a few simple steps of imagination, Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird sneak up on weighty mathematical ideas. The spirals on a pineapple quickly lead to the famous Fibonacci numbers and the alluring Golden Ratio and from there to aesthetic forms in nature, art, and music. The edge of a twisted strip of paper leads to an image of the shape of the universe. Playing with the notion of probability demonstrates that surprising coincidences such as the amazing parallels between the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations are sure to happen. These and other foreign and familiar mysteries share two featuresthey appear inexplicable and they are all explained with great humor and clarity in this book. Perhaps the greatest surprise is that these travels require no math background. If you never thought you would read about mathematics, this book is for you. 160 illustrations.

Edward B. Burger is professor of mathematics and chair at Williams College. He has won several prestigious teaching and writing awards from the Mathematical Association of America. He lives in Massachusetts. Michael Starbird is a University Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin and is a member of UT’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers. He lives in Texas.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780393059458
ISBN 10	0393059456
Title	Coincidences, Chaos, and All That Math Jazz: Making Light of Weighty Ideas
Author	Edward B Burger
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	WW Norton & Co
Year published	2005-09-16
Number of pages	288
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.