Tales of Impossibility: The 2000-Year Quest to Solve the Mathematical Problems of Antiquity
()
About this ebook
A comprehensive look at four of the most famous problems in mathematics
Tales of Impossibility recounts the intriguing story of the renowned problems of antiquity, four of the most famous and studied questions in the history of mathematics. First posed by the ancient Greeks, these compass and straightedge problems—squaring the circle, trisecting an angle, doubling the cube, and inscribing regular polygons in a circle—have served as ever-present muses for mathematicians for more than two millennia. David Richeson follows the trail of these problems to show that ultimately their proofs—which demonstrated the impossibility of solving them using only a compass and straightedge—depended on and resulted in the growth of mathematics.
Richeson investigates how celebrated luminaries, including Euclid, Archimedes, Viète, Descartes, Newton, and Gauss, labored to understand these problems and how many major mathematical discoveries were related to their explorations. Although the problems were based in geometry, their resolutions were not, and had to wait until the nineteenth century, when mathematicians had developed the theory of real and complex numbers, analytic geometry, algebra, and calculus. Pierre Wantzel, a little-known mathematician, and Ferdinand von Lindemann, through his work on pi, finally determined the problems were impossible to solve. Along the way, Richeson provides entertaining anecdotes connected to the problems, such as how the Indiana state legislature passed a bill setting an incorrect value for pi and how Leonardo da Vinci made elegant contributions in his own study of these problems.
Taking readers from the classical period to the present, Tales of Impossibility chronicles how four unsolvable problems have captivated mathematical thinking for centuries.
Related to Tales of Impossibility
Related ebooks
Curves for the Mathematically Curious: An Anthology of the Unpredictable, Historical, Beautiful, and Romantic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Universal Book of Mathematics: From Abracadabra to Zeno's Paradoxes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Puzzles and Paradoxes: Fascinating Excursions in Recreational Mathematics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fascinating World of Graph Theory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Euler's Gem: The Polyhedron Formula and the Birth of Topology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Magical Maze: Seeing the World Through Mathematical Eyes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Impossible?: Surprising Solutions to Counterintuitive Conundrums Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5100 Great Problems of Elementary Mathematics Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Beautiful Geometry Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mathematical Tourist: New and Updated Snapshots of Modern Mathematics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects: Research in Games, Graphs, Counting, and Complexity, Volume 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSingle Digits: In Praise of Small Numbers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Calculus Gallery: Masterpieces from Newton to Lebesgue Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Imaginary Tale: The Story of √-1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects: Volume 3: The Magic of Mathematics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Best Writing on Mathematics 2019 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMathematics, Magic and Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Wealth of Numbers: An Anthology of 500 Years of Popular Mathematics Writing Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Gentle Art of Mathematics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGamma: Exploring Euler's Constant Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best Writing on Mathematics 2017 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Best Writing on Mathematics 2012 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Amusements in Mathematics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ingenious Mathematical Problems and Methods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nonplussed!: Mathematical Proof of Implausible Ideas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best Writing on Mathematics 2021 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Best Writing on Mathematics 2020 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDr. Euler's Fabulous Formula: Cures Many Mathematical Ills Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Elliptic Tales: Curves, Counting, and Number Theory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summing It Up: From One Plus One to Modern Number Theory Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Mathematics For You
My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Standard Deviations: Flawed Assumptions, Tortured Data, and Other Ways to Lie with Statistics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Calculus Made Easy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mental Math Secrets - How To Be a Human Calculator Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Basic Math & Pre-Algebra For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Everything Everyday Math Book: From Tipping to Taxes, All the Real-World, Everyday Math Skills You Need Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Real Estate by the Numbers: A Complete Reference Guide to Deal Analysis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlgebra - The Very Basics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Quantum Physics for Beginners Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Thirteen Books of the Elements, Vol. 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Little Book of Mathematical Principles, Theories & Things Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Everything Guide to Algebra: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Basics of Algebra - in Plain English! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Logicomix: An epic search for truth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alan Turing: The Enigma: The Book That Inspired the Film The Imitation Game - Updated Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Game Theory: A Simple Introduction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flatland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Golden Ratio: The Divine Beauty of Mathematics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5See Ya Later Calculator: Simple Math Tricks You Can Do in Your Head Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Algebra I Workbook For Dummies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Algebra I For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Relativity: The special and the general theory Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5smarTEST Prep: Guide to LSAT Logic Games Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Math of Life and Death: 7 Mathematical Principles That Shape Our Lives Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Basic Math Notes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Is God a Mathematician? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5ACT Math & Science Prep: Includes 500+ Practice Questions Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Reviews for Tales of Impossibility
0 ratings0 reviews