Art of Mathematics

by Jerry P. King

Book Overview

"Creative mathematicians seldom write for outsiders, but when they do, they usually do it well. Jerry King is no exception." -- Nature"Touch es] the mathematical grandeur that the first geometers... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0449908356
• ISBN13: 9780449908358
• Release Date: July 1993
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 313 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A wonderful perspective!

This is really a wonderful book. It's one of the reasons I went to grad school.Dr. King really does a great job of explaining what math is really all about. His analogy to sculpture is perfect: If you want to appreciate a statue, you can't stand too close or too far away. Those in liberal arts are standing too far away from math to see it. Those in engineering and the sciences are standing too close -- they use pieces of math as tools but never see the beauty of mathematics.And I must respectfully disagree with Dr. Greenberg -- the Appel-Haken proof of the four color theorem really is a travesty. It's not a question of being ugly: it's invisible. It's not a proof at all -- it's an "argument from authority" and hence is inductive, not deductive.

A mathematician explains math beutifully to all.

I happend to pick this book up by chance and enjoyed every page. I agreed with everything the author had to say. I suggest this book to anyone with ANY interest in Math. It is best suited for those trying to understand why other people enjoy/understand Mathematics so much