In Pursuit of the Unknown: 17 Equations That Changed the World 1st Edition by Ian Stewart (PDF)

Description

The seventeen equations that form the basis for life as we know it. Most people are familiar with history’s great equations: Newton’s Law of Gravity, for instance, or Einstein’s theory of relativity. But the way these mathematical breakthroughs have contributed to human progress is seldom appreciated. In In Pursuit of the Unknown, celebrated mathematician Ian Stewart untangles the roots of our most important mathematical statements to show that equations have long been a driving force behind nearly every aspect of our lives. Using seventeen of our most crucial equations — including the Wave Equation that allowed engineers to measure a building’s response to earthquakes, saving countless lives, and the Black-Scholes model, used by bankers to track the price of financial derivatives over time — Stewart illustrates that many of the advances we now take for granted were made possible by mathematical discoveries. An approachable, lively, and informative guide to the mathematical building blocks of modern life, In Pursuit of the Unknown is a penetrating exploration of how we have also used equations to make sense of, and in turn influence, our world.

User’s Reviews

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

⭐Professor Stewart selected 17 equations that changed the world. He discusses each equation in an engaging and practical manner, and he gives a number of illustrations of how those equations have and are impacting our lives. One could argue whether these 17 equations completely describe our civilization, or whether all should be included (unless you happen to work or be interested in special areas, such as communications or signal processing – in which case, those equations governing propagation and information theory are of major importance.) Indeed, the author frequently points out that the equations are not independent, but richly interrelated . One can not argue that Professor Stewart doesn’t give thoughtful discussions of the development and meaning of each equation. He presents many detailed references and side stories of how the equations were developed, the “blind alleys” pursued, those who opposed or aided in their development, and the time periods involved. Indeed, the author gives sufficient historical detail to satisfy ordinary history “buffs”. These humanity references, together with treatment of the mathematic principles, ensures well rounded satisfaction to the reader.I do not recommend one speed-read this book, but rather cover one equation at a sitting while reading in a contemplative manner.Professor Stewart gives ample reasons for anticipation of future improvements or changes in mathematical descriptions of the world(s) in which we live. For example, he challenges the reader with the exciting possibility of how dark matter may change our understanding of the universe: he does this best in the final chapter, “Where Next?” The potential for string theory, general universal theory, and the Higgs Boson creates an atmosphere of anticipation and the need to learn more – that is a major credit to the author!Structurally speaking, this book is constructed so that each equation or chapter is virtually independent of the preceding chapter. This is very convenient, allowing the reader to select which equation to study, without the necessity of thumbing back to prior chapters to clarify some reference.I had one surprising disappointment on accuracy or proof reading, when the author, on page 40, states that the note, middle C, is 440 cycles per second. This dismayed me, because it made me doubt many other bits of referenced information, which makes this book so interesting. This mistake was not repeated in the chapter on wave motion – which restored my confidence and caused me to forgive this one error, however blatant. All in all, this is a commendable book, one which spurs the imagination, and increases the understanding of mathematical equations.I recommend this book to all students of mathematics and those responsible for teaching the subject to others.

⭐The ideal reader for this book is someone who is not turned into a bowl of jello by seeing a mathematical formula and who is also a history buff. The history in question is a special kind of cultural history of western civilization. A history of neither music, nor art, nor philosophy nor literature, but a history involving math, science, engineering, technology and even investing. The author writes well and has a gift for unearthing facts of considerable human interest. For me, anyway, the book was a great read. I can imagine a curious high school student finding life-changing inspiration here.Each chapter begins with its equation written down with each of its terms labeled as to what it means. The math of the equation is explained in a way hopefully clear to someone willing to think, whose math knowledge is at least of a high school level. Of course, if one fails to completely understand the mathematical explication, it doesn’t really matter. For one can proceed to the historical significance of the equation, not only at the time of its emergence, but throughout subsequent history up to the present so that one can see its current relevance. This is essentially not a math book. The math is there to help make the history come alive.The equations are presented in chronological order, more or less, so that the history of later equations can be enriched by what came before. The book is original because it goes beyond the usual kind of history of math, physics and engineering to show in a deeper and richer way how these subjects permeate our civilization and our culture.My own background is in theoretical physics and I am a history buff. Interestingly, I learned things by reading this book. The author is clearly an active researcher in math and physics and throws in some provocative ideas, especially in talking about dark matter and energy.Why did I give the book only four stars? Because I think a 5 star book should not only be a great read, but an absolute masterpiece. This book falls a little short of that.

⭐Professor Stewart does a great job in this book discussing the flow of mathematical and scientific thought through human history and how those times produced these 17 great equations. I found the book engrossing, with sufficient detail provided to understand the general make-up of each equation without getting into the weeds of mathematical formalism. Professor Stewart focuses on the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of each equation and their application to the many branches of science, from classical mechanics to quantum mechanics, from social science to biology and even finance. The breadth of topics discussed is amazing and up-to-date as of 2012. (The Higgs boson has now been found.) There are a few typos here and there and some occasional glancing politics, but nothing that interferes with the gist of the topic. As an engineer most of my exposure to these equations has been in classes and books where I feel like a hiker surrounded by an impenetrable forest of weeds. This book is like finding and climbing to the top of a nearby peak where I can finally see the terrain clearly.

⭐I’ve read quite a few chapters. I think it does cover 17 very important equations (especially for myself as an engineer). I think that technical books have to suit a person’s existing knowledge, and this book seems to suit me very well. I find it generally very well written. It is clear (it does a very good job of explaining the equations in words), and has a very good blend of history, technical explanation and examples. I find it enjoyable and educational. The fact that it is written by an experienced, world renowned mathematician adds to my confidence in the book. At over 300 pages with some useful black and white figures, I think it is very good value for money (it is also very well laid out and accessible). It can be read from cover-to-cover, but each chapter can stand alone, so the book can be used for reference purposes.

⭐This is a great read for the numerate but gets a bit technical for those less mathematically inclined. It is not a book for those not comfortable with mathematics and formulae.All in all I found this a solid read covering a lot of ground. I recommend it for a technical overview of the important equations over history and I enjoyed it.My only complaint is the last chapter which comes across largely as a rant against financial services and investment management. Stewart goes off topic and outside of his expertise in a meandering and unfocused way. I have no issue with bashing the banks for unreasonable risks taken and unreasonable reliance on mathematical models in a less predictable (fat tailed) behavioral world, but this chapter goes about this in a very weak manner and is off topic.So get the book if you are interested in the equations that changed the world, but skip the last chapter if you already know that bankers take stupid risks (because of the reward structures) and are over reliant on unrealistic models!

⭐When learning Maths at secondary school in the UK, one learns theorems, equations, mathematical methods, learns how to apply them, answers questions on them in class and in exams and stops there. Maths done. Finished.Ian Stewart sees this gap between the Maths people know and the uses of this Maths both historically and in our present-day societies. An example is his chapter on logarithms. Many have heard of logarithms and know the basic logarithmic rules of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. What Stewart does, as he does with the other 16 equations, formulas and mathematical ideas, is to give the historical development of logarithms, describes how they function, describe how they are useful and describes their various important applications in our daily lives.Stewart is a great ambassador for Maths and has done a great deal to make the subject seem less stuffy and more approachable to the reader. If students were introduced to the applications, meanings and ideas behind the Maths they are taught at school at an earlier age via Stewart’s book then maybe there would be a greater passion developed amongst adolescents to study it further and realise its importance in understanding the world around us.

⭐I am a big fan of Ian Stewart’s books and I really looked forward to reading this particular book. it does highlight some important features of the 17 equations which is helpful. However, I didn’t find it very exciting which is unlike Ian Stewart’s books for me. Its very verbose and certain concepts should have been explained using maths rather than writing essays.

⭐I am a middle aged man who has recently started studying maths for GCE. I found myself learning mathematical ideas and concepts such as logarithms but not really having any idea what they actually are used for or where they came from. This is where this book comes in! I now know how they were developed and why. It breathes life into the equations by giving them purpose and historical context which has inspired me to keep learning and has vastly improved my understanding of them. This happens for lots of topics such as pythagoras , calculus ,complex numbers and chaos theory to name a few. So even if you are a student with little time on your hands for ‘reading around a subject’ like I always was I would definitely recommend this book to provide inspiration!

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