The World of Mathematics, Vol. 1 (Volume 1)

by James Roy Newman (Editor)

Vol. 1 of a monumental 4-volume set includes a general survey of mathematics; historical and biographical information on prominent mathematicians throughout history; material on arithmetic, numbers and the art of counting, and the mathematics of space and motion. Includes commentary by noted mathematics scholar James R. Newman. Features numerous figures.

Genres: Mathematics, Science, Nonfiction, Reference, Physics, Philosophy, History

768 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2000

About the author

James Roy Newman was an American mathematician & mathematical historian. He was also a lawyer, practicing in NY state from 1929 to 1941. During & after WWII, he held several positions in the US government, including Chief Intelligence Officer at the US Embassy in London, Special Assistant to the Undersecretary of War & Counsel to the US Senate Committee on Atomic Energy. In the latter capacity, he helped to draft the Atomic Energy Act of 1946. He became a member of the board of editors for Scientific American beginning in '48. He's also credited for coining & first describing the mathematical concept "googol" in his book (co-authored by Edward Kasner) Mathematics & The Imagination.

Reviews

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im very excited to continue reading the other texts in this collection. This volume includes a great deal on a myriad of topics related to mathematics. There is in this book biographies of such luminaries as Bertrand russell, newton, gauss, Euler, Pythagorus, Descartes and countless others.

Many of their major ideas are of course explained, and moving forward, there are included here essays written by these many folk following their biographies. There is something so fascinating in watching Descartes attempt to justify his cartesian plane, and to see the knowledge that Pythagorus ,Archimedes and the ancient Egyptians harbored.

This is, from what I’ve seen thus far, one of the best histories of math. Its personalities, complexities, oddities and insanities are well highlighted here.

Recommended for :
-mathematical types who dont mind getting their hands dirty by learning some history
-those who are generally intellectually curious
-historians
-scientists curious about math

[Yuki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice introduction to modern mathematics by Newman, with proofs included, and was written in a very straightforward style.

[Thomas Fackler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book. I skipped over a few chapters of Greek proofs as I didn't feel like reading with a pencil and paper. I also skipped over the excerpts from Newton's Principia. Other than those brief sections the rest was written in an accesible style and quite interesting.