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Title: Newton's Gift: How Sir Isaac Newton Unlocked the System of the World by David Berlinski ISBN: 0-7432-1776-4 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 05 March, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.55 (11 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Ok book
Comment: This is not a detailed biography of Newton, nor is it a "pure" technical text dealing with Newton's great accomplishments. Rather, the author takes a quick bite at the overall accomplishments of Newton- which is inventing Calculus, propounding the laws of gravitation and the particle theory of light, with Newton's life story as the frame of reference. The result is a book which is a useful source for a quick introduction to the Life, time and accomplishments of Newton, even for the average reader without any background in physics or maths. My quibbles are the author should have put effort in explaining the science of Newton, rather than getting self-involved in writing charming prose. The author's intention was to give a "sense of Newton" to the reader, at which he succeeds. But, it doesn't give a feeling a satisfaction. It is an cross between reading a story , where some physics concepts are thrown in in a broad manner and punctuated by ornate writing. Obviously, i need to read other books on Newton to know more.
Some of the "superficial" knowledge i gleaned from the book, which i quote at random are:
Newton's enlargement of the binomial theorem made use of mathematical expressions known as Infinite series, which is a series of numbers that goes on forever.
He invented Calculus (Leibiniz also has claim to this honour).
He extended the forces of gravity to the orbit of the moon.. i.e established a connection of sameness between the gravity on earth which brings a apple down to the mystery force which keeps the moon orbiting around the earth without falling into earth.
He advanced the particle theory of light, which said that light was a stream of particles moving in a straight line through space.
He elucidiated his grand ideas on the nature of gravitational forces in his masterpiece "Principia". The universe revealed by principia containts particles, forces and mathematical structures. It has three specific laws of motion, two general principles of time and space. The three laws are familiar to any high school student- the law of inertia, law of acceleration and the law of action and reaction. The second law is the mysterious one which needs further explanation.; The principles of time and space wre absolute time and absolute space i.e time and space are measurable.
Why doesn't moon crash into the earth, instead of orbiting around it?? - Newton's analysis begins with the law of inertia. The moon's natural trajectory in the sky is a straight line. It travels in a fixed velocity, because no forces are inducing acceleration in it. But, since the moon is orbiting circularly around the earth, there is a force on it which is continuously deforming it's path. Since the resulting path is circular, the force must be centripetal whose origin is at the centre of the earth. (eg: carousel). Based on the second law, the force makes the moon accelerate continuously towards the centre of the earth. It does not fall into the earth because it's natural trajectory (straight line) and the centripetal force of the gravity from the earth balance out, due to which the moon falls forever without falling into the earth. (rotates).
Newton's universal gravity law states every material object attracts every other material object, with a force that is proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of distance between them.
Note, gravity is explained for what it does, what it affects, but there is no explanation for what gravity actually is. It remains a mystery.
Regarding Newton's personal life- his spars with Robert Hookes, Leibiniz shows him in poor light - as somebody vindictive, vain and secretive. His successful stint as the Master of Mint, in a bureacractic role of crushing counterfieting which was profuse at that time, is an achievement unique in the sense that we do not often find a great scientist and Govt official in the same person! Also, another curious aspect of Newton's life was he never married and is widely considered to have lead a celibate life; and yes, the apple boink on his head is apocryphal.
Rating: 5
Summary: Newton's Gift is our gift
Comment: In his book Newton's Gift - How Sir Isaac Newton Unlocked the System of the World David Berlinski presents us with an engaging biography of Newton. What I personally liked was the fact that Berlinski avoided the trap of many biographies that merely present names, dates and places. In this book we see the person that Newton was and how it affected his study of mathematics.One of the main reasons that one should study the history of mathematics is to appreciate the human side of its creation. Berlinski presents Newton's human side quite well.
If you are looking for a lot of detailed mathematics, you probably won't find it here. The mathematics is presented at a very readable and understandable level. This is certainly accessible to the average undergraduate math/physics major.
I recommend this book without hesitation.
Rating: 4
Summary: Nifty ideaography of one of the great minds of all time
Comment: The title "Newton's Gift" has, of course, a dual meaning. The book is about Newton's personal gift - his intellectual powers - and his gift to all mankind through his work in Mathematics (the Calculus), Physics (working out gravitation and motion), and Optics. When I walk into Borders and see the tens of thousands of books on the shelves and realize that this still represents a small portion of the books written I think about the works that will still be in print in 300 years. Probably you could pile them up in a small stack in the middle of a small room. Newton's "Principia" and his "Optics" will certainly still be among them. I believe these are among the immortal works of humanity.
Berlinski has a wonderful knack for making the arcane both accessible and lively. He has a style that seems breezy, but is more sophisticated than that and even has a bit of a shimmer to it. There are a few careless mistakes, but they won't get in the way of the story he is telling. For example, on page 33 the circumference of the circle is labeled as time, but it is the AREA of the shaded wedges that is time. The circle is distance. The point of the diagram, I believe, is that when an orbit is closer to the center it moves faster over distance, but the area between the end points of the orbit and center is that same as the area when the orbit is further away from the center and the orbiting body is moving more slowly. But anyone paying attention, I think, would see this pretty quickly.
I call this an Ideaography because the biographical portions are both helpful and concise, but by no means comprehensive. And the book is not technical enough to be considered an explication of Newton's thought. But it is quite successful as a Cook's Tour of Newton's life and thought. It is ideal for intellectually awakening high school students or a quick introduction for college students. It is a most helpful way to get the door open for further study and investigation. There is a most wonderful "Chrestomathy" of the fundamental concepts discussed in the book and the key dates of Newton's life.
However, the book could certainly have used a reading list for further study. Yes, other important works are mentioned throughout the text, but it would have been nice to have a good source for additional reading.
But these quibbles aside, I recommend the book as a nice to read introduction to Newton and his work.
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Title: A Tour of the Calculus by DAVID BERLINSKI ISBN: 0679747885 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 28 January, 1997 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Black Mischief: Language, Life, Logic, Luck-Second Edition by David Berlinski ISBN: 0156130637 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: 31 October, 1988 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
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Title: The Advent of the Algorithm: The Idea that Rules the World by David Berlinski ISBN: 0151003386 Publisher: Harcourt Pub. Date: 31 March, 2000 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
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Title: E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation by David Bodanis ISBN: 0425181642 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: 09 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer (Helix Books) by Michael White ISBN: 073820143X Publisher: Perseus Book Group Pub. Date: April, 1999 List Price(USD): $18.50 |
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