e: The Story of a Number by Eli Maor
The interest earned on a bank account, the arrangement of seeds in a sun flower, and the shape of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis are all intimately connected with the mysterious number "e". In this informal history, Eli Maor portrays the curious characters and the elegant mathematics that lie behind the number. Designed for the reader with only a modest background in mathematics and illuminates a golde era in the age of science.
This is a gently paced, elegantly composed book, and it will bring its readers much pleasure.. Maor has written an excellent book that should be in every public and school library. -- Ian Stewart New Scientist Maor wonderfully tells the story of e. The chronological history allows excursions into the lives of people involved with the development of this fascinating number. Maor hangs his story on a string of people stretching from Archimedes to David Hilbert. And by presenting mathematics in terms of the humans who produced it, he places the subject where it belongs--squarely in the centre of the humanities. -- Jerry P. King Nature Maor has succeeded in writing a short, readable mathematical story. He has interspersed a variety of anecdotes, excursions, and essays to lighten the flow... [The book] is like the voyages of Columbus as told by the first mate. -- Peter Borwein Science Maor attempts to give the irrational number e its rightful standing alongside pi as a fundamental constant in science and nature; he succeeds very well... Maor writes so that both mathematical newcomers and long-time professionals alike can thoroughly enjoy his book, learn something new, and witness the ubiquity of mathematical ideas in Western culture. Choice
Eli Maor is the author of Beautiful Geometry (with Eugen Jost), Venus in Transit, Trigonometric Delights, To Infinity and Beyond, and The Pythagorean Theorem: A 4,000-Year History (all Princeton).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780691058542 |
| ISBN 10 | 0691058547 |
| Title | e: The Story of a Number |
| Author | Eli Maor |
| Series | Princeton Science Library |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Princeton University Press |
| Year published | 1998-05-24 |
| Number of pages | 248 |
| Prizes | Runner-up for AAP/Professional and Scholarly Publishing Awards: Mathematics and Statistics 1994 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |