LEADER 03762nam 2200661 a 450 001 9910789644603321 005 20200520144314.0 010 $a1-283-24617-1 010 $a9786613246172 010 $a1-4008-3290-X 024 7 $a10.1515/9781400832903 035 $a(CKB)2670000000113631 035 $a(EBL)765290 035 $a(OCoLC)748242140 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000538989 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11362609 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000538989 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10560816 035 $a(PQKB)11668633 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC765290 035 $a(DE-B1597)453790 035 $a(OCoLC)979581682 035 $a(DE-B1597)9781400832903 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL765290 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10496627 035 $a(CaONFJC)MIL324617 035 $z(PPN)199244626 035 $a(PPN)187954372 035 $a(EXLCZ)992670000000113631 100 $a20081020d2009 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur|n|---||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 12$aA mathematical nature walk$b[electronic resource] /$fJohn A. Adam 205 $aCourse Book 210 $aPrinceton $cPrinceton University Press$dc2009 215 $a1 online resource (272 p.) 300 $aFifth printing, and first paperback printing, 2011. 311 $a0-691-12895-2 311 $a0-691-15265-9 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [243]-246) and index. 327 $aIntroduction -- At the beginning ... -- In the "playground" -- In the garden -- In the neighborhood -- In the shadows -- In the sky -- In the nest -- In (or on) the water -- In the forest -- In the national park -- In the night sky -- At the end ... -- Appendix 1: A very short glossary of mathematical terms and functions -- Appendix 2: Answers to questions 1-15 -- Appendix 3: Newton's law of cooling -- Appendix 4: More mathematical patterns in nature. 330 $aHow heavy is that cloud? Why can you see farther in rain than in fog? Why are the droplets on that spider web spaced apart so evenly? If you have ever asked questions like these while outdoors, and wondered how you might figure out the answers, this is a book for you. An entertaining and informative collection of fascinating puzzles from the natural world around us, A Mathematical Nature Walk will delight anyone who loves nature or math or both. John Adam presents ninety-six questions about many common natural phenomena--and a few uncommon ones--and then shows how to answer them using mostly basic mathematics. Can you weigh a pumpkin just by carefully looking at it? Why can you see farther in rain than in fog? What causes the variations in the colors of butterfly wings, bird feathers, and oil slicks? And why are large haystacks prone to spontaneous combustion? These are just a few of the questions you'll find inside. Many of the problems are illustrated with photos and drawings, and the book also has answers, a glossary of terms, and a list of some of the patterns found in nature. About a quarter of the questions can be answered with arithmetic, and many of the rest require only precalculus. But regardless of math background, readers will learn from the informal descriptions of the problems and gain a new appreciation of the beauty of nature and the mathematics that lies behind it. 606 $aMathematics in nature$vMiscellanea 606 $aMathematical analysis$vMiscellanea 615 0$aMathematics in nature 615 0$aMathematical analysis 676 $a510 700 $aAdam$b John A$0350928 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910789644603321 996 $aMathematical nature walk$91573546 997 $aUNINA