Kirjahaku

Arthur Cayley (1821-1895) was one of the most prolific and important mathematicians of the Victorian era. His influence still pervades modern mathematics, in group theory (Cayley's theorem), matrix algebra (the Cayley-Hamilton theorem), and invariant theory, where he made his most significant contributions. Yet Cayley's life has been overlooked by historians, who have lavished far more attention on lesser figures. Mathematician and biographer Tony Crilly, the world's leading authority on Cayley, rectifies this oversight with the first definitive account of his life. Born in England, Cayley spent his childhood in St. Petersburg, where his father was a commercial agent. After returning to England in 1828, Cayley received a first-rate education. As an undergraduate at Trinity College in Cambridge, he was named "Senior Wrangler," the top mathematics student of his year. After graduating, he found himself at the vanguard of the revolution in British mathematics which included William Rowan Hamilton, George Boole, and James Joseph Sylvester. At the same time, needing a reliable income, he trained for the bar and became a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in 1849. Though a successful lawyer, Cayley devoted all his free time to mathematics and confirmed his reputation as one of the era's leading minds with a procession of brilliant articles on key aspects in pure mathematics. Only after 1863, when he was appointed to the Sadleirian Chair at Cambridge, could he fully pursue mathematical investigations, and he continued to publish influential papers until his death. Comprehensive and elegantly composed, this biography makes clear the scope of Arthur Cayley's prodigious achievements, firmly enshrining him as the "Mathematician Laureate of the Victorian Age."

Kirkman's work in the nineteenth century presaged many of the topics in modern Combinatorics. This book is a biography of Kirkman's life and it does not dwell on the technicalities of advanced mathematics, and hopefully it will appeal to the non-mathematician. This biography is the biography of a Victorian polymath active in mathematics, philosophy, as well as his being a social activist with controversial views.

This is the biography of a mathematician of note, who has come to prominence as a father of modern Combinatorics. His work presaged many of the topics in what has become, since the 1960s, Discrete Mathematics. The technicalities of his work could be seen as advanced, but this biography is not about technicalities. I have striven to describe the life of this mathematician and the world he inhabited, accessible to those without a strong mathematical background. It should have meaning for the general reader. I have attempted to convey the life of Kirkman as a Victorian polymath, a man who in his time was known for controversial views.

Master the central ideas of maths that shape the world we live in today.

In a series of 50 accessible essays, Tony Crilly explains and introduces the mathematical laws and principles-ancient and modern, theoretical and practical, everyday and esoteric-that allow us to understand the world around us. From Pascal's triangle to money management, ideas of relativity to the very real uses of imaginary numbers, 50 Math Ideas is a complete introduction to the most important mathematical concepts in history.

What are the strangest numbers? Where do numbers come from? Can maths guarantee riches? Why are three dimensions not enough? Can a butterfly's wings really cause a hurricane? Can maths predict the future? In How Big is Infinity?, acclaimed writer Tony Crilly distills the wisdom of some of the greatest minds in history to help provide answers some of the most perplexing, stimulating and surprising questions in mathematics.

Who invented zero? Why 60 seconds in a minute? How big is infinity? Where do parallel lines meet? And can a butterfly's wings really cause a storm on the far side of the world? In 50 Maths Ideas You Really Need to Know, Professor Tony Crilly explains in 50 clear and concise essays the mathematical concepts - ancient and modern, theoretical and practical, everyday and esoteric - that allow us to understand and shape the world around us. Packed with diagrams, examples and anecdotes, this book is the perfect overview of this often daunting but always essential subject. For once, mathematics couldn't be simpler. Contents include: Origins of mathematics, from Egyptian fractions to Roman numerals; Pi and primes, Fibonacci numbers and the golden ratio; What calculus, statistics and algebra can actually do; The very real uses of imaginary numbers; The Big Ideas of relativity, Chaos theory, Fractals, Genetics and hyperspace; The reasoning behind Sudoku and code cracking, Lotteries and gambling, Money management and compound interest; Solving of Fermat's last theorem and the million-dollar question of the Riemann hypothesis.

Dieser verst ndlich geschriebene F hrer zur Gedankenwelt der Mathematik erkl rt in kompakten und klaren Essays 50 zentrale Konzepte der Disziplin. Mit anschaulichen Grafiken, zahlreichen Beispiele und unterhaltsamen Anekdoten er ffnet das Buch auch denjenigen den Zugang, die ansonsten schon bei der blo en Erw hnung des Wortes Mathematik in Panik geraten. Zu den n her erl uterten Schl sselideen z hlen imagin re Zahlen, goldene Rechtecke und magische Quadrate ebenso wie die Gesetze der Genetik und das Geburtstagsproblem. Indem das Werk die Wissenschaft hinter den 50 entscheidenden Einsichten erkundet - vom Einfachen (wie der Zahl 1) ber das Subtile (die Erfindung der Null) bis zum Komplexen (dem Beweis des Fermat'schen Theorems) -, verdeutlicht es auch, wie die Mathematik unsere Sicht auf die Welt ver ndert hat. Ohne die Erkenntnisse dieser Disziplin w ren wir jedenfalls nicht dort, wo wir heute stehen. Mit diesem Buch k nnen Sie mitreden.