Ian Stewart
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A celebrated mathematician traces the history of math through the lives and work of twenty-five pioneering mathematicians.
In Significant Figures, acclaimed mathematician Ian Stewart introduces the visionaries of mathematics throughout history. Delving into the lives of twenty-five great mathematicians, Stewart examines the roles they played in creating, inventing, and discovering the mathematics we use today. Through these short biographies, we...
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Populated by curious creatures whose stories unfold with jokes and puns, this mathematical wonderland of puzzles and games also imparts significant mathematical ideas. Ian Stewart, an active popularizer of mathematics, university professor, and former columnist for Scientific American's "Mathematical Games" section, has selected 16 of his columns from Pour la Science, the French edition of Scientific American, most based on a mathematical idea dressed...
4) Loophole
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Two universes joined by a wormhole pair that forms a 'loophole', with an icemoon orbiting through the loophole, shared between two different planetary systems in the two universes.
A civilisation with uploaded minds in virtual reality served by artificial humans.
A ravening Horde of replicating machines that kill stars.
Real humans from a decrepit system of colony worlds.
A race of hyperintelligent but somewhat vague aliens.
Who will close the loophole......
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Twelve essays take a playful approach to the subject, exploring how to play poker over the telephone without the possibility of cheating, how to distinguish plausible fallacies from unbelievable facts, and how to cope mathematically with contorted worms, drunken tennis players, and snakes that eat their own tails. Former columnist for Scientific American's "Mathematical Games" section, Ian Stewart is a professor at the University of Warwick and the...
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Enter the magical maze of mathematics and explore the surprising passageways of a fantastical world where logic and imagination converge. For mathematics is a maze-a maze in your head-a maze of ideas, a maze of logic. And that maze in your mind is a powerful tool for understanding an even bigger maze-the one of cause and effect that we call "the universe." That is its special kind of magic. Real magic. Strange magic. Infinitely fascinating magic....
7) Know Thyself
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Addictions and compulsive behaviors seem to be the normal currently. Many new people to 12-Step programs are, kept back from completing the 12 Steps of recovery. There doesn't seem to be much information available for completing the actual Steps.
Before you can complete the Step, you must have the information to do so. This book will help you gather all the information you will need.
Nothing can be, written to take the place of meetings and having...
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Some years ago, "new math" took the country's classrooms by storm. Based on the abstract, general style of mathematical exposition favored by research mathematicians, its goal was to teach students not just to manipulate numbers and formulas, but to grasp the underlying mathematical concepts. The result, at least at first, was a great deal of confusion among teachers, students, and parents. Since then, the negative aspects of "new math" have been...
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In Calculating the Cosmos, Ian Stewart presents an exhilarating guide to the cosmos, from our solar system to the entire universe. He describes the architecture of space and time, dark matter and dark energy, how galaxies form, why stars implode, how everything began, and how it's all going to end. He considers parallel universes, the fine-tuning of the cosmos for life, what forms extraterrestrial life might take, and the likelihood of life on Earth...
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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...
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It is one of the wonders of mathematics that, for every problem mathematicians solve, another awaits to perplex and galvanize them. Some of these problems are new, while others have puzzled and bewitched thinkers across the ages. Such challenges offer a tantalizing glimpse of the field's unlimited potential, and keep mathematicians looking toward the horizons of intellectual possibility. In this book the author, a mathematician, provides an overview...
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Science of Discworld volume 3
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The wizard scholars of Unseen University wrestle with the popularity of a theory of theological design put forth by a man named Darwin.
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This astute biography captures the full range of Winston Churchill's astonishing career. Perhaps the greatest political figure of modern times, Churchill left an indelible imprint on the American imagination with his "V" signs, his stirring oratory, and his ever-present cigar. Piers Brendon brings great wit and impeccable scholarly credits to this penetrating account of the adventurous, brilliant, colorful, Nobel Prize-winning 20th century leader....
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First integrated treatment of main ideas behind René Thom's theory of catastrophes stresses detailed applications in the physical sciences. Mathematics of theory explained with a minimum of technicalities. Over 200 illustrations clarify text designed for researchers and postgraduate students in engineering, mathematics, physics and biology. Bibliography.