When Archimedes, while bathing, suddenly hit upon the principle of buoyancy, he ran wildly through the streets of Syracuse, stark naked, crying "eureka " In The Moment of Proof, Donald Benson attempts to convey to general readers the feeling of eureka--the joy of discovery--that mathematicians feel when they first encounter an elegant proof. This is not an introduction to mathematics so much as an introduction to the pleasures of mathematical thinking. And indeed the delights of this book are many and varied. The book is packed with intriguing conundrums--Loyd's Fifteen Puzzle, the...
When Archimedes, while bathing, suddenly hit upon the principle of buoyancy, he ran wildly through the streets of Syracuse, stark naked, crying "eurek...
This book takes a novel look at the topics of school mathematics--arithmetic, geometry, algebra, and calculus. In this stroll on the mathematical seashore we hope to find, quoting Newton, ..".a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary..." This book assembles a collection of mathematical pebbles that are important as well as beautiful.
This book takes a novel look at the topics of school mathematics--arithmetic, geometry, algebra, and calculus. In this stroll on the mathematical seas...