Wow! eBook
Vector: A Surprising Story of Space, Time, and Mathematical Transformation
Author(s): Robyn Arianrhod (Author)
- Publisher: NewSouth
- Publication Date: July 1, 2024
- Language: English
- Print length: 432 pages
- ISBN-10: 1761170082
- ISBN-13: 9781761170089
Book Description
A celebration of the seemingly simple idea that allowed us to imagine the world in new dimensions – sparking both controversy and discovery. Vector takes readers on an extraordinary, five-thousand-year journey through the human imagination. The stars of this book, vectors and tensors, are unlikely celebrities. Yet Robyn Arianrhod shows how they enabled physicists and mathematicians to think in a brand-new way. These include James Clerk Maxwell when he ushered in the wireless electromagnetic age; Einstein when he predicted the curving of space-time and the existence of gravitational waves; Paul Dirac, when he created quantum field theory; and Emmy Noether, when she connected mathematical symmetry and the conservation of energy. Today, you’ re likely relying on vectors or tensors each time you pick up your mobile phone, use a GPS, or search online. In Vector, award-winning science writer Robyn Arianrhod shows the genius required to reimagine the world – and how a clever mathematical construct can dramatically change discovery’ s direction.
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About the Author
Robyn Arianrhod has a PhD in the theory of general relativity and taught mathematics at Monash University; she’ s currently an Affiliate in Monash’ s School of Mathematics. She writes about maths and science for the interested general reader – her books have been translated into several languages and shortlisted for national literary awards, and her articles have appeared in various outlets, including Best Australian Science Writing.