"The series collects together the proceedings of an annual conference on Mathematics and Culture held in Italy. ... and they are well written. ... There are ... some very interesting pieces on some themes, and these will be of interest and use to those who wish to read about those particular themes. For this purpose, the books should be available at mathematical public libraries." (Gizem Karaali, MathDL, May, 2007)
MATHEMATICIANS: E. Giusti: Ennio De Giorgi Remembered.- M.Emmer, E. Agapito: X Day, the Greats of 20th Century Science: Ennio De Giorgi.- MATHEMATICS AND COMICS: M. Abate: Writing Mathematics in Comics.- Piero Bellini: Madmatics.- MATHEMATICS AND SECRET CODES: P. Lucchi: A 16th Century Cryptographic Treatise: Agostino Amadi’s Zifre, from Humanistic Culture to the Culture of the Abacus.- M. li Calzi: Mathematics From War to Peace: Operations Research.- MATHEMATICS AND CINEMA: M.Emmer: Turing and the Enigma.- MATHEMATICS AND MEDICINE: C. Johnson: Computer Simulation and Visualisation.- A. Albini, U. Pfeffer: From Butterflies to Microchips: How Biology in the Third Millennium Aspires to Mathematics.- MATHEMATICS AND IMAGES: D. Hoffman: Mathematical Images and Images of Mathematics.- M.Emmer: A Beautiful Mind: a Film by Ron Howard, a Book by Sylvia Nasar.- MATHEMATICS AND APPLICATIONS: M. Primicerio: Mathematics and Industry.- D. Levi and M.G. Andreoli: Researching Viable Scientific Approaches to Marine Ecosystems.- MATHEMATICS AND ARCHITECTURE: M. Burry: Gaudi the Innovator.- MATHEMATICS AND THEATRE: L.Viganò: My Galois.- MATHEMATICS AND POETRY: M.Emmer: Encounters.- Lament. The Botanical Gardens. Outside Newton’s House (by Katharine Coles).- MATHEMATICS AND MYSTICISM: G.Israel: The Kabbalah and the Mysticism of Words.- MATHEMATICS IN THE OCEAN: N.Parolini, A.Quarteroni: When Mathematics Goes to Sea (in the America’s Cup).- MATHEMATICS AND ESCHER: B. de Smit, H.W.Lenstra Jr.: The Mathematical Structure of Escher’s Print Gallery.- M.Emmer: Animating M.C.Escher
Mathematical themes have been explored in many recent films, plays and books. This volume, whose aim is the popularization of mathematics, contains a series of accounts which show in these cultural contexts that mathematics is a vibrant and intriguing subject for the non-specialist. In the same spirit, other contributions cover mathematics in art, architecture, cryptography, and the medical and physical sciences.