A mind-bending excursion to the limits of science andmathematics
Are some scientific problems insoluble? In Beyond Reason, internationally acclaimed math and science author A. K. Dewdneyanswers this question by examining eight insurmountablemathematical and scientific roadblocks that have stumped thinkersacross the centuries, from ancient mathematical conundrums such as’squaring the circle, ‘ first attempted by the Pythagoreans, to G?del’s vexing theorem, from perpetual motion to the upredictablebehavior of chaotic systems such as the weather.
A. K. Dewdney, Ph D (Ontario, Canada), was the author of Scientific American’s ‘Computer Recreations’ column for eight years. He haswritten several critically acclaimed popular math and sciencebooks, including A Mathematical Mystery Tour (0-471-40734-8); Yes, We Have No Neutrons (0-471-29586-8); and 200% of Nothing(0-471-14574-2).
Tabella dei contenuti
Introduction: Where Reason Cannot Go.
Math in the Cosmos.
1. The Energy Drain: Impossible Machines.
2. The Cosmic Limit: Unreachable Speeds.
3. The Quantum Curtain: Unknowable Particles.
4. The Edge of Chaos: Unpredictable Systems.
Math in the Holos.
5. The Circular Crypt: Unconstructable Figures.
6. The Chains of Reason: Unprovable Theorems.
7. The Computer Treadmill: Impossible Programs.
8. The Big-O Bottleneck: Intractable Problems.
References.
Further Reading.
Index.
Circa l’autore
A.K. DEWDNEY, PH.D., is the author of several critically acclaimed math and science books, including A Mathematical Mystery Tour; Yes, We have No Neutrons; and 200% of Nothing, all from Wiley. He was a member of the computer science department at the University of Western Ontario and at the University of Waterloo for a combined period of thirty years before retiring. In 1996, he became an adjunct professor of biology at UWO. For eight years, Dewdney was the Computer Recreations columnist for Scientific American magazine.
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