Mathematical Ideas

Customer Reviews:

Suprisingly Great!.......2007-08-08

I thought that this was a fabulous book for an overview of mathematics concepts. The explanations were clear and the problems throughout each chapter and the chapter reviews were excellent practice questions for the Teachers Examination for my state (GA). Fantastic book!!

College Math Book.......2006-11-10

This was a required book that my daughter needed for Rider University. We saved money buying from Amazon, and the book was in perfect condition. Why overpay buy buying at the college bookstore?

its a math book.......2002-09-23

not gonna do back flips for a math book

Pleasently Surprised.......2002-01-24

I am a college student and the math book that was at the bookstore was $100.00. I went onto amazon.com and found the same book in new condition (looked like)for $56.00. I was kind of weary about ordering on-line for the first time but was pleasently surprised. This was a great first experience and plan on ording all my books through amazon.com.

Fun mathematical Ideas.......2001-08-13

"Ideas" is the key here as we have calculators, computers, and what not to do any real number crunching or comparing. This book carries you from zero to the edges of most any mathematical discipline. The information in the margins ties the theories back to reality. At the appropriate locations in the margin are postage stamps from around the works are shown commemorating the individual mathematicians and scientists relating to the subject being studied. There is a section in the book with the answers to all the odd questions.

Nonplussed!: Mathematical Proof of Implausible Ideas

Average customer rating:

Mathematically Impeccable--Real World Flawed
A real brain teaser

Nonplussed!: Mathematical Proof of Implausible Ideas
Julian Havil
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0691120560

Book Description

Math--the application of reasonable logic to reasonable assumptions--usually produces reasonable results. But sometimes math generates astonishing paradoxes--conclusions that seem completely unreasonable or just plain impossible but that are nevertheless demonstrably true: Conclusions that, for example, tell us that a losing sports team can become a winning one by adding worse players than its opponents. Or that the thirteenth of the month is more likely to be a Friday than any other day. Or that cones can roll unaided uphill. In Nonplussed!--a delightfully eclectic collection of paradoxes from many different areas of math--popular-math writer Julian Havil reveals the math that shows the truth of these and many other unbelievable ideas.

Nonplussed! pays special attention to problems from probability and statistics, areas where intuition can easily be wrong. These problems include the vagaries of tennis scoring, what can be deduced from tossing a needle, and disadvantageous games that form winning combinations. Other chapters address everything from the historically important Torricelli's Trumpet to the mind-warping implications of objects that live on high dimensions. Readers learn about the colorful history and people associated with many of these problems in addition to their mathematical proofs.

Nonplussed! will appeal to anyone with a calculus background who enjoys popular math books or puzzles.

Customer Reviews:

Mathematically Impeccable--Real World Flawed.......2007-07-08

This book is a valuable addition to a math-puzzler's library, but contains some flaws on real-world data.

For example, Havil shows, with impeccable mathematics, that if a given player has over 91.9643...% probability of winning any given point on his or her serve, that he or she has a higher likelihood of winning at the start of the game than when the score is 30-15 or 40-30. He uses this fact to back up a claim that "a high quality tennis player serving at 40-30 or 30-15 to an equal opponent has less chance of winning the game than at its start." Again, this is predicated on that 92% or better percentage of winning any given point. But in real life, high quality tennis players, even when serving, against an equal opponent does not have this high a percentage of the points gained. Take 92% as the percentage. That would mean that over 70% of the time, the non-server would not even get one point (score of 15) during a given game. If anyone watches Wimbledon or the U.S. Open, one sees that such occurrences are rare, not common. As even Havil points out, it also implies that the server will win at least 99.9% of the games. But in high-level play, set scores of 6-3, 6-4, etc. are common. With 99.9% of the games being won by the server, 99.4% of sets would go into tie-break. That's clearly not the case in the real world. But this discrepancy is needed in order to make the "paradox" that creates the "nonplussed" reaction.

In the chapter on the calendar, Havil explains why the Christian feast commemorating Jesus' ascension into Heaven never falls on a Sunday by claiming that that feast is also called Holy Thursday. It's not. It's Ascension Thursday. Holy Thursday, 42 days (six weeks) before Ascension Thursday, is the day before Good Friday, and commemorates the Last Supper.

A real brain teaser.......2007-05-16

The book of Julian Havil is certainly not easy reading. Perhaps I am a dummy, but at several pages I had to read over a paragraph several times before understanding its real meaning, but the result was always worth the trouble. The calculations itself are explained thoroughly and his way of highlighting different sidesteps are often eye-openers.
People loving Martin Gardner's articles in Scientific American, will certainly appreciate this book.

Basic Statistical Ideas for Managers (Duxbury Series in Statistics and Decision Sciences)

Average customer rating:

Great books

Basic Statistical Ideas for Managers (Duxbury Series in Statistics and Decision Sciences)
David Hildebrand
Manufacturer: Duxbury Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0534255248

Book Description

Designed for the one-term introduction to business statistics course with a college algebra prerequisite, this text places emphasis on data and the common techniques and methods used to analyze them in business. It introduces concepts using practical examples and illustrates them with computer output from MINITAB, Systat, Execustat, Microsoft® Excel and other software packages. Review problems requiring students to use previously learned concepts also appear throughout to promote understanding of the relationships among statistical methods.

Customer Reviews:

Great books.......2007-04-11

Nothing really special, you have to buy it if your course require it.

Math Talk: Mathematical Ideas in Poems for Two Voices

Average customer rating:

Math Talk
I absolutely love this book!

Math Talk: Mathematical Ideas in Poems for Two Voices
Theoni Pappas
Manufacturer: Wide World Publishing, Tetra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0933174748

Customer Reviews:

Math Talk.......2005-06-16

We read some of these in Math Class and they were really cool!

I absolutely love this book!.......2000-03-24

This is a delightful engaging introduction to the world of mathematics, giving children and adults alike a glimpse of the wonderful adventures that lie beyond simple (and boring) drills. My 9 year old son, who doesn't like to read aloud, loves to say these poems with me. I would also recommend Math Talk to anyone looking for creative ways to expose math-phobes to the intriguing possibilities.

Poems for two voices are designed to be read aloud by two readers. Each reader reads from one of the two columns and lines written on the same line are said simultaneously.

Fischer Black and the Revolutionary Idea of Finance
Average customer rating:

A Loner who drove Financial Change

A Guidebook to Thinking Outside of the Proverbial Box...

A Masterful Biography

Outstanding scholarship wrapped in a 'John Nash-like' story

Black used as a vehicle for a broader theory

Fischer Black and the Revolutionary Idea of Finance
Perry Mehrling
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471457329

Book Description

Fischer Black and the Revolutionary Idea of Finance explores Fischer Black’s intellectual journey from Harvard to the offices of ADL, from the University of Chicago to MIT, and then to Goldman Sachs. Years of research and interviews with Black’s business and academic associates, as well as family and friends, are distilled into a scholarly yet personal story of the formation and development of the extraordinary mind and unique character of this unassuming renegade. This poignant book tells the story of one man’s intellectual adventure at the very center of modern finance. It is a story about the birth of quantitative finance and financial engineering. It is also the story about the continuing human quest to defeat the "dark forces of time and ignorance," as John Maynard Keynes famously put it.

Download Description

This vignette-based business biography captures the essence of an extraordinary man and a giant in the world of finance. After years of research and cooperation from nearly all of Black's associates, family members, and friends, author Mehrling explains the ground-breaking impact Fischer Black had on money, finance, and the world markets. You'll follow Black from his undergraduate studies in physics, mathematics, and computer programming to one of the most elite of firms on Wall Street, where he developed quantitative models that are still widely used today. Fischer Black and the Revolutionary Idea of Finance demystifies this genius and provides an engaging look at a man whose life's work encapsulates modern financial theory. Order your copy today.

Customer Reviews:

A Loner who drove Financial Change.......2007-07-15

Revolutions spring from unlikely sources.

Fischer Black was an unlikely revolutionary. He thought like no one else. While teaching, his colleagues attacked problems with formulas and models. Fischer Black did not. He opted to explore them from as many different angles as he could conceive. Once solved, he generated a formula. Solving problems this way, Black found he avoided formula-dictated thinking ruts.

His teaching style was bizarre. He got bored teaching regurgitated knowledge. In his view regular lectures were a waste of time. He developed an engaging teaching style by asking 50 open-ended questions. Combined with his insistence that students learn the language of finance, this interaction gave air to brilliant minds. Black cherry-picked great ideas. His students loved the vibrant seminars.

Fischer Black became famous for what he cared less about: the Black-Scholes option model. Options were just a passing interest. He cared more about Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) developed by Jack Traynor. He sought to apply it to economics.

He failed to leave a legacy in traditional economics. Fischer Black had degrees in physics and mathematics but no formal training in economics. In academia, he became recognized as forward-thinking in finance, but out of his depth in economics.

Robert Rubin, then the managing partner of Goldman Sachs, said it best when he sold his partners on the idea of hiring the academic Black.

"We will learn from Fischer," he is quoted by the author as saying, "and he will learn from us."

Fischer was egoless. He took rebuttals in stride. Open to change, he was an unapologetic believer in free markets. His unorthodox style sparked a revolution in the business of finance. His innovative thinking drove finance to the forefront of the science of economics.

Perry Mehrling has written a brilliant biography about a brilliant man.

A Guidebook to Thinking Outside of the Proverbial Box..........2006-07-28

Fischer Black's life and somewhat rebellious style of thinking are taken under the lens in Fischer Black and The Revolutionary Idea of Finance. Clearly written for those interested in economics and finance, the author illuminates the personalities, relationships and debates that drove Fischer Black toward his famous contribution to options theory. It interestingly highlights the important role Fischer Black's understanding of Jack Treynor's Capital Asset Pricing Model played in shaping his views of the investment universe and in developing the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model.

Why not 5/5? While the author only indirectly points to Fischer Black's controversial insights and revolutionary attitude as a potential cause, we are left to speculate about the reason why he was not awarded the Nobel Prize. It would have made the story line more interesting to see this unfortunate outcome addressed.

A Masterful Biography.......2006-07-27

Fischer Black was not only a revolutionary thinker, he was an eccentrically original human being. Professor Mehrling's biography is a clear, concise account of the development of modern finance, and also a richly detailed portait of a complex man.

Outstanding scholarship wrapped in a 'John Nash-like' story.......2006-04-25

The author has done a very good job on two fronts. One, he has dissected a complex area of corporate finance and made it readable to someone with a decent grasp of business. Considering the complexity of CAPM, and how far it stretched conventional wisdom, that alone would be good for 4 stars. However, Fischer Black was an extraordinary person, moving between academia and the practice of devising new financial instruments for Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs with an aplomb few could match.

If you enjoyed this book, then I heartily recommend Peter Bernstein's Capital Ideas as well.

Black used as a vehicle for a broader theory.......2006-02-03

This is a study of the recent history of finance economics, disguised as a biography. Not that there's anything wrong with that....

The revolutionary idea that Perry Mehrling has chiefly in mind in the title of this book is the capital asset pricing model (CAPM). Mr. Mehrling argues in a nutshell that for Fischer Black, the options formula that would make him famous and that would win two collaborators a Nobel Prize in economics in 1997 was but one application of this model.

A key theme of the book is that at least two "revolutions" have contended for mastery in the worlds of finance and economics, and that for a time in the 1960s the two revolutions, CAPM on the one hand and the efficient-markets hypothesis (EMH) on the other, appeared to be but two arrows in the same quiver. Only over time did it become clear that a choice might be required. Black opted for sticking with CAPM and reasoning from there, and Mehrlig approves of this choice, contending that Black was ahead of his time and that economics today is still struggling to catch up with some of the other inferences he drew from CAPM, in business cycle theory in particular.

The Emergence of Probability: A Philosophical Study of Early Ideas About Probability, Induction and Statistical Inference

Average customer rating:

Again,Hacking gets it right except for Keynes's theory
A stimulating tour de force

The Emergence of Probability: A Philosophical Study of Early Ideas About Probability, Induction and Statistical Inference
Ian Hacking
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521318033

Book Description

Historical records show that there was no real concept of probability in Europe before the mid-seventeenth century although the use of dice and other randomizing objects was commonplace. Ian Hacking here presents a philosophical critique of early ideas about probability, induction and statistical inference and the growth of this new family of ideas in the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The contemporary debate centres round such figures as Pascal, Leibniz and Jacques Bernoulli. What brought about the change in ideas? The author invokes in his explanation a wider intellectual framework involving the growth of science, economics and the theology of the period.

Customer Reviews:

Again,Hacking gets it right except for Keynes's theory.......2004-07-15

Moving from Pascal and Bernoulli in the 16th and 17th centuries through Keynes, Carnap,Ramsey, de Finetti and Heisenberg in the 20th century,Hacking(H)does a commendable job blending the philosophy and history of science with the history and philosophy of probability.H's tie in of Pascal's Wager and decision theory is just one example of his ability to connect the ideas of different centuries to each other.However,there is one small criticism that must be made.It is in regards to J M Keynes's logical theory of probability put forth in A Treatise on Probability(TP) in 1921.H bases his assessment of Keynes's theory on one chapter of the TP alone.That chapter,chapter 3,was to be regarded as an introduction only.Keynes's point was that,in general,a probability could not be measured by a single number or numeral alone,i.e.,probabilities were "nonnumerical"or not by a single numeral(number).In general,Keynes argued that most probabilities required TWO numbers to specify the probability estimate,a lower bound and an upper bound.In Part II of the TP Keynes refers to his theory of "approximation".In modern terminology,Keynes's interval estimates are "indeterminate" or"imprecise" probabilities.Given the above summary of Keynes's approach to probability,the following statement by H is incorrect and very misleading:"Indeed Keynes argued masterfully in Chapter 3 of his A Treatise on Probability that many comparisons of probability are necessarily qualitative and cannot be represented by real numbers."(Hacking,p.73)While it is true that most probabilities cannot be represented by A SINGLE REAL NUMBER,most probabilities can be represented by TWO REAL NUMBERS in Keynes's approach.A strictly qualitative approach would be practically useless.Probability would not be the guide to life.

A stimulating tour de force.......2000-10-24

This is a great book. Hacking describes the development of probability and statistics from the Renaissance to David Hume. His central questions are: What were Pascal, Huygens, Leibniz, Jacques Bernoulli, and all the others really doing? What problems were they trying to solve? What limitations were they working under? How did all this fit into other intellectual and mathematical problems of the day? How did all this affect the subsequent development of probability and statistics? Some of this clears up minor details that I had never grasped before, such as what was the problem with two dice that Pascal solved for the Chevalier de Mere. More important is the description of the intellectual implications of the development of modern probability and statistics. I had not known that the very name "probability" grew out of a profound religious and intellectual argument between the Jansenist Pascal and the Jesuits.

The book is full of historical gems. For example, the Dutch and English governments in the seventeenth century became infatuated with annuities as a way to finance theor expenses, especially wars. Most of the schemes were actuarially unsound. The early statisticians devoted a lot of energy to this problem and this led to major advances. Unfortunately the governments were not always pleased to be told they had no clothes. It all sounds terribly up to date.

In summary, this book covers material that is important not only in a histroical context but also for its relvance to many contemporary issues. It is well written and concise. If you want to know what the early probabilists were thinking about and how that affected the way we all think about uncertainty today, this is the book for you.

Introduction to Modern Number Theory: Fundamental Problems, Ideas and Theories (Encyclopaedia of Mathematical Sciences)
Average customer rating:

Wonderful Arithmetic Geometry Book

Introduction to Modern Number Theory: Fundamental Problems, Ideas and Theories (Encyclopaedia of Mathematical Sciences)
Yu.I. Manin , and Alexei A. Panchishkin
Manufacturer: Springer
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Binding: Hardcover

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Xstamper(R) Refill Ink, Black

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ASIN: 3540203648

Product Description

Introduction to Modern Number Theory: Fundamental Problems, Ideas and Theories (Encyclopaedia of Mathematical Sciences)

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Arithmetic Geometry Book.......2006-08-20

This Book is a cornerstone in Arithmetic Geometry.

It is the first time in a single Book so different
arguments find a common place.

Let me say that the idea of dividing the work into
three parts,depending on the approach, is entirely
new. In fact,

Part 1 starts with elementary theory & applications(primes,diophantine equations& approx)

Part 2 gives an account of recent ideas and theory
(ch.3:Logic & Recursion, with a sketch of proof of
Matiyasevic's Theorem;ch.4:Algebraic NumberTheory;
ch.5:Arithmetic of Algebraic Varieties;ch.6: deals
with Zeta functions and modular forms;ch.7:gives a
picture, complete indeed, of Wiles'proof of Fermat
Last Theorem)

Part 3 gives "Analogies and Visions",i.e. the link
between numbers fields and function fields(usually
this analogy is only admitted, but never explained
in other books) and other analogies involving many
recent arguments in Arithmetic Geometry (such as :
Schottky uniformization, Arakelov Geometry, Zetas,
Dynamics and Cohomology).

A Primer of Mathematical Writing: Being a Disquisition on Having Your Ideas Recorded, Typeset, Published, Read & Appreciated

Average customer rating:

Often hilarious, yet accurate portrayal of how to write math

A Primer of Mathematical Writing: Being a Disquisition on Having Your Ideas Recorded, Typeset, Published, Read & Appreciated
Steven G. Krantz
Manufacturer: American Mathematical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0821806351

Book Description

This book is about writing in the professional mathematical environment. While the book is nominally about writing, it's also about how to function in the mathematical profession. In many ways, this text complements Krantz's previous bestseller, How to Teach Mathematics. Those who are familiar with Krantz's writing will recognize his lively, inimitable style.

In this volume, he addresses these nuts-and-bolts issues:

Syntax, grammar, structure, and style
Mathematical exposition
Use of the computer and TeX
E-mail etiquette
All aspects of publishing a journal article

Krantz's frank and straightforward approach makes this book particularly suitable as a textbook. He does not avoid difficult topics. His intent is to demonstrate to the reader how to successfully operate within the profession. He outlines how to write grant proposals that are persuasive and compelling, how to write a letter of recommendation describing the research abilities of a candidate for promotion or tenure, and what a dean is looking for in a letter of recommendation. He further addresses some basic issues such as writing a book proposal to a publisher or applying for a job. Readers will find in reading this text that Krantz has produced a quality work which makes evident the power and significance of writing in the mathematics profession.

Customer Reviews:

Often hilarious, yet accurate portrayal of how to write math.......2000-06-24

If there was ever a book that could make or break a career in mathematics, this is it. Without exception all mathematicians must at some time put coherent thoughts together to communicate. And the quality of that correspondence does sometimes differentiate between success and failure. We all will write at least a resume, vita and cover letter for a job application. While there do exist companies that can aid in the writing, it would be a rare one indeed that could tell you which of your math skills to put the stress on. All modern forms of communication between mathematicians is covered. From the traditional mathematical traits of writing theorems with proofs to TEX and e-mail collaboration.
From the book, it is clear that the author has a devilish sense of humor. When giving examples of proper writing, he combines the use of public names with others that are partial and creates some delightful and descriptive attributes. The sample vita is an absolute scream, although you have to be a bit older to appreciate it. Some of it is given below with reviewer comments in parentheses.

Curriculum Vitae for
Clemson Ataturk Kadiddlehopper
( The Red Skelton character that was a bum.)
Home address: 17 Poverty Row, Faculty Ghetto, Iowa 50011
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Honors: Neural Sediment Fibration Graduate Fellow. 1971-1974.
( The character was bald. )
Visiting Professor, Callipygean Institute of Tectonics, 1977.
Shinola Fellow, College of Good Hair, 1979.
Visiting Professor, Upper College of Lower Academics, 1980.
Visiting Professor, University of Basic Bourgeoisie, 1986.
Visiting Professor, Hahvahd University, 1986.
Honorary Lecturer, Crab Louie College, 1987.

Names used, created or combined come from all areas of human endeavor and history. And you have to be on your toes to catch them all. It sometimes took this reviewer more than one pass to catch the complete subtlety of the joke. Names such as Mergetroyd Mittelschlachenmeyer, Ayatollah Hohenzolern, Fig Newton, Iphiginea Mandelbrooski and Imelda Rasputin are works of a comedic expert. And, lines like,

"In order to test her creative abilities, I have given Georgina Spelvin extra work outside of class."

"Would you tenure Marilyn Chambers in your department?"

"If you are asked whether Hypatia Lee should be tenured, or promoted, or given a certain post, . . ."

are some that this reviewer would never have thought would appear in a serious work. (All are porn actresses.)
This is easily the funniest, serious book that I have ever read.

Seven Ideas that Shook the Universe, 2nd Edition
Average customer rating:

a little MAGNUM OPUS..the condensed essentials of science: a SUMMA SCIENTIFICA

7 Ideas That Shook the Universe by Spielberg

This is an excellent layman account of physical development.

Seven Ideas that Shook the Universe, 2nd Edition
Nathan Spielberg , and Bryon D. Anderson
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Great Ideas in Physics

Great Experiments in Physics: Firsthand Accounts from Galileo to Einstein

ASIN: 0471306061

Book Description

A fascinating look at seven of the most important and revolutionary ideas of physics. The authors have updated the material in view of recent developments and expanded their discussion of the impact of developments in physics on philosophy, literature and the arts. Mathematical explanations of concepts are provided as well as the addition of more questions and several algebra-based problems.

Customer Reviews:

a little MAGNUM OPUS..the condensed essentials of science: a SUMMA SCIENTIFICA.......2006-09-04

"Seven Ideas that Shook the Universe" by Nathan Spielberg and Byron D. Anderson.

**** YOU GOTTA GET THIS BOOK!!!***

This wonderful book by two Kent University Physicists is a marvel. It is unheralded, but stunning. I found it while browsing a book store. Did you ever scan a book's pages, and find a single page that contained something so profoundly interesting that you decided you had to buy the book? This book had a page that said, "Bruce, Buy ME!" So I did.

Look, I'm not a college graduate or anything, but lately I've been very curious about reading about Physics and Science. This 263 page little beauty was written as an introduction to science for university students pursuing a liberal education; but the authors took out the collegiate questions at the end of the chapters...you know, all that stupid crap they ask, like you were actually supposed to care? Then the authors did some more writing and editing and made a book that rivets my attention to every page.

***** IT IS NON-MATHEMATICAL *******

Okay, so I don't know calculus either,.....well, okay, what I know about algebra wouldn't impress a 6th grader, but, Hey, no problem, these guys write about PHYSICS in a "descriptive" style, so that all us NON-MATHEMATICIANS can follow the intelligent discussion of concepts. In fact, even "Scientific American" minimizes the use of mathematics so that the general public can follow it's articles. Authors SPIELBERG & ANDERSON point out that Graphs can replace mathematics for readers like me; It is only when the scientist "applies" the laws in technology that the complex math becomes necessary. So this book uses graphs and analogies to avoid mathematical formulas. ALLRIGHT! Fast Food Physics and I'll have a #3 with extra lettuce & tomato!

You've got to thumb through these pages to see the excellent, yet simple diagrams used to illustrate the "Seven Ideas".

**** SCOPE & BOUNDARY...or MY BOYS DID THEIR HOMEWORK , or....WHY PAGE 11 MADE ME BUY THIS BOOK****

I've reviewed several books written by "scientists" who publish entire books on "theological" [God] matters in the name of Science. Such books blur the boundary between Science & Theology, or even philosophy and create much confusion as to the nature of Science itself. In this book, SPIELBERG & ANDERSON clear up the confusion on page 11:

"...science cannot serve as a guide to human behavior, morality, and will, other than to specify what physical actions are rationally possible. In addition, science cannot logically address the question of the ultimate reason for the existence of the universe at all.....". top of p.11, INTRODUCTION

Then my boys go on (on p. 11) to clarify the relationship between philosophy, metaphysics, and science, and also the distinction between Science and Technology. We really need more books like this. The same ideas were established by the Greeks over 2,000 years ago when they made the distinctions between LOGOS & MYTHOS, or PHYSICS & METAPHYSICS and so forth; but many modern scientists seem to have disregarded all former knowledge as a GNOMON. Tsk, tsk! What a pity; but Spielberg & Anderson are very lucid concerning the scope & boundary of science. Because of that clarity, I can read them with confidence that there will not be wrongful conclusions or misleading statements...you know....like....some science books titled: 'Science finds God'. That's metaphysics, not physics.

Metaphysics are okay, by the way, but one of the entanglements in modern writings are the popularization of science by writers to blur all knowledge and start to MIX physics and metaphysics. Then everything they write becomes a 'hodge-podge' of blurry and confusing ideas. They frequently invoke Quantum Mechanics to justify all kinds of fantastical BELIEF SYSTEMS. Belief is beautiful, and so is Faith in a Higher Power, but those are Metaphysical and philosophical activities. Science must restrict itself to things that can be measured. [Science uses the term, "quantified". ]

**** The DOMINANT THEMES IN PHYSICS ***

I. Copernican Astronomy: the Earth is not the center of the universe

II. Newtonian Physics: The Universe is a mechanism that operates according to well-established rules

III. Energy Concept: Envergy drives the mechanism

IV. Entropy & Probability: The mechanism runs in a specific direction

V. Relativity: The facts are relative, but the law is absolute

VI. Quantum Theory and the Limits of Causality: You cannot predict or know everything

VII. Conservation Principles & Symmetries: fundamentally, things never change

****** LOOK AT ALL THE PRETTY PICTURES ****

It was the illustrations that showed me that this was a book of scientific ideas that I could understand. I get a quiver in my solar plexus when I find a book that makes complicated things understandable; that removes the Fear Factor which is such a discouragement in the typical textbook.

**** EXPLAINING THE MENTAL TOOLKIT ***

Page 65 discusses the nature of Logic, and makes a good clear distinction between Induction and Deduction.

***** How I review a book *****

When I review a book, if it deserves a low rating, I don't mess around, but plaster a 1-star rating on it immediately. There are books utterly deserving of 10-Stars, but we can only offer five. When I find authors who write with clarity, who operate within a well delineated scope & boundary of a topic, who illuminate something that intimidates most people, I cannot but offer a gushingly profuse and utterly exuberant recommendation. SPIELBERG & ANDERSON write about Physics the way Jack Hamm writes about Figure Drawing.

7 Ideas That Shook the Universe by Spielberg.......2005-08-28

The author discusses some very complex scientific concepts in simple English. These concepts are the following:
- Earth is not the center of the Universe
- Newton's laws of motion
- Energy and entropy
- the relativity of space and time
- quantum theory and causality limits
- symmetry

The author discusses the notion that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. In addition, there is a fine distinction
between kinetic energy and momentum. Kinetic energy is a scalar concept ; whereas, momentum is a vectorial concept because of
the element of direction.

The Copernican theory is that planets travel in circular paths. Kepler explained that planetary orbits are in an
elliptical path in relation to the Sun.

The work attempts to unite all of science into a simple model
based upon the considerable work of Copernicus, Kepler,
Newton, Einstein and others over the past millenia.

The book is a goldmine for students of science everywhere. It is
well worth the cost for the considerable value of the information content.

This is an excellent layman account of physical development........1999-05-20

The book "Seven Ideas that Shook the Universe" covers the developement in the field of physics in a very comprehensive way. The authors have divided these developements into seven periods which are termed as the seven ideas. The author have employed a descriptive aproach rather than mathematical expressions. The first idea is the "Copernician Astronomy" which covers the early developements of classical physics especially astrophysics. The second idea is the "Newtonian Physics" which covers the contributions made by Sir Isaac Newton and other scientists of his time in classical physics. Next comes "the concept of heat" which covers early developements in Thermodynamics. "Entropy" is the next topic which also covers the thermodynamics. Next is the "quantum mechanics" which was our fist approach towards modern physics. The sixth idea is the "theory of relativity" which covers the special and general theories of relativity as presented by Albert Einstein. This theory revolutionized the field of physics and laid foudation stones of modern physics. The seventh and the last topic is the "Symmetry and other Modern concepts" which covers the recent advancements in modern physics including field theory, conservation laws, symmetry, virtual quantas, fundemental atomic particles and Quark Model. The authors of the book give a very comprehensive review of the developements in physics in a story like manner.

Principles of Mathematical Modelling: Ideas, Methods, Examples (Numerical Insights)

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Principles of Mathematical Modelling: Ideas, Methods, Examples (Numerical Insights)
Alexander A. Samarskii
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0415272807

Book Description

Mathematical modeling is becoming increasingly versatile and multi-disciplinary. This text demonstrates the broadness of this field as the authors consider the principles of model construction and use common approaches to build models from a range of subject areas. The book reflects the interests and experiences of the authors, but it explores mathematical modeling across a wide range of applications, from mechanics to social science. A general approach is adopted, where ideas and examples are favored over rigorous mathematical procedures. This insightful book will be of interest to specialists, teachers, and students across a wide range of disciplines..

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