Ian Stewart. Nature’s Numbers (1995) A survey of how mathematics not only informs but enables our understanding of the world. One may read this book as an extended gloss on Wigner’s essay, “On the unreasonable success of mathematics...” Stewart aims at the educated lay person, but does not assume technical mathematical skill or knowledge. Occasionally, that results in rather less detail than one would wish. The book could also do with more illustrations, especially since Stewart emphasises that modern mathematics concerns itself more with shape than with number. Not his best work, but still pretty good. **½ (2004)
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Ian Stewart. Nature’s Numbers (1995)
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