Euclid’s Window: The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace by Leonard Mlodinow (PDF)

Description

Through Euclid’s Window Leonard Mlodinow brilliantly and delightfully leads us on a journey through five revolutions in geometry, from the Greek concept of parallel lines to the latest notions of hyperspace. Here is an altogether new, refreshing, alternative history of math revealing how simple questions anyone might ask about space — in the living room or in some other galaxy — have been the hidden engine of the highest achievements in science and technology.Based on Mlodinow’s extensive historical research; his studies alongside colleagues such as Richard Feynman and Kip Thorne; and interviews with leading physicists and mathematicians such as Murray Gell-Mann, Edward Witten, and Brian Greene, Euclid’s Window is an extraordinary blend of rigorous, authoritative investigation and accessible, good-humored storytelling that makes a stunningly original argument asserting the primacy of geometry. For those who have looked through Euclid’s Window, no space, no thing, and no time will ever be quite the same.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐”Euclid’s Window” traces the roots of particle physics, from the initial geometric work of the ancient Greeks, to Descartes attaching algebra to geometry, to Gauss and Riemann realizing that space need not be flat, to Einstein applying these ideas in the theories of relativity, to the particle physics and string theory as we know it today. These are just a few of the mathematicians and scientists discussed. The book is not a history of geometry as the subtitle suggests, as Mlodinow only takes the parts that are relevant to the current physics-based explanation of the world (membrane theory) and the quest for a grand unified theory and how geometry fits into it. The story along the way is very engaging and entertaining, revealing both the life and times of the people that invented the various theories we use today, as well as lucidly explaining the theories themselves (even string theory). I highly recommend the book for both entertainment value and educational value, though I must qualify this statement: Mlodinow makes a few blunders along the way with dates, fills in some details with his own imagination, and interjects his opinion quite frequently. You might walk away from the book thinking that Ed Witten is the next Einstein (not to discredit Professor Witten, as he has made very important contributions). Mlodinow most noticeably leaves out contributions from the ancient Indians and Chinese, and only briefly mentions the Arabs- basically taking a very Europe- and American-centric point of view…take it or leave it, but I can’t help but agree that these are the people that took us from the parallel postulate to quarks, gravitons, and so on. Historical context is cherry-picked to support the anti-Christian and anti-antisemite (basically pro-Jewish) opinions of the author, which isn’t to say the points aren’t valid. As you will discover in reading the book, Christianity killed (literally) the ancient Greek science, and has impeded the return of logical thought and science ever since.So we don’t have complete historic rigor here- I say who cares. Mlodinow has written a story with few geometric sketches and even fewer equations, not a textbook. If you want the usual dry history of “and on April 12, 1652, Hermann von German discovered this phenomena while rowing a boat across a lake,” or page after page of equations, then I’m sure there are many other books out there to satisfy your needs. So, take the finer points with a grain of salt (if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is- except for C.F. Gauss) and enjoy the ride of learning about the people behind the math and physics. This is still a great book that I would recommend to those interested in math and/or physics.

⭐I loved this book. This book provides an understanding of the importance of the Greeks in the history of human thought that goes far beyond a mere historical description of what they did. I’ve known for more than thirty years that the Greeks were the fathers of rational and scientific thought (and answered exam questions with a suitably expanded discourse on that theme). But I now have a concrete appreciation for what that means. Mlodinow not only reveals the content of what they thought but also connects their discoveries and theories to later events. He shows how the foundation is connected to the top story (still under construction). Mlodinow is especially adept at presenting theoretical constructs in a way that is accessible to the non-scientist. His portrayal of the individuals who were responsible for the major steps along the way is characterized by a wry outlook that is effective and that contributes to the story he is telling. This is popular science at its best. A specialist might debate a point or two, but the story that is told here is clear and compelling. tThe author’s frequent humorous touches add a note of grace to the subject. Simply put, it’s fun to read this book.I highly recommend the book. I think it would be particularly useful as a text for a course in the history of Western thought.

⭐The author’s writing style reminds me of a recipe blog. If you have ever gone looking for a recipe online you know what I mean. A wall of text about how this is their favorite recipe and how it was passed on by their great great grandma. Scroll down for about 5 minutes and you finally find a good recipe. That’s what this book is like. There is so much background information, most of which doesn’t really matter when it comes to Euclidian and Non-Euclidian geometry. Several chapters didn’t even mention geometry once. The narrative jumps all over the place which can cause some confusion in chronology. And on a personal note, I think the author has some been against Christianity. The way he phrases his sentences whenever Christianity gets brought up seems unnecisarily hostile on more than one occasion. As someone who takes his faith as seriously as his math, this was irritating.I guess all these great reviews are coming from a lack of better writings on the subject but that is just a guess. If you want a solid, chronological history of geometry, look else where. If you are Christian then this book might erk you.

⭐With a title “Euclid’s Window” one would expect this to by a book on mathematics and more specifically geometry. The first part of this book holds somewhat true to this belief and for that I would rate it very good and interesting. However, I had to stop reading it about 2/3 through because it had completely abandoned almost everything mathematical and seated itself firmly in the subject area of physics. If you do not mind that, and you have a general interest in math AND physics, you will probably enjoy the whole book. I am quite tired of the overwhelming plethora of physics and “wasn’t Einstein such a genius” books that I just can not take it any more. I long for a book on just mathematics which this definitely is not. There are some very interesting mathematical things in this book (in the first half) which are well worth reading but please be warned that if you expect this to be a book about geometry you will probably be disappointed.

⭐This is the sort of book I wish had been around before I went to university as it sets out some of the concepts around geometry that impact theoretical physics in an acccessible way. I now realise that glib lines such as ‘parallel lines meeting at infinity’ are way more subtle than they seem and that I now have lots of questions that I have noone to ask on what it all actually means.

⭐Summary: A summary of geometry from Pythagoras to string theory.—The book has a wonderful continuity taking on a mamoth task of explaining the mathematical stories from ancient and medieval history. It’s full of laughs and the author does a good job in trying to explain maths. The book really picks up after the story of Gauss. The story prior to that is flimsy and uninteresting. You have to somehow be able to get through that first 75 pages or so for the book to shine through. But with Gauss, and the story after, the book is really very good! Flush with stories about the discoverers (author calls them inventors) of mathematics, you’ll get a wonderful whirlwind tour of mathematics of relativity and string theory.Who is this book for:Someone with physics interest but not a physics major. Someone who hobbies into maths. A child in 10th-11th class who has just started on their Science journey

⭐Geeky geeky geeky!.. BUT relatively funny and VERY interesting. Mlodinov always injects his own style onto proceedings, and this one is no different. Could have done with a proof-reader, though, as there are half a dozen or so typos which seem to have snuck through unnoticed.. tut tut..

⭐Though I ordered an old book from dealstar aka coolland seller ..the product I got seems to be new and the content nothing to say about it it’s One of my favourite science books after Fermat’s last theorem and the explanation by Mlodinow is very good and informative

⭐I completed another of Mlodinow’s book, about probability and it was fantastic. This one has started the same and I’ve heard more about this book, so far so good.

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