Ian Stewart

Stewart ist ein bekannter und fleißiger Sachbuchautor im Reich der Mathematik. Die vielfältigen Symmetrien und Muster in der belebten und unbelebten Natur haben ihn stets gefesselt. Nach dem interessanten, aber karg illustrierten Band 'Die Zahlen der Natur' (BA 8/98) ist wie ein Phönix aus der Asche jetzt im gleichen Verlag ein reich und bunt bebilderter, thematisch ähnlicher Band erschienen. Das neue Buch enthält mehr Text, als man zunächst meint, weil er in einer sehr schmal laufenden Type gesetzt ist (ähnlich einem Telefonbuch, aber doch gut lesbar). Stewart findet Muster aller Art, etwa Spiralen bei Nautilus und anderen Schnecken, geometrisch-abstrakte Muster der Molluskenschalen, Streifen von Zebras und Fischen, die Selbstähnlichkeit bei Farnen, aber auch die Kristallformen der Mineralien, die faszinierenden Fraktale und Kurven aus der Chaostheorie oder die Probleme von Parkettierungen (Kachelungen). Der Band kommt nicht nur ohne Formeln aus, sondern auch fast ohne Zahlen (Jahres- und Seitenzahlen ausgenommen). Er kann so auch mathematik-abstinente Leser in seinen Bann schlagen. (2).

Is there an underlying set of principles that connects the pattern of a tiger's stripes with the design of a butterfly's wings? Are there hidden laws of life that lie deeper than DNA? According to award-winning science writer Ian Stewart, the answer is yes, and the hidden rules are called mathematics. In Life's Other Secret, Stewart exploits a realm of pattern and beauty that links the pulse of life with the creative enterprise of mathematics. Pointing to what he describes as an exaggerated emphasis on the power of DNA in determining the shape and behavior of life-forms, Stewart compares DNA to a recipe book of ingredients, quantities, and sequences: very useful, but far from a complete plan of the final result. Beneath the genes lies the rich texture of the physical universe with its deep patterns, forms, structures, processes, and systems - a world of infinite subtlety that can be described only through mathematics. Genes may move a life-form in a specific direction, but it is the mathematical laws of chemistry and physics that control an organism's response to its genetic instructions. With the visionary work of the zoologist D'Arcy Thompson as his touchstone, Stewart unfolds a series of dazzling mathematical patterns in the organic world: the ethereal spiral of the nautilus shell, the fluid forms of a jellyfish, the boastful beauty of the peacock's tail, and the amazing numerology of floral petals. He leads us to a place where number and nature coalesce, and where the order of mathematics manifests itself in life.

Approaches mathematics using an assortment of puzzles and problems and the metaphorical structure of a maze.

"The Collapse of Chaos is the first post-chaos, post-complexity book, a groundbreaking inquiry into how simplicity in nature is generated from chaos and complexity. Rather than asking science's traditional question of how to break the world down into its simplest components, Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart ask something much more interesting: why does simplicity exist at all? Their story combines chaos and complexity and - surprisingly - derives simplicity from the interaction of the two." "The Collapse of Chaos is composed of two parts. The first half is a witty primer, a guided tour of the islands of Truth that have been mapped out by conventional science. This section provides a streamlined and accessible introduction to the central areas of modern science, including cosmology, quantum mechanics, the arrow of time, biological development, evolution, and consciousness. The unorthodox and adventurous second half dives into the Oceans of Ignorance that surround what is known. Educated by the first half to appreciate the subtler issues in the second, the reader is introduced to a novel and even heretical world where unconventional possibilities are explored through conversations with characters such as the Victorian computer scientist Augusta Ada Lovelace and - for the more outlandish scenarios - the alien inhabitants of the planet Zarathustra."--BOOK JACKET.

"In order to really see the forest, what's the best way to count the trees? Understanding how the economy interacts with the environment has important implications for policy, regulatory, and business decisions. How should our national economic accounts recognize the increasing interest in and importance of the environment?"--BOOK JACKET. "Nature's Numbers responds to concerns about how the United States should make these measurements. This book recommends how to incorporate environmental and other non-market measures into the nation's income and product accounts."--BOOK JACKET.

Many of us already have at least a passing acquaintance with procedural languages such as BASIC or Pascal, but may not have met a functional language like Lisp before. Using the same enjoyable and sometimes quirky style that they employed so successfully in "The Art of C-Programming", Robin Jones and his team explain the fundamentals of Lisp in a way that students from school to postgraduates will find lucid and stimulating. The book is unique in illustrating the use of Lisp through the development of a realistic project: the design and implementation of a Lisp-based interpreter for the language ABC.

Since the dramatic discovery of the mathematical concept of chaos in 1989, the controversy of its contents has settled down. This revised edition of Does God Play Dice? takes a fresh look at its achievements and potential. With a new preface and three completely new chapters, it includes the latest practical applications of chaos theory, such as developing intelligent heart pacemakers. All this provides a fascinating new answer to Einstien's question which provided the title of this book.

A retitled and revised edition of Ian Stewart's The Problems of Mathematics, this is the perfect guide to today's maths. Read about the lastest discoveries, and see how simple concepts from probability theory can help you maximize your lottery winnings.

Bifurcation theory studies how the structure of solutions to equations changes as parameters are varied. The nature of these changes depends both on the number of parameters and on the symmetries of the equations. Volume I discusses how singularity-theoretic techniques aid the understanding of transitions in multiparameter systems. This volume focuses on bifurcation problems with symmetry and shows how group-theoretic techniques aid the understanding of transitions in symmetric systems. Four broad topics are covered: group theory and steady-state bifurcation, equicariant singularity theory, Hopf bifurcation with symmetry, and mode interactions. The opening chapter provides an introduction to these subjects and motivates the study of systems with symmetry. Detailed case studies illustrate how group-theoretic methods can be used to analyze specific problems arising in applications.

ix, 315 p. : 18 cm

"First there was Edwin A. Abbott's remarkable Flatland, published in 1884, and one of the all-time classics of popular mathematics. Now, from mathematician and accomplished science writer Ian Stewart, comes a dazzling, modern sequel." "Flatterland: Like Flatland, Only More So provides an engaging, completely accessible guide to some of the trickiest concepts in contemporary mathematics. Through larger-than-life characters and an inspired story line, Flatterland explores our present understanding of the shape and origins of the universe, the nature of space, time, and matter, as well as modern geometries and their applications." "The journey begins when our heroine, Victoria Line, comes upon her great-great-grandfather A. Square's diary, hidden in the attic. The writings help her to contact the Space Hopper, who tempts her away from her home and family in Flatland and becomes her guide and mentor through ten dimensions." "Informed by Stewart's ingenious stream of wordplay and crackling dialogue, Flatterland is the story of Vikki's fantastic voyage through the Mathiverse. From the Charming Construction Entity to Moobius, the one-sided cow, from the Hawk King to the Space Girls, her encounters grow ever stranger. She watches two Parallel Lions meet and sees the Doughmouse change a doughnut into a teapot without breaking any mathematical rules. She experiences the universe expanding from the outside and survives a harrowing trip through a black hole. Finally, armed with a clearer vision of the world beyond, Vikki makes her way home to two-dimensional Flatland -- and starts to spread the word." "In the tradition of Alice in Wonderland and The Phantom Toll Booth, this magnificent investigation into the nature of reality is destined to become a modern classic. Book jacket."--Jacket.

Ian Stewart, author of the bestselling Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities, presents a new and magical mix of games, puzzles, paradoxes, brainteasers, and riddles.