The shape of a life : one mathematician's search for the universe's hidden geometry / Shing-Tung Yau and Steve Nadis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Yau, Shing-Tung, 1949- author.

Nadis, Steve, 1954- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Geometry, Differential.

Mathematics.

Physical Description:

xvi, 293 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, 2019.

Summary:

"Harvard geometer and Fields medalist Shing-Tung Yau has provided a mathematical foundation for string theory, offered new insights into black holes, and mathematically demonstrated the stability of our universe. In this autobiography, Yau reflects on his improbable journey to becoming one of the world's most distinguished mathematicians. Beginning with an impoverished childhood in China and Hong Kong, Yau takes readers through his doctoral studies at Berkeley during the height of the Vietnam War protests, his Fields Medal-winning proof of the Calabi conjecture, his return to China, and his pioneering work in geometric analysis. This new branch of geometry, which Yau built up with his friends and colleagues, has paved the way for solutions to several important and previously intransigent problems. With complicated ideas explained for a broad audience, this book offers readers not only insights into the life of an eminent mathematician, but also an accessible way to understand advanced and highly abstract concepts in mathematics and theoretical physics" -- Publisher's website.

Contents:

1 Itinerant Youth p. 1

2 Life Goes On p. 26

3 Coming to America p. 44

4 In the Foothills of Mount Calabi p. 75

5 The March to the Summit p. 96

6 The Road to Jiaoling p. 117

7 A Special Year p. 142

8 Strings and Waves in Sunny San Diego p. 170

9 Harvard Bound p. 189

10 Getting Centered p. 211

11 Beyond Poincaré p. 233

12 Between Two Cultures p. 261.

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

9780300235906

0300235909

OCLC:

1046553493