Euclid's Window : The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace - Hardcover

Mlodinow, Leonard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0684865238 ISBN 13: 9780684865232

Publisher: Free Press, 2001

Synopsis

The history of geometry in relation to "space" discusses the contributions of Pythagoras, the advent of Albert Einstein's "fourth dimension," and the discovery of seven more dimensions by Princeton mathematician Edward Witten.

About this title

Review:

"How do you know where you are?" asks Leonard Mlodinow in his charming mathematical history, Euclid's Window. This question and others about space and time grew out of simple observations of the environment by a select group of thinkers whose lives and brains Mlodinow dissects. Starting with Euclid, geometry has flowed out over the centuries, describing the universe, and, Mlodinow argues, making modern civilization possible.

This is not just a history of geometry--it's a timeline of reason and abstraction, with all the major players present: Euclid, Descartes, Gauss, Einstein, and Witten, each represented by a minibiography.

Lots of examples pepper the narrative to help readers achieve their own "eureka!" And it's impossible not to be staggered at the mathematical feats of these geniuses, accomplished as many of them were in the absence of anything but observation and intense thought. Each story builds satisfactorily on the last, until at the end of this delightful book, one has a sense of having climbed a peak of understanding.

A working knowledge of basic geometry is helpful but not essential for enjoying Euclid's Window, and Mlodinow's chatty style lends itself remarkably well to explaining these deep and revolutionary concepts. --Adam Fisher

About the Author:

Leonard Mlodinow, Ph.D., was a member of the faculty of the California Institute of Technology before moving to Hollywood to become a writer for numerous television shows ranging from Star Trek: The Next Generation to Night Court. He has also developed many bestselling and award-winning educational CD-ROMs, and delivered technical and general lectures in ten countries. He is currently Vice President, Emerging Technologies and R&D, at Scholastic Inc. He lives in New York City.

About this edition

• Publisher: Free Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0684865238
• ISBN 13: 9780684865232
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320