Ideas of Space: Euclidean, non-Euclidean, and Relativistic
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.37 (971 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0198539347 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 256 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2017-06-26 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
From reviews of the first edition: "Jeremy Gray has provided a superb exposition which tells a good story." --Mathematics Teaching"Promises to become a classic text for those interested in considering changing mathematical perceptions of space. Gray's book is a pleasure to read." --Historia Mathematica"An admirable exposition for well-educated laymen of the evolution of geometrical thought from before Euclid to black holes." --American Mathematical Monthly
Now in a revised and expanded new edition, this volume chronologically traces the evolution of Euclidean, non-Euclidean, and relativistic theories regarding the shape of the universe. It reviews the failed classical attempts to prove the parallel postulate and provides coverage of the role of Gauss, Lobachevskii, and Bolyai in setting the foundations of modern differential geometry, which laid the groundwork for Einstein's theories of special and general relativity. A unique, highly readable, and entertaining account, the
. Jeremy Gray is at Open University
But it's plenty good enough to satisfy a need for the history of An early book of Gray's, and isn't up to the brilliance of Plato's Ghost or the Poincare biography. But it's plenty good enough to satisfy a need for the history of the parallel postulate. Actually, the chapter on Riemann is pedagogically excellent in the way the later books are.. Viktor Blasjo said Concise account of interesting mathematics. The first part of the book introduces Euclidean geometry and runs through many attempted proofs of the parallel postulate. It seems that "ideas of space" were of secondary interest at best to all these authors, who were probably more enticed by the challenge of the mathematical problem . An able textbook Although the author, as to be expected, is knowledgeable about his subject matter, my concern is again the perpetuation of mistaken thinking in the fields concerned.The author sees instead as mistaken the contrary thinking of the past, in which he often could indeed be right, in view of