An Imaginary Tale

Author : Paul J. Nahin
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400833892
Total Pages : 297 pages
Book Rating : 4.94/5 ( download)

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Download or read book An Imaginary Tale written by Paul J. Nahin and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2010-02-22 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today complex numbers have such widespread practical use--from electrical engineering to aeronautics--that few people would expect the story behind their derivation to be filled with adventure and enigma. In An Imaginary Tale, Paul Nahin tells the 2000-year-old history of one of mathematics' most elusive numbers, the square root of minus one, also known as i. He recreates the baffling mathematical problems that conjured it up, and the colorful characters who tried to solve them. In 1878, when two brothers stole a mathematical papyrus from the ancient Egyptian burial site in the Valley of Kings, they led scholars to the earliest known occurrence of the square root of a negative number. The papyrus offered a specific numerical example of how to calculate the volume of a truncated square pyramid, which implied the need for i. In the first century, the mathematician-engineer Heron of Alexandria encountered I in a separate project, but fudged the arithmetic; medieval mathematicians stumbled upon the concept while grappling with the meaning of negative numbers, but dismissed their square roots as nonsense. By the time of Descartes, a theoretical use for these elusive square roots--now called "imaginary numbers"--was suspected, but efforts to solve them led to intense, bitter debates. The notorious i finally won acceptance and was put to use in complex analysis and theoretical physics in Napoleonic times. Addressing readers with both a general and scholarly interest in mathematics, Nahin weaves into this narrative entertaining historical facts and mathematical discussions, including the application of complex numbers and functions to important problems, such as Kepler's laws of planetary motion and ac electrical circuits. This book can be read as an engaging history, almost a biography, of one of the most evasive and pervasive "numbers" in all of mathematics. Some images inside the book are unavailable due to digital copyright restrictions.

Author : A.F. Harrold
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1408850176
Total Pages : 215 pages
Book Rating : 4.76/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Imaginary written by A.F. Harrold and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-10-23 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rudger is Amanda's best friend. He doesn't exist, but nobody's perfect. Only Amanda can see her imaginary friend – until the sinister Mr Bunting arrives at Amanda's door. Mr Bunting hunts imaginaries. Rumour says that he eats them. And he's sniffed out Rudger. Soon Rudger is alone, and running for his imaginary life. But can a boy who isn't there survive without a friend to dream him up? A brilliantly funny, scary and moving read from the unique imagination of A.F. Harrold, this beautiful book is astoundingly illustrated with integrated art and colour spreads by the award-winning Emily Gravett.

Author : Paul J. Nahin
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691175918
Total Pages : 416 pages
Book Rating : 4.11/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula written by Paul J. Nahin and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2017-04-04 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the mid-eighteenth century, Swiss-born mathematician Leonhard Euler developed a formula so innovative and complex that it continues to inspire research, discussion, and even the occasional limerick. Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula shares the fascinating story of this groundbreaking formula—long regarded as the gold standard for mathematical beauty—and shows why it still lies at the heart of complex number theory. In some ways a sequel to Nahin's An Imaginary Tale, this book examines the many applications of complex numbers alongside intriguing stories from the history of mathematics. Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula is accessible to any reader familiar with calculus and differential equations, and promises to inspire mathematicians for years to come.

Author : William Frucht
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.39/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Imaginary Numbers written by William Frucht and published by . This book was released on 1999-09-28 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Enter the wildly inventive world of Imaginary Numbers, in which a marvelous roster of acclaimed writers conjure up magical happenings, fantastic visions, and brainteasing puzzles, all based in some way on mathematical ideas. This anthology offers a connoisseur's selection of a special brand of creative writing in which the authors play with a vast array of mathematical notions - from the marvels of infinity to the peculiarities of space-time to quantum weirdness, the relativity of time, and the curious attraction of black holes." --Book Jacket.

Author : Matthew Dicks
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
ISBN 13 : 1250024005
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.08/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend written by Matthew Dicks and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2012-08-21 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Imaginary friend Budo narrates this heartwarming story of love, loyalty, and the power of the imagination—the perfect read for anyone who has ever had a friend . . . real or otherwise Budo is lucky as imaginary friends go. He's been alive for more than five years, which is positively ancient in the world of imaginary friends. But Budo feels his age, and thinks constantly of the day when eight-year-old Max Delaney will stop believing in him. When that happens, Budo will disappear. Max is different from other children. Some people say that he has Asperger's Syndrome, but most just say he's "on the spectrum." None of this matters to Budo, who loves Max and is charged with protecting him from the class bully, from awkward situations in the cafeteria, and even in the bathroom stalls. But he can't protect Max from Mrs. Patterson, the woman who works with Max in the Learning Center and who believes that she alone is qualified to care for this young boy. When Mrs. Patterson does the unthinkable and kidnaps Max, it is up to Budo and a team of imaginary friends to save him—and Budo must ultimately decide which is more important: Max's happiness or Budo's very existence. Narrated by Budo, a character with a unique ability to have a foot in many worlds—imaginary, real, child, and adult— Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend touches on the truths of life, love, and friendship as it races to a heartwarming . . . and heartbreaking conclusion.

Author : John Byrne
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781840237115
Total Pages : 193 pages
Book Rating : 4.12/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Superman & Batman Generations 2 written by John Byrne and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From author and artist John Byrne comes another perspective on the development of both Superman and Batman that begins in 1942 and progresses right through to 2019.

Author : Otto Oscar Binder
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781401205348
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.48/5 ( download)

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Download or read book DC's Greatest Imaginary Stories written by Otto Oscar Binder and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "11 tales you never expected to see!"--Cover.

Author : Michelle Cuevas
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0147514339
Total Pages : 193 pages
Book Rating : 4.32/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Confessions of an Imaginary Friend written by Michelle Cuevas and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-04-04 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A TIME magazine Top 10 Children's Book of 2015! The whimsical "autobiography" of an imaginary friend who doesn't know he's imaginary--perfect for fans of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and Toy Story. Jacques Papier has the sneaking suspicion that everyone except his sister Fleur hates him. Teachers ignore him when his hand is raised in class, he is never chosen for sports teams, and his parents often need to be reminded to set a place for him at the dinner table. But he is shocked when he finally learns the truth: He is Fleur's imaginary friend! When he convinces Fleur to set him free, he begins a surprising and touching, and always funny quest to find himself—to figure out who Jacques Papier truly is, and where he belongs. “A charming story so easy to visualize that it feels like a future Pixar movie.”—The Wall Street Journal “A clever tale about finding purpose and self-acceptance”—Good Housekeeping

Author : Ged Adamson
Publisher : HarperCollins
ISBN 13 : 9780062670823
Total Pages : 40 pages
Book Rating : 4.24/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Scribbly written by Ged Adamson and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-06-22 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Eli Maor
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400832349
Total Pages : 242 pages
Book Rating : 4.47/5 ( download)

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Download or read book e: The Story of a Number written by Eli Maor and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2011-10-12 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The interest earned on a bank account, the arrangement of seeds in a sunflower, and the shape of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis are all intimately connected with the mysterious number e. In this informal and engaging history, Eli Maor portrays the curious characters and the elegant mathematics that lie behind the number. Designed for a reader with only a modest mathematical background, this biography brings out the central importance of e to mathematics and illuminates a golden era in the age of science.