Coincidences, Chaos, and All That Math Jazz.COINCIDENCES, CHAOS, AND ALL THAT MATH JAZZ EDWARD B. BURGER AND MICHAEL STARBIRD Michael Starbird is a Professor of Mathematics and a University of Texas Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his B.A from Pomona College and his Ph.D. For some people, the complicated equations and mathematical symbols behind probability, statistics, and chaos theory chaos theory, in mathematics, physics, and other fields, a set of ideas that attempts to reveal structure in aperiodic, unpredictable dynamic systems such as cloud formation or the fluctuation of biological populations. seem frustratingly abstract or downright boring. However, these concepts are at play in many intriguing in·trigue n. 1. a. A secret or underhand scheme; a plot. b. The practice of or involvement in such schemes. 2. A clandestine love affair. v. everyday occurrences, such as finding out that you share a birthday with a coworker co·work·er or co-work·er n. One who works with another; a fellow worker. , seeing how there are only seven degrees of separation between you and your favorite celebrity, and risking your dollar on the unlikely chance of hitting the lottery. Math professors Burger and Starbird reveal how many seemingly surprising events are rather ordinary when the mathematics behind them is explained. The authors also let readers in on fascinating secrets, for instance, what it is about certain buildings, paintings, and body proportions that makes them aesthetically pleasing and how mathematics governs the structure of flowers. With a refreshingly irreverent ir·rev·er·ent adj. 1. Lacking or exhibiting a lack of reverence; disrespectful. 2. Critical of what is generally accepted or respected; satirical: irreverent humor. style, this book also explains--without resorting to math jargon--such high-powered topics as the fourth dimension, fractals, and infinity. W.W. Norton, 2005, 276 p., b&w illus., hardcover, $24.95. |
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