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eBook The Art of Mathematics ePub

by Jerry P. King

Author: Jerry P. King
Language: English
ISBN: 0306441292
ISBN13: 978-0306441295
Publisher: Springer; Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1992 edition (January 1, 1992)
Pages: 313
Category: Mathematics
Subcategory: Science
Rating: 4.2
Votes: 310
Formats: lrf lit azw lrf
ePub file: 1994 kb
Fb2 file: 1278 kb

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Jerry King is no exception. This book has nothing to do with the 'art' of mathematics

Jerry King is no exception. His informal, nontechnical book, as its title implies, is organized around what Bertrand Russell called the 'supreme beauty' of mathematics-a beauty 'capable of a stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show. This book has nothing to do with the 'art' of mathematics. The author tried in the beginning to alert the reader that this book was possibly anathema to mathematicians since it wasn't 'math' as they understand it; rather a book allegedly 'about math. Whatever it is and whatever King set out to accomplish with it, he lost his way. The first third of the book seemed to be a roundabout description of the abstraction of numbers.

The Art of Mathematics book. Jerry King is no exception. NATURE In this clear, concise, Creative mathematicians seldom write for outsiders, but when they do, they usually do it well.

Jerry King, a mathematics professor and a poet, razes the barriers between a world of two cultures and hands us the tools for appreciating the art and treasures of this elegant discipline. In his fluid, poetic voice, he initiates us into the splendid wonders of the Mathworld. He provides us with an original framework for contemplating mathematics as art. He deepens our ultimate comprehension of art by comparing the beauty of a Rembrandt as well as a Jackson Pollock with the riches to be mined in an elegant proof.

The art of mathematics. by. King, Jerry P. Publication date. New York : Plenum Press.

Mathematics professor and poet Jerry P. King writes with passion and wit of Euclid, Yeats, Poincaré, and Rembrandt, drawing examples from axioms, paintings, and symphonies

Mathematics professor and poet Jerry P. King writes with passion and wit of Euclid, Yeats, Poincaré, and Rembrandt, drawing examples from axioms, paintings, and symphonies. The Art of Mathematics explores the difference between real, rational, and complex numbers; analyzes the intellectual underpinnings of pure and applied mathematics; and illustrates the fundamental connection between aesthetics and math.

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Art of Mathematics by Jerry P. King . It illustrates the fundamental connection between aesthetics and mathematics by drawing analogies between axioms, applied mathematics, paintings, and symphonies.

It illustrates the fundamental connection between aesthetics and mathematics by drawing analogies between axioms, applied mathematics, paintings, and symphonies. Witty, trenchant, and provocative. Mathematical Association of America.

Creative mathematicians seldom write for outsiders, but when they do, they usually do it well. eBook 71,39 €. price for Russian Federation (gross).

The Art of Mathematics King Jerry Dover 9780486450209 : Creative mathematicians seldom write for .

The Art of Mathematics King Jerry Dover 9780486450209 : Creative mathematicians seldom write for outsiders, but when they do, they usually do it well. Mathematics professor and poet Jerry P. King writes with passion and wit of Euclid, Yeats, Poincare, and Rembrandt, drawing examples from axioms, paintings, and symphonies. Book Format: Choose an option.

Surveys the foundations of pure and applied mathematics, criticizes the way in which math is taught, and describes the work of mathematicians

Bladecliff

This is really a wonderful book. It's one of the reasons I went to grad school.
Dr. King really does a great job of explaining what math is really all about. His analogy to sculpture is perfect: If you want to appreciate a statue, you can't stand too close or too far away. Those in liberal arts are standing too far away from math to see it. Those in engineering and the sciences are standing too close -- they use pieces of math as tools but never see the beauty of mathematics.
And I must respectfully disagree with Dr. Greenberg -- the Appel-Haken proof of the four color theorem really is a travesty. It's not a question of being ugly: it's invisible. It's not a proof at all -- it's an "argument from authority" and hence is inductive, not deductive.

Ann

I must be on a hot streak. Almost every book I've read lately is completely mistitled--a ploy by the pubishers that I find beyond annoying. This book has nothing to do with the 'art' of mathematics. The author tried in the beginning to alert the reader that this book was possibly anathema to mathematicians since it wasn't 'math' as they understand it; rather a book allegedly 'about math.' Whatever it is and whatever King set out to accomplish with it, he lost his way. The first third of the book seemed to be a roundabout description of the abstraction of numbers. That much was well-written and not terribly complicated. But then the trouble started. The last two-thirds of the book meander all over the place in an exceedingly poorly crafted and unfocused effort to explain....WHAT? King went from a vaguely technical book for the layman to a muddled concoction of memoir, diatribe, philosophical thesis, critique and on and on and on. It's a patchwork of opinion, criticism, and at times chronicle. A 'behind the scenes' account of academic immaturity and petty politics. And the 100 or so pages on aesthetics? Oh my god. What is this guy doing? He might have had an idea in his mind of what he wanted to say. Unfortunately whatever it was got lost....really LOST between his mind and mouth (or keyboard). The book really is a reflection on a couple of topics that obviously have been part and parcel of the author's career. He seems eager to distance himself from the 'riff-raff' of mathematicians, yet proves he is nothing but lost in the academic world he wants so much to scorn and rise above. King's style as a writer really isn't all that bad, but the book was simply entirely too unfocused and pieced together. In a way, you get a lot for your money here, with 2 separate books in one. Why this was published is a mystery because it sheds no light aesthetics or the politics of being a mathematics professor. And it sure as hell says nothing about art.

Kirizius

Granted that this book is intended for non-mathematicians and is, according to the author, descriptive rather than precise, it still should not purvey misleading information.
E.g., on p.43, he calls spherical geometry "Riemannian geometry" and then claims on p.44 that "actual space is not Euclidean but rather more nearly Riemannian." That is incorrect if we adopt his notion of "Riemannian." It becomes correct when one provides the correct definition of "Riemannian" found in any advanced text on the subject.
On p.73 he misstates the Gelfond-Schneider Theorem, writing ab when it should be a to the power b that is transcendental. And on p.72 he misspells Mahler as Maher.
I doubt that most laymen will be enlightened by his discussion of the law of signs on p.73ff. He does show that it follows easily from other algebraic laws, and if the layman finds those laws acceptable, then the law of signs must be accepted, unintuitive as it may be.
His discussion of Fermat's Last Theorem on p.89 was unfortunately written before Wiles corrected the initial error in his proof. He needs a second edition to update this.
On p.88ff he argues that Appel and Haken's solution to the Four Color Problem was ugly because they used a lengthy computer calculation that cannot be surveyed. I and other mathematicians thought it was quite beautiful the way they reduced the problem to a finite computation.
That's as far as I've been willing to read in this book.

Mejora

First time I choose to read this book is because there is an ‘art’ word contain in the title. In traditional notion, mathematics is nothing relate to the art. So I decide to read this book and I hope I can find the beauty of math. After I read this great book .I think the language in the book is easier for students to understand. As a student I think the word he used in the book is easy to read. It shows us the pure beauty of mathematics by multiple sides. People only can feel the beauty when they stand on the proper position-not too close or too far. Just like a common theory, the short distance will expose the stuff’s disadvantage. And It also discusses the class mathematics which is close to our life. The author don’t think class mathematics is a good way to improve students’ ability, especially their teachers even don’t have any passion on math. It’s a sorriness for both students and their teacher. In addition, there are two major plates in the book - pure mathematics and applied mathematics, and the author conducted a study on them. Throughout the article, we can clearly feel the author’s passion on the mathematics. He treat mathematics as an art. It a field that full of aesthetic perception. This book is different from other books that has a similar topic, It’s not only tell us an object truth but also provide many examples that make every word that showed on the book credible.