The Story of Geometry

Author: Leonardo Molodinov
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: This is a captivating book, a book that celebrates geometry. Although the sun of mathematics has long been obscured by clouds, this book still shines with the light of the mathematical sun. Therefore, it is indeed an important book. To conclude, it is a delightful book that showcases the brilliance of its subject, as the book teaches, it is inspiring. Through this outstanding and delightful work by Leonardo Molodinov, The Story of Geometry, we are led through the entire journey of the five revolutions in geometry, from the Greeks' parallel lines to the new concept of hyperspace. There are refreshing mathematical facts that reveal how commonplace questions about space—perhaps emerging in a living room or in some galaxy—have once been the hidden engine behind the highest achievements in science and technology. Molodinov shows the reader how the first revolution in geometry began with Pythagoras' "small-scale" plan: to develop a system that imitates the abstract rules of the universe. This simple idea is the foundation of scientific civilization. But during the dark Middle Ages in the West, the development of this idea was limited. Later, in the 14th century, an unknown French bishop (Oresme) invented graphs and predicted the next revolution: the marriage of graphics and numbers. At that time, when brave sailors sailed from the Atlantic to the New World, a 15-year-old prodigy realized that space, like the surface of the Earth, could also be curved. Do parallel lines really intersect? Can the sum of the angles in a triangle really be greater than (or less than) 180°? The revolution of curved space brought about an innovation in mathematics and physics: this created the conditions for a patent office official named Einstein to add time to the dimensions of space. His great revolution in geometry marked the beginning of a new era in physics for humanity. Now, we are in the midst of a new revolution. At Caltech, the Institute for Advanced Study, and universities around the world, scientists have realized that all the changing, magical forces in nature can be understood through geometry—a new, unimaginable geometry. This new geometry is an exciting mathematical discipline with special, twisted dimensions, where space and time, matter and energy are all intertwined and connected to the profound, fundamental structure of the universe. The Story of Geometry combines the results of rigorous, authoritative research and presents them in an easy-to-understand, enjoyable storytelling format, using outstanding, original arguments to uphold the leading position of geometry. If you read The Story of Geometry carefully, space, time, and everything will appear brand new to you.