EINSTEINS HEROS: Imagining the World through the Language of Mathematics

by Robyn ARAINRHOD

Imagine you are fluent in a magical language of prophecy, a language so powerful it can accurately describe things you cannot see or even imagine. Einstein's Heroes takes you on a journey of discovery about just such a miraculous language--the language of mathematics--one of humanity's most amazing accomplishments.
Blending science, history, and biography, this remarkable book reveals the mysteries of mathematics, focusing on the life and work of three of Albert Einstein's Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, and especially James Clerk Maxwell, whose work directly inspired the theory of relativity. Robyn Arianrhod bridges the gap between science and literature, portraying mathematics as a language and arguing that a physical theory is a work of imagination involving the elegant and clever use of this language. The heart of the book illuminates how Maxwell, using the language of mathematics in a new and radical way, resolved the seemingly insoluble controversy between Faraday's idea of lines of force and Newton's theory of action-at-a-distance. In so doing, Maxwell not only produced the first complete mathematical description of electromagnetism, but actually predicted the existence of the radio wave, teasing it out of the mathematical language itself.
Here then is a fascinating look at its colorful characters, its historical intrigues, and above all its role as the uncannily accurate language of nature.

Genres: Science, History, Biography, Nonfiction, Physics, Mathematics, History Of Science

335 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I simply loved this book as a student fresh out of high school. It got me excited about what I was about to go and study at university - physics, maths and the ground-breaking theories they were used to derive. But Einstein's Hero's also introduced me to my scientific hero, James Clerk Maxwell, and for that reason I will always love this book.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an unusual book - partially a biography of Newton, Faraday and Maxwell (Einstein had portraits of Maxwell and Newton on his wall - hence the title), but mostly a detailed discussion of how the relationship between math and physics changed due to the work of these scientists, and how the notion of a field, which Faraday developed and Maxwell mathematicized, revolutionized physics of the 19th century, paving the way for Einstein's relativity. The mathematics in the book is deliberately kept at a very low level, making this book appropriate for all, and even those familiar with the mathematics of Maxwell's equation may appreciate Arianhod's description of these equations (since seeing familiar material from an unusual angle is almost always valuable).

[Aliciatay88 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is especially hard to get through, especially when I am here to understand more about the mathematical language. Although it is publicised as a book that can reveal the wonders of the mathematical language, what I got instead is a bunch of histories and biographies packed into 281 pages. When the author attempts to bring forth the use of mathematics in the discovery of various scientific concepts, the message in which the author is trying to convey becomes muffled by all the unnecessary details. Oh well.... On a positive note, I do admit that it is nice to know more about how the Big Bang theory came to be.

[Upom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting text that seems to be 3 separate book ideas mashed into one. Part biography of James Maxwell, part mathematical and physics history, part mathematical philosophy, Arianrhod is all over the place. She writes with passion, and the portion of the book that describes the life of James Maxwell is a well written biography of one of physics' most under-recognized heroes. I think she would have been better off on tackling one of these ideas, but there are some really interesting insights into vector calculus and the nature of mathematics in this book.

[Tom Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book presents a very lovely view of mathematics, presenting it as a "language in its own right". And the author had the inspired notion of structuring her book around the work of three mathematical idols of another seminal thinker: Einstein's admiration of Newton, Faraday and Maxwell. A lot of ground is covered in the course of this book, and Arianrhod presents a lot of mathematics and physics in a manner that is accessible to any interested reader. Highly recommended!

[Ricardo Guerreiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read that will reveal many historical events that led to interesting discoveries in the scientific realm and that in turn led to applications we now take for granted. Mathematics revisited through the works and lives of Newton, Faraday, Maxwell and Einstein (the middle two, personal heroes of mine).

[Çağdaş · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kitabı bitirmeyi başaramadım. O kadar özensiz bir basım ki, daha ilk sayfadan bir sürü hata ile insanı kendinden soğutuyor. Hem baskıda hem de çeviride çok ciddi ve bilmeyen okuyucuyu yanlış yönlendirecek hatalar ve kelime yanlışları mevcut. Yine de sebat edip okuyordum ki, 50 nci sayfa civarında 4 sayfanın da kayıp olduğunu görünce kitabı bir daha açmamak üzere kapattım.

[Matt McCormick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the fact that most of the actual math was explained at a level I could comprehend - although I just didn't have the energy to really grasp vectors let only the differential sort. I was most intrigued by the wonderful narratives of the subjects: Maxwell and Faraday. The author placed their work and their thinking into the evolution of the early scientific revolution. It seems to this lay reader that Newtonian thinking (action at a distance) was fast approaching dogma. Faraday and then Maxwell's ability to think differently, independently and even courageously was in itself a contribution to science and to reason.

[Brian O'Leary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too wordy, convoluted approach to explaining math, some interesting math ideas, but not explained very well.

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robyn Arianrhod published her book "Einstein's Heroes" in 2003. Robyn's book captures the magic of mathematics and physics in language easy to understand and full of insight. Her notes and index are great. The book presents the brilliance of James Maxwell, Galileo, Copernicus, Newton, Faraday, Ampere, Hertz, and Einstein in the context of their times and in the context of our present day.

[Paul Gilfoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author paints a beautiful picture through history, science, and mathematics. The story centers on James Clark Maxwell with frequent appearances by Faraday and Newton. I loved how the author brought you through their thought process and mathematical understanding. It was not hard to understand. The novel awakened much curiosity in me. I studied calculus and the electromagnetic spectrum to understand these incredible discoveries better - genuinely inspiring.

The best history-science book I have ever read. Well done, Arianrhod

[Stephen Hackney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author went back in time and presented elements of the lives of a number of philosophers/mathematicians that enriched my knowledge and understanding of these historical figures, figures who's groundbreaking work made the future development leading to 20th Century breakthroughs in physics possible. My only criticism is the author's style and presentation, too frequently, was such that at times there was not a very smooth transition between time and people, for me.

[Michael Soso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and very readable. It establishes the importance of Faraday and Maxwell in the development of modern physics while at the same time, illustrating how modern mathematics became central to this development.