Skip to main content

A Most Elegant Equation - David Stipp ****

Aside from E = mc2, there is no other mathematical formula that has had more books dedicated to it than Euler's equation, eiπ +1 = 0. In some ways it's not surprising - like Einstein's equation, Euler's is simple, yet combines essential quantities in a way that surprises and has interesting uses.

 Not long ago I read Robin Wilson' Euler's Pioneering Equation, which started really well with some good history of maths on the main components of the equation, but then became too complex for the typical non-mathematician. I'm pleased to say that David Stipp in A Most Elegant Equation doesn't fall for this same trap. This book remains easily readable throughout. 

 Stipp also takes us through a little of the background to the main components of the equation (though in a far more summary fashion for 1 and 0). It would have been nice to have had a little more history of maths to round out these introductions - as it was, what you get is plenty to understand e or i, for example, but a little more context would have been pleasing. One thing he does do well here, though, is give us some nice biographical detail on Euler himself.

 Where Stipp triumphs, though, is continuing to make the whole process accessible as we discover where the equation comes from and what it (and the more generalised version of the equation) is capable of doing for oscillating values such as waves. Stipp takes us through step by step from the basics of definitions of i and sines and cosines, through the use of radians and the way that the complex plane combined with the rotational interpretation of sine and cosine make this approach so powerful. (If any of that doesn't make sense, it will after you've read this book).

 If anything, the approach taken is almost too simplified - taking the time, for instance, step by step to explain even something as simple as why x+1=0 is the same as x=-1. But those who remember their high school maths can skip a little. My only other small complaint is that Stipp tries relentlessly to be funny. Sometimes this works fine, but at other times it can feel a little laboured. Having said that, I can forgive a lot of someone whose longest footnote is an exposition of why Mr Spock's emotional responses are more nuanced than they seem. (Yes, there is a reason for this.)

 To get a picture of why so many mathematicians and physicists think this equation is beautiful, what the equation does and what lies beneath it, A Most Elegant Equation is hard to beat. There's even a section looking at why a few rebels think the equation is rather boring... and what's wrong with their assertion. I'm not saying this book will make every maths-hater suddenly decide the topic is fascinating. But for anyone who is puzzled by mathematicians talking about beauty, or who knows enough to be surprised at the way these disparate quantities come together without having the mathematical background to explain it, this will make a short but sweet read.

Hardback:  

Kindle:  
Using these links earns us commission at no cost to you

 
Review by Brian Clegg
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God: the Science, the Evidence - Michel-Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies ***

This is, to say the least, an oddity, but a fascinating one. A translation of a French bestseller, it aims to put forward an examination of the scientific evidence for the existence of a deity… and various other things, as this is a very oddly structured book (more on that in a moment). In The God Delusion , Richard Dawkins suggested that we should treat the existence of God as a scientific claim, which is exactly what the authors do reasonably well in the main part of the book. They argue that three pieces of scientific evidence in particular are supportive of the existence of a (generic) creator of the universe. These are that the universe had a beginning, the fine tuning of natural constants and the unlikeliness of life.  To support their evidence, Bolloré and Bonnassies give a reasonable introduction to thermodynamics and cosmology. They suggest that the expected heat death of the universe implies a beginning (for good thermodynamic reasons), and rightly give the impression tha...
Post a Comment
Read more

Humble Pi - Matt Parker ****

Matt Parker had me thoroughly enjoying this collection of situations where maths and numbers go wrong in everyday life. I think the book's title is a little weak - 'Humble Pi' doesn't really convey what it's about, but that subtitle 'a comedy of maths errors' is far more informative. With his delightful conversational style, honed in his stand-up maths shows, it feels as if Parker is a friend down the pub, relating the story of some technical disaster driven by maths and computing, or regaling us with a numerical cock-up. These range from the spectacular - wobbling and collapsing bridges, for example - to the small but beautifully formed, such as Excel's rounding errors. Sometimes it's Parker's little asides that are particularly attractive. I loved his rant on why phone numbers aren't numbers at all (would it be meaningful for someone to ask you what half your phone number is?). We discover the trials and tribulations of getting cal...
Post a Comment
Read more

Quantum 2.0 - Paul Davies ****

Unlike the general theory of relativity or cosmology, quantum physics is an aspect of physics that has had a huge impact on everyday lives, particularly through the deployment of electronics, but also, for example, where superconductivity has led to practical applications. But when Paul Davies is talking about version 2.0, he is specifically describing quantum information, where quantum particles and systems are used in information technology. This obviously includes quantum computers, but Davies also brings in, for example, the potential for quantum AI technology. Quantum computers have been discussed for decades - algorithms had already been written for them as early as the 1990s - but it's only now that they are starting to become usable devices, not at the personal level but in servers. In his usual approachable style, Davies gives us four chapters bringing us up to speed on quantum basics, but then brings in quantum computing. After this we don't get solid quantum informat...
Post a Comment
Read more