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Title: e: The Story of a Number by Eli Maor ISBN: 0-691-05854-7 Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr Pub. Date: 04 May, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.15 (33 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: If Not Satisfied with Pi Try e
Comment: This writer had written three books, as far as I know, the one before you, "Trigonometric Delights" and "To Infinity and Beyond." If this does not convince you to read this book, then nothing will.
I read this after Dr Beckmann's "A History of Pi," and found it to be the right choice. (for a review of that book click on the blue "a_mathematician" above to see it in its proper place). As Pi is closely associated with the circle, then so is e associated to logarithms and differential equations. It is even called the natural base!
Maor does an excellent job in accounting the historical points about e. In the beginning of the book we see e associated with the logarithms and then we see its characterization as the limit of some sequence of numbers. Then we go into some summary of the origin of calculus to see that the exponential function with base e is its own derivative.
If you find all this difficult to grasp right now, do not worry, because it is explained in the book in simple language.
The book then goes into spirals, and then to hyperbolic trig functions which are defined in terms of the exponential functions base e, and the book is concluded with the Euler's equation, the equation containing the four most important numbers in mathematics: Pi, e, 1, and zero.
I can't emphasize this enough, but the language of the book is understandable by anyone. Maybe you would be convinced if I tell you that my native language is not English, yet I could understand the insights of the writer. If you liked the book try a better one, Singh's "Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem." (For a review please click on the blue a_mathematician above)
Rating: 5
Summary: Making Math Understandable
Comment: Many textbooks state very little or nothing about the background behind the history mathematics. Maor describes the thought processes of the mathematicians in such a way that one can appreciate Mathematics more. e: The Story of a Number speaks to a broad audience so that, regardless of your mathematical experience, you will understand mathematics better.
Rating: 5
Summary: Magical Description of Natural Log and Math History
Comment: It would be a great side reading for Real Analysis and Multivariable Calculus class. The greatest wonder I had during the first half of Real Analysis (Rudin's book) class was answered. I thought 'e' should rather be called "magical log" rather than natural log because of all the fascinating features it has. Maor discusses every aspect of this magic number in a language that is friendly to non-mathematicians. I liked the real world application of natural log such as music and finance, and the derivation of Euler's Formula e^(i*pi)+1=0.
Excellent.
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Title: An Imaginary Tale by Paul J. Nahin ISBN: 0691027951 Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr Pub. Date: 24 August, 1998 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Trigonometric Delights by Eli Maor ISBN: 0691095418 Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr Pub. Date: 25 February, 2002 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: To Infinity and Beyond by Eli Maor ISBN: 0691025118 Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr Pub. Date: 09 July, 1991 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: A History of Pi by Petr Beckmann ISBN: 0312381859 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 15 July, 1976 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife, Matt Zimet ISBN: 0140296476 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 05 September, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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