Euler's Pioneering Equation

Euler's Pioneering Equation PDF

Author: Robin Wilson

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018-02-22

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 0192514067

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In 1988 The Mathematical Intelligencer, a quarterly mathematics journal, carried out a poll to find the most beautiful theorem in mathematics. Twenty-four theorems were listed and readers were invited to award each a 'score for beauty'. While there were many worthy competitors, the winner was 'Euler's equation'. In 2004 Physics World carried out a similar poll of 'greatest equations', and found that among physicists Euler's mathematical result came second only to Maxwell's equations. The Stanford mathematician Keith Devlin reflected the feelings of many in describing it as "like a Shakespearian sonnet that captures the very essence of love, or a painting which brings out the beauty of the human form that is far more than just skin deep, Euler's equation reaches down into the very depths of existence". What is it that makes Euler's identity, eiπ + 1 = 0, so special? In Euler's Pioneering Equation Robin Wilson shows how this simple, elegant, and profound formula links together perhaps the five most important numbers in mathematics, each associated with a story in themselves: the number 1, the basis of our counting system; the concept of zero, which was a major development in mathematics, and opened up the idea of negative numbers; π an irrational number, the basis for the measurement of circles; the exponential e, associated with exponential growth and logarithms; and the imaginary number i, the square root of -1, the basis of complex numbers. Following a chapter on each of the elements, Robin Wilson discusses how the startling relationship between them was established, including the several near misses to the discovery of the formula.

Euler's Pioneering Equation

Euler's Pioneering Equation PDF

Author: Robin Wilson

Publisher:

Published: 2019-07-17

Total Pages: 170

ISBN-13: 0198794932

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In just seven symbols, with profound and beautiful simplicity, Euler's Equation connects five of the most important numbers in mathematics. Robin Wilson explores each number in turn, then brings them together to consider the power of the equation as a whole.

A Most Elegant Equation

A Most Elegant Equation PDF

Author: David Stipp

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 2017-11-07

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0465093787

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

An award-winning science writer introduces us to mathematics using the extraordinary equation that unites five of mathematics' most important numbers Bertrand Russell wrote that mathematics can exalt "as surely as poetry." This is especially true of one equation: ei(pi) + 1 = 0, the brainchild of Leonhard Euler, the Mozart of mathematics. More than two centuries after Euler's death, it is still regarded as a conceptual diamond of unsurpassed beauty. Called Euler's identity or God's equation, it includes just five numbers but represents an astonishing revelation of hidden connections. It ties together everything from basic arithmetic to compound interest, the circumference of a circle, trigonometry, calculus, and even infinity. In David Stipp's hands, Euler's identity formula becomes a contemplative stroll through the glories of mathematics. The result is an ode to this magical field.

In Pursuit of the Unknown

In Pursuit of the Unknown PDF

Author: Ian Stewart

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 2012-03-13

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 0465029744

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The seventeen equations that form the basis for life as we know it. Most people are familiar with history's great equations: Newton's Law of Gravity, for instance, or Einstein's theory of relativity. But the way these mathematical breakthroughs have contributed to human progress is seldom appreciated. In In Pursuit of the Unknown, celebrated mathematician Ian Stewart untangles the roots of our most important mathematical statements to show that equations have long been a driving force behind nearly every aspect of our lives. Using seventeen of our most crucial equations -- including the Wave Equation that allowed engineers to measure a building's response to earthquakes, saving countless lives, and the Black-Scholes model, used by bankers to track the price of financial derivatives over time -- Stewart illustrates that many of the advances we now take for granted were made possible by mathematical discoveries. An approachable, lively, and informative guide to the mathematical building blocks of modern life, In Pursuit of the Unknown is a penetrating exploration of how we have also used equations to make sense of, and in turn influence, our world.

Euler Through Time

Euler Through Time PDF

Author: V. S. Varadarajan

Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 0821835807

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Euler is one of the greatest and most prolific mathematicians of all time. He wrote the first accessible books on calculus, created the theory of circular functions, and discovered new areas of research such as elliptic integrals, the calculus of variations, graph theory, divergent series, and so on. It took hundreds of years for his successors to develop in full the theories he began, and some of his themes are still at the center of today's mathematics. It is of great interesttherefore to examine his work and its relation to current mathematics. This book attempts to do that. In number theory the discoveries he made empirically would require for their eventual understanding such sophisticated developments as the reciprocity laws and class field theory. His pioneering work onelliptic integrals is the precursor of the modern theory of abelian functions and abelian integrals. His evaluation of zeta and multizeta values is not only a fantastic and exciting story but very relevant to us, because they are at the confluence of much research in algebraic geometry and number theory today (Chapters 2 and 3 of the book). Anticipating his successors by more than a century, Euler created a theory of summation of series that do not converge in the traditional manner. Chapter 5of the book treats the progression of ideas regarding divergent series from Euler to many parts of modern analysis and quantum physics. The last chapter contains a brief treatment of Euler products. Euler discovered the product formula over the primes for the zeta function as well as for a smallnumber of what are now called Dirichlet $L$-functions. Here the book goes into the development of the theory of such Euler products and the role they play in number theory, thus offering the reader a glimpse of current developments (the Langlands program).

Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula

Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula PDF

Author: Paul J. Nahin

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2017-04-04

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 0691175918

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

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.

How Euler Did Even More

How Euler Did Even More PDF

Author: C. Edward Sandifer

Publisher: The Mathematical Association of America

Published: 2014-11-19

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 0883855844

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Sandifer has been studying Euler for decades and is one of the world’s leading experts on his work. This volume is the second collection of Sandifer’s “How Euler Did It” columns. Each is a jewel of historical and mathematical exposition. The sum total of years of work and study of the most prolific mathematician of history, this volume will leave you marveling at Euler’s clever inventiveness and Sandifer’s wonderful ability to explicate and put it all in context.

The Legacy of Leonhard Euler

The Legacy of Leonhard Euler PDF

Author: Lokenath Debnath

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 420

ISBN-13: 1848165269

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book primarily serves as a historical research monograph on the biographical sketch and career of Leonhard Euler and his major contributions to numerous areas in the mathematical and physical sciences. It contains fourteen chapters describing Euler''s works on number theory, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, differential and integral calculus, analysis, infinite series and infinite products, ordinary and elliptic integrals and special functions, ordinary and partial differential equations, calculus of variations, graph theory and topology, mechanics and ballistic research, elasticity and fluid mechanics, physics and astronomy, probability and statistics. The book is written to provide a definitive impression of Euler''s personal and professional life as well as of the range, power, and depth of his unique contributions. This tricentennial tribute commemorates Euler the great man and Euler the universal mathematician of all time. Based on the author''s historically motivated method of teaching, special attention is given to demonstrate that Euler''s work had served as the basis of research and developments of mathematical and physical sciences for the last 300 years. An attempt is also made to examine his research and its relation to current mathematics and science. Based on a series of Euler''s extraordinary contributions, the historical development of many different subjects of mathematical sciences is traced with a linking commentary so that it puts the reader at the forefront of current research. Erratum. Sample Chapter(s). Chapter 1: Mathematics Before Leonhard Euler (434 KB). Contents: Mathematics Before Leonhard Euler; Brief Biographical Sketch and Career of Leonhard Euler; Euler''s Contributions to Number Theory and Algebra; Euler''s Contributions to Geometry and Spherical Trigonometry; Euler''s Formula for Polyhedra, Topology and Graph Theory; Euler''s Contributions to Calculus and Analysis; Euler''s Contributions to the Infinite Series and the Zeta Function; Euler''s Beta and Gamma Functions and Infinite Products; Euler and Differential Equations; The Euler Equations of Motion in Fluid Mechanics; Euler''s Contributions to Mechanics and Elasticity; Euler''s Work on the Probability Theory; Euler''s Contributions to Ballistics; Euler and His Work on Astronomy and Physics. Readership: Undergraduate and graduate students of mathematics, mathematics education, physics, engineering and science. As well as professionals and prospective mathematical scientists.

e: The Story of a Number

e: The Story of a Number PDF

Author: Eli Maor

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2011-10-12

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 1400832349

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

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.