The best writing on mathematics 2013 / / Mircea Pitici, editor ; foreword by Roger Penrose

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910453719803321
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Princeton : , : Princeton University Press, , [2014]; ©2014
• ISBN: 1-4008-4799-0
• Edizione: [Course Book]
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (273 p.)
• Collana: The Best Writing on Mathematics ; ; 4
• Altri autori (Persone): PiticiMircea
• Disciplina: 510
• Soggetti: Mathematics; Electronic books.
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Description based upon print version of record.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references.
• Nota di contenuto: Front matter -- Contents -- Foreword / Penrose, Roger -- Introduction / Pitici, Mircea -- The Prospects for Mathematics in a Multimedia Civilization / Davis, Philip J. -- Fearful Symmetry / Stewart, Ian -- E pluribus unum: From Complexity, Universality / Tao, Terence -- Degrees of Separation / Goth, Gregory -- Randomness / Seife, Charles -- Randomness in Music / Knuth, Donald E. -- Playing the Odds / Johnson, Soren -- Machines of the Infinite / Pavlus, John -- Bridges, String Art, and Bézier Curves / Gross, Renan -- Slicing a Cone for Art and Science / Silver, Daniel S. -- High Fashion Meets Higher Mathematics / Delp, Kelly -- The Jordan Curve Theorem Is Nontrivial / Ross, Fiona / Ross, William T. -- Why Mathematics? What Mathematics? / Sfard, Anna -- Math Anxiety: Who Has It, Why It Develops, and How to Guard against It / Maloney, Erin A. / Beilock, Sian L. -- How Old Are the Platonic Solids? / Lloyd, David R. -- Early Modern Mathematical Instruments / Bennett, Jim -- A Revolution in Mathematics? What Really Happened a Century Ago and Why It Matters Today / Quinn, Frank -- Errors of Probability in Historical Context / Gorroochurn, Prakash -- The End of Probability / Ayache, Elie -- An abc Proof Too Tough Even for Mathematicians / Hartnett, Kevin -- Contributors -- Notable Texts -- Acknowledgments -- Credits
• Sommario/riassunto: This annual anthology brings together the year's finest mathematics writing from around the world. Featuring promising new voices ; alongside some of the foremost names in the field, The Best Writing on Mathematics 2013 makes available to a wide audience many articles not easily found anywhere else--and you don't need to be a mathematician to enjoy them. These writings offer surprising insights into the nature, meaning, and practice of mathematics today. They delve into the history, philosophy, teaching, and everyday occurrences of math, and take readers behind the scenes of today's hottest mathematical debates. Here Philip Davis offers a panoramic view of mathematics in contemporary society; Terence Tao discusses aspects of universal mathematical laws in complex systems; Ian Stewart explains how in mathematics everything arises out of nothing; Erin Maloney and Sian Beilock consider the mathematical anxiety experienced by many students and suggest effective remedies; Elie Ayache argues that exchange prices reached in open market transactions transcend the common notion of probability; and much, much more. In addition to presenting the year's most memorable writings on mathematics, this must-have anthology includes a foreword by esteemed mathematical physicist Roger Penrose and an introduction by the editor, Mircea Pitici. This book belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in where math has taken us--and where it is headed.