Five Equations That Changed the World: The Power and Poetry of Mathematics
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Book Overview
Dr. Michael Guillen, known to millions as the science editor of ABC's Good Morning America, tells the fascinating stories behind five mathematical equations.
As a regular contributor to daytime's most popular morning news show and an instructor at Harvard University, Dr. Michael Guillen has earned the respect of millions as a clear and entertaining guide to the exhilarating world of science and mathematics.
Now Dr. Guillen unravels the equations that have led to the inventions and events that characterize the modern world, one of which -- Albert Einstein's famous energy equation, E=mc2 -- enabled the creation of the nuclear bomb. Also revealed are the mathematical foundations for the moon landing, airplane travel, the electric generator -- and even life itself.
Praised by Publishers Weekly as "a wholly accessible, beautifully written exploration of the potent mathematical imagination," and named a Best Nonfiction Book of 1995, the stories behind The Five Equations That Changed the World, as told by Dr. Guillen, are not only chronicles of science, but also gripping dramas of jealousy, fame, war, and discovery.
Customer Reviews
Rated 5 starsmasterfully presented
Michael Guillen has chosen five famous mathematician to describe. The theme for discussing the particular person is that he discovered an equation that changed the world. Each deals with a result in Physics. One could argue that others could be added to the list but there is no question that these are certainly all contenders for the top five. Guillen is a science editor for ABC and is a professor of physics and methematics...
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Rated 5 starsscience brought home
my husband (who is Stanford M.D.)and I(Beloit CollegeB.A.) were both impressed by this book. It shows how easily a great mind can make the jump from noticimg some common occurrence to realizing its application to a vast and important universal application.
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Rated 5 starsGuillen's Five Equations Book
I consider Guillen's selection of his five main equations in physical sciences to be ingenious. His book should be an inspiration to us all, including the young generation which will discover in the amazing story of Faraday that an "uneducated" inventive genius was able to change the world of physics and electricity forever and immeasurably. The story of the Bernoulli family is insightful for all scientists, including...
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Rated 5 starsUnderstandable & Enjoyable: Fun While Learning!
This book allows the contemporary reader to glimpse the backgrounds of geniuses such as Newton, Bernoulli, Einstein, Clausius, and Faraday. Equations that we take for granted and now learn in high school were, at the times of these scientists, a leap into the great unknown. This book forces the reader to grasp the magnitude of these common men's genius and discoveries and their history-altering effects. As an engineer,...
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Rated 5 stars(Five Equations) + (Micheal Guillen) = The Best Non-Fiction
Any avid reader knows the experience. After weeding through countless uninspired (and uninspiring) novels, or grueling non-fiction that could only be improved by a couple of bald-faced lies, you somehow come across that ONE book that completely captures your imagination, and you simply can't read it fast enough. I would bet that anyone reading this knows the feeling exactly; it's the kind of experience that keeps one going...
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