Record Nr.

UNINA9910457711503321

Autore

Havil Julian <1952->

Titolo

The irrationals [[electronic resource] ] : a story of the numbers you can't count on / / Julian Havil

Pubbl/distr/stampa


Princeton, NJ, : Princeton University Press, 2012

ISBN

1-280-49435-2

9786613589583

1-4008-4170-4

Edizione

[Course Book]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (311 p.)

Disciplina

512.786

Soggetti

Number theory

Logic, Symbolic and mathematical

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 and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Chapter one. Greek Beginnings -- Chapter Two. The Route to Germany -- Chapter Three. Two New Irrationals -- Chapter Four. Irrationals, Old and New -- Chapter Five. A Very Special Irrational -- Chapter Six. From the Rational to the Transcendental -- Chapter Seven. Transcendentals -- Chapter Eight. Continued Fractions Revisited -- Chapter Nine. The Question and Problem of Randomness -- Chapter Ten. One Question, Three Answers -- Chapter Eleven. Does Irrationality Matter? -- Appendix A. The Spiral of Theodorus -- Appendix B. Rational Parameterizations of the Circle -- Appendix C. Two Properties of Continued Fractions -- Appendix D. Finding the Tomb of Roger Apéry -- Appendix E. Equivalence Relations -- Appendix F. The Mean Value Theorem -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

The ancient Greeks discovered them, but it wasn't until the nineteenth century that irrational numbers were properly understood and rigorously defined, and even today not all their mysteries have been revealed. In The Irrationals, the first popular and comprehensive book on the subject, Julian Havil tells the story of irrational numbers and the mathematicians who have tackled their challenges, from antiquity to

the twenty-first century. Along the way, he explains why irrational numbers are surprisingly difficult to define-and why so many questions still surround them. Fascinating and illuminating, this is a book for everyone who loves math and the history behind it.

Record Nr.

UNICAMPANIAVAN0081860

Titolo

Disegni genovesi dal 16. al 17. secolo dalle collezioni del Gabinetto nazionale delle stampe / catalogo di Giulia Fusconi ; con un saggio critico di Ezia Gavazza : [Genova-Galleria nazionale di Palazzo Spinola, 26 giugno-21 settembre 1980. Roma-Villa Farnesina alla Lungara, 1 ottobre-20 novembre 1980]