Rainforest of Euclid: A Storytelling History of Mathematics

Author: Joseph Mazur (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-13
Features: A story-based history of mathematics, Guggenheim Award winner, popular science and popular reading, topped the New York Times science bestseller list for 60 consecutive weeks. Full of insights, highly inspiring, rich in dialectics, and filled with humor, it is undoubtedly a wise work. — Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University, Betty G. Garrison The Euclidean in the Rainforest cleverly and ingeniously reveals the essence and spirit of mathematics. — Mayor of Hiroshima City, Akiba Tadashi Joseph has created a highly attractive writing style, building a wonderful bridge between daily reality and the mysterious world of mathematics. — Head of the Department of Mathematics at Harvard University, Joseph Harris Discarding complex proofs and dry technical language, he replaces them with interesting stories and rich experiences, resulting in wisdom, wonder, and excitement. — Publishers Weekly In 300 BC, Euclid wrote Elements on 13 scrolls of papyrus. At that time, logical reasoning had already matured, but arguments like the following led conventional mathematical logic into contradictions. To move an object an arbitrary distance, it must first reach the halfway point, then the halfway point of the remaining distance, and so on, repeating endlessly. The object will always reach a halfway point of the remaining distance, so it can never move the entire distance. The strange concept of infinity and similar reasoning about logic posed a formidable challenge to mathematics. At first glance, these questions can be awe-inspiring, but in this book, we will delve beyond the surface of mathematical proofs and logical reasoning to gain insights into the origins of mathematics—the fundamental patterns of mathematical thought and logical thinking—and use them to analyze the aforementioned questions. As the book states: Mathematics is like a lush rainforest. Walking through it, we not only feel the greatness of wisdom but also the beauty of mathematics brought about by profound thoughts and rigorous arguments, as well as the joy that accompanies the journey through mathematics, making it even more captivating.