Book summaryAn astrophysicist demonstrates the beauty and prevalence of a single geometric concept to the intelligent layperson, and discusses what it has meant to philosophers, scientists, and artists throughout history. The mathematician Euclid discovered over 2,000 years ago that, when a line is cut into two unequal lengths such that the ratio between the larger and the smaller segment is equal to the ratio between the entire line and the larger segment, the ratio computed is always the same number. The resulting irrational number, 1.6180339887(...etc.), is called phi, and is known variously as the Golden Ratio, Golden Number, and Golden Section. What seems like an abstruse and useless bit of information is actually an important proportion that is visible in natural patterns as diverse as the arrangement of the seeds in an apple, the spirals of mollusk shells, and the shape of galaxies. Author Livio explores the instances of the Golden Ratio in nature, and discusses whether or not this same proportion also appears deliberately in the Pyramids and works of great artists such as Mondrian and Da Vinci. Media reviews"The harmonious qualities of the golden ratio--phi--are pleasingly scanned in this history of the number, and by extension, a historical tour of numbers in general....A shining example of the aesthetics of mathematics." |
The Golden Ratio: The Story of PHI, the World's Most Astonishing Numberby Mario Livio
Book desription: Broadway, 2003-09-23. Softcover. LIKE NEW SOFTCOVER. Most readers will have at least dim memories from geometry class of the irrational number pi. Theoretical astrophysicist Livio gives pi's overlooked cousin phi its due with this lively account, the first on the subject written for the layperson. Phi is the golden ratio of antiquity (1.6180339887), a never-ending number so lauded for its harmonious qualities that in the 16th century it was dubbed the divine proportion. It is related to phenomena as diverse as the petal arrangements of roses, the breeding patterns of rabbits and the shape of our galaxy. Phi is also claimed to have been crucial in the design of the Great Pyramids, the composition of the Mona Lisa and the construction of Stradivarius violins. Livio (The Accelerating Universe) carefully investigates these and other claims and does not hesitate to debunk myths perpetuated by overzealous enthusiasts he calls "Golden Numberists." This is an engaging history of mathematics as well, addressing such perennial questions as the geometric basis of aesthetic pleasure and the nature of mathematical objects. Useful diagrams and handsome illustrations of works under discussion are amply provided. Livio is gifted with an accessible, entertaining style: one typical chapter bounds within five pages from an extended discourse on prime numbers to a clever Oscar Wilde quote about beauty to an amusing anecdote about Samuel Beckett and finally to an eminently clear explanation of G"del's incompleteness theorem. With a guide to the history of ideas as impassioned as Livio, even the math-phobic can experience the shock and pleasure of scientific discovery. This thoroughly enjoyable work vividly demonstrates to the general reader that, as Galileo put it, the universe is, indeed, written in the language of mathematics.
Bookseller Terms of Salepayment via paypal, visa/mastercard, discover, american express or a check/money order. 7 day return window if not as described. |
|||||
(US)Similar books
 |
Fourier Analysis and Partial Differential Equations
Valeria De Magalhaes Iorio, Rafael Jose Iorio Jr |
A Practical Guide to Pseudospectral Methods
Bengt Fornberg Partial differential equations arise in almost all areas of scie... |
Introduction to Analysis
Edward D. Gaughan This book takes a rigorous approach to, and therefore creates a ... |
