1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910816762803321

Autore

Mazer Arthur <1958->

Titolo

Shifting the Earth [[electronic resource] ] : the mathematical quest to understand the motion of the universe / / Arthur Mazer

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Hoboken, N.J., : Wiley, 2011

ISBN

1-283-24004-1

9786613240040

1-118-10831-0

1-118-10829-9

1-118-10832-9

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (324 p.)

Classificazione

MAT015000

Disciplina

521/.3

Soggetti

Kepler's laws

Motion

Celestial mechanics

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

Machine generated contents note: Preface.Acknowledgments.Chapter 1. Perfection.Chapter 2. Perfectionists.Chapter 3. The Iconoclast.Chapter 4. Instigators.Chapter 5. Retrograde.Chapter 6. Revolutionary.Chapter 7. Renegades.Chapter 8. The Authority.Chapter 9. Rule Breakers.Epilogue.Bibliography.Index.

Sommario/riassunto

"Combining history, astronomy, and philosophy, this insightful book demonstrates how mathematics evolved and was used to explain planetary movements based on centuries of manual observations and careful data collection. Historical and social contexts behind the mathematical advances are provided, and the history includes the larger political and philosophical environment that affected the lives of the contributing scientists. A prime objective is to illustrate how Kepler's heliocentric pathway evolved from Ptolemy's geocentric model, with Copernicus as the critical intermediary. This reference will be valuable to science and mathematics enthusiasts, and will serve as a textbook or supplemental recommended reading for undergraduates"--