Shifting the Earth : the mathematical quest to understand the motion of the universe / Arthur Mazer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mazer, Arthur, 1958-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Kepler's laws.

Motion.

Celestial mechanics.

Physical Description:

xvi, 306 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley & Sons, [2011]

Summary:

"Combining history, astronomy, and philosophy, this insightful book demonstrates how mathematics evolved and was used to explain planetary movements based on centuries of manual observations and careful data collection. Historical and social contexts behind the mathematical advances are provided, and the history includes the larger political and philosophical environment that affected the lives of the contributing scientists. A prime objective is to illustrate how Kepler's heliocentric pathway evolved from Ptolemy's geocentric model, with Copernicus as the critical intermediary. This reference will be valuable to science and mathematics enthusiasts, and will serve as a textbook or supplemental recommended reading for undergraduates"--Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1 Perfection 1

2 Perfectionists 5

A Tour of Athens 5

Plato's Challenge 8

Eudoxus' Universe 10

The Math (a mathematical presentation requiring linear algebra) 14

3 The Iconoclast 24

Insanity 24

A Disturbing Insight 29

Aristarchus and On the Sizes and Distances of the Sun and Moon (a mathematical presentation requiring trigonometry) 29

4 Instigators 38

A Heavy Hand 38

Patriarchs 41

The Irony 43

Fun 44

Apollonius' Osculating Circle and the Ellipse (a mathematical presentation requiring calculus) 46

Fun's Harvest 62

5 Retrograde 63

The Imperial Theocracy 63

Ptolemy's Universe 67

Ptolemy and The Almagest (a mathematical presentation requiring trigonometry) 70

Inspiration 91

6 Revolutionary 93

Possibilities 93

Copernicus' On Revolutions, the Pursuit of Elegance 103

The Model (a mathematical presentation requiring trigonometry) 106

An Elegant Result 116

7 Renegades 117

Countering the Reformation 117

The Trio: Tycho, Kepler, and Rudolf 119

Meanwhile in Italy 131

New Astronomy, in Kepler's Own Likeness 134

A Path Strewn with Casualties 136

The Physicist's Law 142

Tycho's Gift 145

Mars' Bed 147

Configuring the Ellipse: The Second Law (a mathematical presentation requiring trigonometry) 149

The Mentor 167

8 The Authority 168

Louis XIV, the Sun King 168

Newton, the Math King 172

The Influential Principia 181

Without Fluxions (a mathematical presentation of Newton's laws of motion and the ellipse requiring high school algebra) 184

Newton's Laws, Kepler's Laws, and Calculus (a calculus-based presentation of Newton's laws of motion and the ellipse) 207

Newton's Agenda 224

9 Rule Breakers 225

Beginnings 225

Debunking the Ether 232

The Established and the Unknown 240

Trouble 246

Exiting the Quantum Universe 249

Bending the Light 251

An Ergodic Life 252

Victory 254

The Experiment 259

The Famous and the Infamous 260

Exodus 264

The End 267

Relativity 268

Special Relativity (a mathematical presentation requiring high school algebra) 271.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Machine generated contents note: Preface.Acknowledgments.Chapter 1. Perfection.Chapter 2. Perfectionists.Chapter 3. The Iconoclast.Chapter 4. Instigators.Chapter 5. Retrograde.Chapter 6. Revolutionary.Chapter 7. Renegades.Chapter 8. The Authority.Chapter 9. Rule Breakers.Epilogue.Bibliography.Index.

ISBN:

9781118024270

1118024273

OCLC:

719429307