This book looks like a textbook but sounds like fireworks for your curious mind. Yeap, it is all about FIRE and WORK! A very entertaining account on hThis book looks like a textbook but sounds like fireworks for your curious mind. Yeap, it is all about FIRE and WORK! A very entertaining account on how humans tamed fire to produce work and by consequence compiled the laws governing all natural phenomena, that is thermodynamics. The motivation comes from Feynman saying that you should go beyond equations to really understand Physics and from Taleb observing that history is much more complex than in the history books. So Robert decided to combine history and science to thrill you with thermodynamics. The adventure starts at the Big Bang, of course, going through the intrepid thinkers struggling to build efficient engines (Huygens, Newcomen, Watt and Carnot), defining elusive concepts like temperature and energy (Joule), to ultimately understand conservation of energy (Clapeyron, Thomson, Clausius) and to write down the second law of thermodynamics (Gibbs, Maxwell, Boltzman). This book may ignite a fire within you so you will be deeply entertained with the workings of Nature....more
We are in 1984, Atkins starts with the hypothesis that "all natural change is subject to one law". The second law of thermodynamics. Terrific. BecauseWe are in 1984, Atkins starts with the hypothesis that "all natural change is subject to one law". The second law of thermodynamics. Terrific. Because this book is a fine craft of a masterful teacher discussing a fundamental law of nature using accessible language and tons of illustrations. This is rare, a very good use of solar energy by a human being. He starts showing how heat flows within the simplest engine. I mean it. He SHOWS nature’s dissymmetry with striking illustrations (say using Mark I and II universes). And goes incrementally adding heat to the discussion until complete chaos. Wow. Then life shows up as an unnatural and ephemeral process fueled by solar energy and, by consequence, also pushing the universe to equilibrium. Then, bye-bye work; game over....more
A few centuries ago some clever people noticed that nature is in an ever-changing state, notably Galileo (1564-1642) studying objects in free fall andA few centuries ago some clever people noticed that nature is in an ever-changing state, notably Galileo (1564-1642) studying objects in free fall and Kepler (1571-1630) studying the motion of planets around our sun. Then Newton (1643-1727) and Leibniz (1646-1716) invented a mathematical tool to get closer and closer to the changing system at hand. Steven did a great job explaining how Calculus uses divide-and-conquer to the extreme taming infinity to describe the universe. It changed civilization; this book travels from Archimedes (-212) computing pi to today’s design of airplanes. And Calculus is still evolving like a living organism after an explosion of diversity to explain CHANGE everywhere. For example, Einstein (1879-1955) used Calculus to play with space (say x, y, z) and time, at least four things changing at the same time....more
We are in 1970, Petr assumes that history of pi matches well with history of human civilization. After all, we are tool-wielding animals (from a quoteWe are in 1970, Petr assumes that history of pi matches well with history of human civilization. After all, we are tool-wielding animals (from a quote in the book). Given a century (say between - 2000 and < 1970), our sophistication computing pi is related to scientific developments in that time window. And Petr dares to go through the centuries sharing his sharp opinion on civilization (he is hilarious sometimes). For example, some religious texts (say > 1) were happy with pi = 3. But, many years before, Archimedes (-212) wanted to know a “bit” more but other ancient Greeks couldn't handle irrationals/transcendentals (-322). Archimedes was the first to come up with an algorithm to compute pi to any desired precision. I laughed-out-loud with Petr comparing “Archimedean science” with “Aristotelian mambo-jambo” (he makes a reference Aristotle's book on Physics; which I read but don't recommend). He also points out that the Roman empire halted mathematical developments and it took a great intellect like Galileo (1564) to challenge Aristotelian ideas to start doing experiments. Then, comes Kepler, Newton, ... Euler, Laplace and computers. Takeaway: the ratio wit/page is higher than pi....more
This book will wire/rewire your relationship with calculus using witty humor and delightful cartoons. Let us emphasize "delightful" because this is a This book will wire/rewire your relationship with calculus using witty humor and delightful cartoons. Let us emphasize "delightful" because this is a brilliant + accurate presentation of calculus being both engaging and entertaining. FORMIDABLE! Even Newton and Leibniz would be impressed by this guide (just kidding, they ARE in this book). For example, here a function is a strange animal eating a number and pooping another within its domain; this is a striking visual definition. STRIKING. Particularly when Gonick is explaining composite functions or the derivative of inverse functions. The whole thing is engaging because Gonick and Delta are understanding calculus by using calculus. They literally "touch" the subject petting functions and jumping in plots. So this book will use a lot your "algebraic cranking machine" in the examples and problems just like any math course. But maybe it will be the first time you actually WANT to solve all the problems in a math book....more
Zero misbehaves. Refusing to change like other promiscuous numbers. It even opposes infinity. Here goes my favorite quote. “Multiplying by zero collapZero misbehaves. Refusing to change like other promiscuous numbers. It even opposes infinity. Here goes my favorite quote. “Multiplying by zero collapses the infinite number line. But dividing by zero destroys the entire framework of mathematics”. Powerful zero. Ancient Greeks couldn't handle it. And Charles did a great job showing the implications of zero on philosophy + state-of-the-art, particularly on number theory and physics (say thermodynamics, quantum mechanics and astrophysics). Thrilling zero. Because the whole text is well illustrated with ingenuous analogies. Very good book; I was reading it at sunny Cape Town 12.2018 and couldn't put zero down for nothing (0 = 0, QED). For example, I have been chewing countable/uncountable infinities for years (Cantor’s alephs). Until Charles asked: If you throw a dart at the number line, what are you going to hit? Irrationals! Damn, they are all over the place. And there are much more such examples in this book (say absolute zero in thermodynamics and black holes in astrophysics). Impressive zero… seems that even the whole universe started from it....more
We are in 1940, Kasner and Newman are compiling strange things you can see using mathematics (i.e. using a mathescope). If "imagination" triggered youWe are in 1940, Kasner and Newman are compiling strange things you can see using mathematics (i.e. using a mathescope). If "imagination" triggered your curiosity, this book is far better than its title. Let us define "far" as one googleplex, which is enormous but finite. One googleplex of what? Up to you. Say fish steaks or kangaroos. It is just a matter of scale, you got infinity within 0 and 1. As you can see, this book may drive you mad.... A hell of a lot of wit and ingenuity within....more
We are 2011, Deutsch is arguing that GOOD explanations increase our reach as thinkers/constructors. But UNIVERSAL explanations put us at the beginningWe are 2011, Deutsch is arguing that GOOD explanations increase our reach as thinkers/constructors. But UNIVERSAL explanations put us at the beginning of infinity. Infinity is such an elusive place, you are always at its beginning! Let’s call it universal philosophy. "Rejecting the idea we are 'nearly there' is a necessary condition to avoid dogmatism, stagnation and tyranny". Progress therefore is about moving from problems to better problems towards infinity. Unbounded progress bounded by the laws of physics....more
Even Socrates takes a punch before poison here. Socrates is dead cold. Socrates is fragile. Fat Tony isn't (but will). Evolution makes life antifragilEven Socrates takes a punch before poison here. Socrates is dead cold. Socrates is fragile. Fat Tony isn't (but will). Evolution makes life antifragile but human realms are mostly fragile. Including our intellect. Taleb shows that modern life creates a collective illusion of predictability because nature thrives within randomness. Mandelbrot would be proud of his friend. Notice that this book looks fragile while wrestling with Harvard professors (not MIT professors), business schools (not engineering schools) and economics (not science). Maybe Taleb deliberately introduced variability, say from charlatans to Nietzsche, in his damn good book to make us antifragile thinkers. Brilliant....more
Escher is striking. Imagine loops looping. Composing impossible possibilities. Looping still? You may ask confused but delighted. Sometimes going fromEscher is striking. Imagine loops looping. Composing impossible possibilities. Looping still? You may ask confused but delighted. Sometimes going from simple to complex. From flat to alive. Forget gravity for a moment. His spiced reality shocks. This matches well with Hofstadter’s dam good book, GEB. ...more
Heavens! Hofstadter created a deep rabbit hole full of delicious reasoning "just" to make Gödel's proof palatable. The result is impossibly yummy becaHeavens! Hofstadter created a deep rabbit hole full of delicious reasoning "just" to make Gödel's proof palatable. The result is impossibly yummy because he connected together three geniuses Gödel (logician), Escher (artist) and Bach (composer). Armed with wit and ingenuity, he goes about showing off isomorphisms among mathematics, art, and music. He even teases you with Lewis Carroll type of dialogs. Suddenly you are chewing very complex ideas but having lots of fun. The main goal is, of course, to understand how the smart-stupids (computers) could outperform the human brain. In the end, he jumps in his own damn book bringing Babbage and Turing to close the whole thing brilliantly. While(true){WOW!}....more
Shannon played hard juggling ideas with rigorous mathematics. He approached the games with ingenious intuition and fierce courage building up very simShannon played hard juggling ideas with rigorous mathematics. He approached the games with ingenious intuition and fierce courage building up very simple models which were incrementally developed further. Of course he also did pathbreaking synthesis connecting boolean logic to electronic circuits. As a result, now you can read review of books using computers and digital links. It is always delightful see genius at play and Shannon did it to the hilt....more
A billion trillion stars out there. Very hard to grasp such number. But Sagan will transport you to a beach, fill your hand with sand, saying: there aA billion trillion stars out there. Very hard to grasp such number. But Sagan will transport you to a beach, fill your hand with sand, saying: there are more starts in the universe than grains of sand in the whole planet. Wow! That's a hell of number. And he does it again and again guiding you through a thrilling adventure ignited by human curiosity and ingenuity. He even says that humans evolved to wonder, understanding is a joy. A wonderful book!...more
Close your eyes and imagine a Sphere having a talk with a Square in a 2D plan: you call me Circle but in reality I'm an infinite number of Circles, ofClose your eyes and imagine a Sphere having a talk with a Square in a 2D plan: you call me Circle but in reality I'm an infinite number of Circles, of size varying from a point to my diameter, one placed on the top of the other. Damn, an unspeakable delight seized me; infinity is everywhere. The talk gets even better because the Square was a mathematician eager to extrapolate the analogy to other dimensions. What a squared mathematician! Your Spaceland will never be the same after this book. ...more
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