Ian Stewart

Flatland is a unique, delightful satire that has charmed readers for over a century. Published in 1884 by the English clergyman and headmaster Edwin A. Abbott, it is the fanciful tale of A. Square, a two-dimensional being who is whisked away by a mysterious visitor to The Land of Three Dimensions, an experience that forever alters his worldview. Like the original, Ian Stewart's commentary takes readers on a strange and wonderful journey. With clarity and wit, Stewart illuminates Abbott's numerous Victorian references and touches on such diverse topics as ancient Babylon, Karl Marx, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein , Mt. Everest, H.G. Wells, and phrenology. The Annotated Flatland makes fascinating connections between Flatland and Abbott's era, resulting in a classic to rival Abbott's own, and a book that will inspire and delight curious readers for generations to come.

At the heart of relativity theory, quantum mechanics, string theory, and much of modern cosmology lies one concept: symmetry. In Why Beauty Is Truth , world-famous mathematician Ian Stewart narrates the history of the emergence of this remarkable area of study. Stewart introduces us to such characters as the Renaissance Italian genius, rogue, scholar, and gambler Girolamo Cardano, who stole the modern method of solving cubic equations and published it in the first important book on algebra, and the young revolutionary Evariste Galois, who refashioned the whole of mathematics and founded the field of group theory only to die in a pointless duel over a woman before his work was published. Stewart also explores the strange numerology of real mathematics, in which particular numbers have unique and unpredictable properties related to symmetry. He shows how Wilhelm Killing discovered Lie groups" with 14, 52, 78, 133, and 248 dimensions-groups whose very existence is a profound puzzle. Finally, Stewart describes the world beyond superstrings: the octonionic" symmetries that may explain the very existence of the universe.

Selecting a leader is a momentous and defining choice for a politicalparty. Leaders symbolize their party and are a primary factor inelection outcomes. While much is known about the selection of nationalparty leaders, less is known about the provincial selection process,particularly in the Maritimes. Breaking new ground, ConventionalChoices examines twenty-five different leadership elections inthree maritime provinces. The analysis draws on an extraordinarily richdata set spanning thirty-two years to explore the backgrounds,attitudes, and motivations of those who select party leaders. It is animpressive study that offers fresh insights into leadership selectionand Maritime party politics.

These pun-studded fables by a popular science writer make complicated mathematical concepts accessible and fun. Twelve essays take a playful approach to mathematics, investigating the topology of a warm blanket, the odds of beating a superior tennis player, and how to distinguish between fact and fallacy. 1991 edition.

Selecting a leader is a momentous and defining choice for a politicalparty. Leaders symbolize their party and are a primary factor inelection outcomes. While much is known about the selection of nationalparty leaders, less is known about the provincial selection process,particularly in the Maritimes. Breaking new ground, ConventionalChoices examines twenty-five different leadership elections inthree maritime provinces. The analysis draws on an extraordinarily richdata set spanning thirty-two years to explore the backgrounds,attitudes, and motivations of those who select party leaders. It is animpressive study that offers fresh insights into leadership selectionand Maritime party politics.

Mathematician Ian Stewart tells readers what he wishes he had known when he was a student. He takes up subjects ranging from the philosophical to the practical-what mathematics is and why it's worth doing, the relationship between logic and proof, the role of beauty in mathematical thinking, the future of mathematics, how to deal with the peculiarities of the mathematical community, and many others.

Welcome back to Ian Stewart's magical world of mathematics! This is a strange world of never-ending chess games, empires on the moon, furious fireflies, and, of course, disputes over how best to cut a cake. Each quirky tale presents a fascinating mathematical puzzle -- challenging, fun, and also introducing the reader to a significant mathematical problem in an engaging and witty way.

Inside this small (but perfectly formed) hardback there lurks some of the most devilishly difficult mathematical brainteasers human beings have yet devised. Woven into them are marvellously witty introductions to some of the key numerical mysteries and paradoxes. Along the way, we meet Klephtnose, the geometrical Pharoah, Stacey Ermine, the winner of the Turnip Prize, the members of Wackingham Cricket Club, the villagers of the town of Much Grumbling and the eponymous Mayor of Uglyville, each of whom present us with a mind-bending mathematical problem. But never fear. The answers are at the back of the book.

Used today in spheres of life as diverse as business strategy, creative writing, medicine, computer science, and theoretical physics, Venn diagrams possess fascinating properties. The basic Venn diagram is both elegantly simple-three overlapping circles that intersect to create eight distinct areas-and conceptually innovative. Devised by English logician John Venn (1834-1923) to visually represent complex logical propositions and algebraic statements, the diagrams drew the excited interest of both scholars and the general public. In Cogwheels of the Mind, statistician and geneticist A. W. F. Edwards provides an accessible and engaging history of the Venn diagram, its reception and evolution, and its presence in such objects and images as Christian iconography, tennis balls, and flags which provide a rich source of Venn diagrams for Edwards, including those of Switzerland, Poland, and Japan (all one-set Venn diagrams), Greenland (a two-set Venn diagram), and Maryland (a three-set device). Edwards begins with a sketch of Venn's life, his discovery of the three-circle design while developing a series of lectures on symbolic logic at Cambridge University, and the publication of his find in an 1880 paper, and, more influentially, his 1881 book, Symbolic Logic. Edwards discusses the rival diagrammatic scheme invented by Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, who also developed a board game based on his design. The author also recreates famous Venn diagrams from history, including Winston Churchill's of 1948 depicting the mutual interests of the British Empire, a united Europe, and the English-speaking world, with the United Kingdom located at the intersection. Edwards goes on to show how different shapes can be linked together to form artistically beautiful and mathematically important, multi-set Venn diagrams, including the author's own influential Adelaide variation. And he delineates the possibilities for expanding the analytic power of these diagrams far beyond those first appreciated by Venn. Edwards even tells readers how to draw complex Venn diagrams on a spherical surface to create "Vennis balls." For anyone interested in mathematics or its history, Cogwheels of the Mind is invaluable and compelling reading.

Welcome to Ian Stewart's strange and magical world of mathematics! In Math Hysteria, Professor Stewart presents us with a wealth of magical puzzles, each one spun around an amazing tale: Counting the Cattle of the Sun; The Great Drain Robbery; and Preposterous Piratical Predicaments; to name but a few. Along the way, we also meet many curious characters: in short, these stories are engaging, challenging, and lots of fun!

Pattern formation in physical systems is one of the major research frontiers of mathematics. A central theme of this book is that many instances of pattern formation can be understood within a single framework: symmetry. The book applies symmetry methods to increasingly complex kinds of dynamic behavior: equilibria, period-doubling, time-periodic states, homoclinic and heteroclinic orbits, and chaos. Examples are drawn from both ODEs and PDEs. In each case the type of dynamical behavior being studied is motivated through applications, drawn from a wide variety of scientific disciplines ranging from theoretical physics to evolutionary biology. An extensive bibliography is provided.

"A fascinating and useful handbook to both the science and science fiction of extraterrestrial life. Cohen and Stewart are amusing, opinionated, and expert guides. I found it a terrific and informative piece of work-nothing else like it "-Greg Bear"I loved it."-Larry Niven "Ever wonder about what aliens could be like? The world authority is Jack Cohen, a professional biologist who has thought long and hard about the vast realm of possibilities. This is an engaging, swiftly moving study of alien biology, a subject with bounds and constraints these authors plumb with verve and intelligence."-Gregory Benford"A celebration of life off Earth. A hearteningly optimistic book, giving a much-needed antidote to the pessimism of astrobiologists who maintain that we are alone in the universe-a stance based on a very narrow view of what could constitute life. A triumph of speculative nonfiction."-Dougal Dixon, author ofAfter Man: A Zoology of the Future

First there was Edwin A. Abbott's remarkable Flatland, published in 1884, and one of the all-time classics of popular mathematics. Now, from mathematician and accomplished science writer Ian Stewart, comes what Nature calls "a superb sequel." Through larger-than-life characters and an inspired story line, Flatterland explores our present understanding of the shape and origins of the universe, the nature of space, time, and matter, as well as modern geometries and their applications. The journey begins when our heroine, Victoria Line, comes upon her great-great-grandfather A. Square's diary, hidden in the attic. The writings help her to contact the Space Hopper, who tempts her away from her home and family in Flatland and becomes her guide and mentor through ten dimensions. In the tradition of Alice in Wonderland and The Phantom Toll Booth, this magnificent investigation into the nature of reality is destined to become a modern classic.

"You believe in a God who plays dice, and I in complete law and order", Albert Einstein. The science of chaos is forcing scientists to rethink Einstein's fundamental assumptions regarding the way the universe behaves. Chaos theory has already shown that simple systems, obeying precise laws, can nevertheless act in a random manner. Perhaps God plays dice within a cosmic game of complete law and order. "Does God Play Dice?" reveals a strange universe in which nothing may be as it seems. Familiar geometrical shapes such as circles and ellipses give way to infinitely complex structures known as fractals, the fluttering of a butterfly's wings can change the weather, and the gravitational attraction of a creature in a distant galaxy can change the fate of the solar system. This revised and updated edition includes three completely new chapters on the prediction and control of chaotic systems. It also incorporates new information regarding the solar system and an account of complexity theory. This text aims to make the complex mathematics of chaos accessible and entertaining.

Pattern formation in physical systems is one of the major research frontiers of mathematics. A central theme of this book is that many instances of pattern formation can be understood within a single framework: symmetry. The book applies symmetry methods to increasingly complex kinds of dynamic behavior: equilibria, period-doubling, time-periodic states, homoclinic and heteroclinic orbits, and chaos. Examples are drawn from both ODEs and PDEs. In each case the type of dynamical behavior being studied is motivated through applications, drawn from a wide variety of scientific disciplines ranging from theoretical physics to evolutionary biology. An extensive bibliography is provided.

Presents a humorous look at the concepts of "new math."

Is the universe around us a figment of our imagination? Or are our minds figments of reality? In this refreshing new look at the evolution of mind and culture, bestselling authors Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen eloquently argue that our minds necessarily evolved inextricably within the context of culture and language. They go beyond conventional reductionist ideas to look at how the mind is the response of an evolving brain trying to grapple with a complex environment. Along the way they develop new and intriguing insights into the nature of evolution, science and humanity.

Enter the magical maze of mathematics and explore the surprising passageways of a fantastical world where logic and imagination converge. For mathematics is a maze--a maze in your head--a maze of ideas, a maze of logic. And that maze in your mind is a powerful tool for understanding an even bigger maze--the one of cause and effect that we call "the universe." That is its special kind of magic. Real magic. Strange magic. Infinitely fascinating magic. Acclaimed author Ian Stewart leads you swiftly and humorously through the junctions, byways, and secret passages of the magical maze to reveal its beauty, surprise, and power. Along the way, he reveals the infinite possibilities that arise from what he calls "the two-way trade between the natural world and the human mind." If you've always loved mathematics, you will find endless delights in the twists and turns of The Magical Maze. If you've always hated mathematics, a trip through this marvelous book will do much to change your mind.

"Stewart writes with such compelling clarity that general readerscan share in the intellectual daring of hisperspective."--Booklist An invitation to a hidden world InLife's Other Secret, mathematician and award-winning sciencewriter Ian Stewart reveals the way mathematics describes theorigin, structure, and evolution of life. Featuring a sumptuousgallery of color illustrations demonstrating nature'sintricate wonders, here is an intriguing invitation to enter aworld deeper than DNA, a world where number series bloom inspringtime and equations gallop across the plains. From the latesttheory of how life started to the rules governing the shapes intowhich animals grow to the ancient patterns of evolution, Stewartilluminates the fundamental forces that shape our world.