Life Science Library: Mathematics

Life Science Library

by David Bergamini

Mathematics, Science

Genres: Mathematics, Science, Reference, Nonfiction

200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

David Howland Bergamini was an American author who wrote books on 20th-century history and popular science, notably mathematics.

Bergamini was interned as an Allied civilian in a Japanese concentration camp in the Philippines with his mother Clara Dorothea Bergamini (born Hawke), father John Van Wie Bergamini, an architect who worked for the American Episcopal Mission in China, Japan, the Philippines and Africa), and younger sister for the duration of World War II.

From 1949 to 1951 Bergamini studied at Merton College, Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. In 1951 he joined Time as a reporter; in 1961 he was appointed Assistant Editor of Life magazine.

According to Professor Charles Sheldon of the University of Cambridge, his 1971 book on Japan's Imperial Conspiracy "is a polemic which, to our knowledge, contradicts all previous scholarly work.... Specialists on Japan have unanimously demolished Bergamini's thesis and his pretensions to careful scholarship.

Primary source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_B...

Reviews

[Daniel Currie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent countless hours reading this book as a pre-teen. Endlessly fascinating to me.

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion the finest book in an exceptionally fine series of books. I wish textbooks could be written with such passion!

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Math history and application (no math needed to enjoy)

Once again, the Life science library brings a presentation to fill the void. Yes, we all had an opportunity at math; some people dive into the deep end, and others ask why me.

Well, this survey book will satisfy both the curiosity as to where math came from and its significance. It is not a how-to book.

Ch 1: Numbers: A Long Way from Zero. Picture essay: Computing: From Human Fingers to Man-made Brains.
Ch 2: The Shapely Thinking of the Ancient Greeks. Picture essay: A Portfolio: Eminent Masters of Mathematics.
Ch 3: An Alphabet for Deciphering the Unknown. Picture essay: The Magnificent Heritage of Ancient Cultures.
Ch 4: A Happy Marriage of Curves and Quantities. Picture essay: The Mathematics of Beauty in Nature and Art.
Ch 5: Mastering the Mysteries of Movement. Picture essay: Calculus: A Way of Probing the Changing World.
Ch 6: Figuring the Odds in An Uncertain World. Picture essay: The Fascinating Game of Probability & Chance.
Ch 7: A Logical Leap Into The Wild Blue Yonder. Picture essay: Three Who Changed Man's Concept of the Universe.
Ch 8: Mathematics Today: Deeds, Doubts, Dreams. Picture essay: Topology: The Mathematics of Distortion.

Also:
The new mathematics: a revolution in the classroom
Future reading
Index
Acknowledgments and picture credits.
A lot of pictures and diagrams to help explain.

I was intrigued by the picture of the Jacquard Loom.

[Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book that made me sparked my interest from hating it and realized how helpful in the world math is. I finished this book when I was a senior high school kid like 12 years ago. I just found this book here and decided to write this review.

Review by an aspiring computer scientist.

[Gerardo Gonzales · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this

[Manan Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb collection of visual essays. The hard work of the team is easily visible. Why doesn't anyone publish things like this nowadays!
Wish I had seen this in my childhood.

[Eli Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro fue mi inspiración de pequeño para interesarme en los misterios del universo.

Muchos elementos visuales que despiertan la imaginacion.