Curves for the Mathematically Curious : An Anthology of the Unpredictable, Historical, Beautiful, and Romantic / Julian Havil.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Havil, Julian, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Curves.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (281 pages)

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2019]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Ten amazing curves personally selected by one of today's most important math writersCurves for the Mathematically Curious is a thoughtfully curated collection of ten mathematical curves, selected by Julian Havil for their significance, mathematical interest, and beauty. Each chapter gives an account of the history and definition of a curve, providing a glimpse into the elegant and often surprising mathematics involved in its creation and evolution. In telling the ten stories, Havil introduces many mathematicians and other innovators, some whose fame has withstood the passing of years and others who have slipped into comparative obscurity. You will meet Pierre Bézier, who is known for his ubiquitous and eponymous curves, and Adolphe Quetelet, who trumpeted the ubiquity of the normal curve but whose name now hides behind the modern body mass index. These and other ingenious thinkers engaged with the challenges, incongruities, and insights to be found in these remarkable curves-and now you can share in this adventure.Curves for the Mathematically Curious is a rigorous and enriching mathematical experience for anyone interested in curves, and the book is designed so that readers who choose can follow the details with pencil and paper. Every curve has a story worth telling.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter One. The Euler Spiral

Chapter Two. The Weierstrass Curve

Chapter Three. Bézier Curves

Chapter Four.66 The Rectangular Hyperbola

Chapter Five. The Quadratrix of Hippias

Chapter Six. Two Space-Filling Curves

Chapter Seven. Curves of Constant Width

Chapter Eight. The Normal Curve

Chapter Nine. The Catenary

Chapter Ten. Elliptic Curves

Perhaps the Most Important Curve of All

Appendix A. The Title Page

Appendix B. Conics Encapsulated

Appendix C. A Trigonometric Variant for the Bézier Curve

Appendix D. Envelopes

Appendix E. The Mathematics of an Arch

Appendix F. The Simple Pendulum

Appendix G. Fibonacci's Method

References

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 06. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

9780691197784

0691197784

OCLC:

1111939155