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About this product
Product Identifiers
PublisherSimon & Schuster
ISBN-100743294068
ISBN-139780743294065
eBay Product ID (ePID)72344955
Product Key Features
Number of Pages320 Pages
Publication NameIs God a Mathematician?
LanguageEnglish
Publication Year2010
SubjectHistory & Philosophy, Epistemology, General, Logic, History
TypeTextbook
AuthorMario Livio
Subject AreaMathematics, Philosophy, Science
FormatTrade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height0.9 in
Item Weight10.3 Oz
Item Length8.4 in
Item Width5.5 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceTrade
Dewey Edition22
Reviews"All science proceeds from the assumption that the cosmos is ordered in an intelligible way. Beneath the bewildering richness of natural phenomena there lies an elegant mathematical unity. How astonishing that the human mind is attuned to this hidden subtext of nature! With elegance and clarity, Mario Livio charts how, through science and mathematics, we have come to glimpse the fundamental rules on which the universe runs."-- Paul Davies, author of The Goldilocks Enigma and Director of the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University, "Theologians have God, philosophers existence, and scientists mathematics. Mario Livio makes the case for how these three ideas might be related...Livio's rich history gives the discussions human force and verve."-- Sam Kean,New Scientist, "This highly readable book explores one of the most fascinating questions that lies at the heart of fundamental physics -- why is mathematics so effective in describing nature and is mathematics an invention of the human mind or part of the fabric of physical reality? Livio provides a wonderful review of the various issues, presents a wide variety of opinions, and in addition some fascinating insights of his own. I strongly recommend this volume to anyone interested in these questions." -- David Gross, 2004 Nobel Prize Winner in Physics, Frederick W. Gluck Professor of Theoretical Physics and Director, Kavli Institute For Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, "All science proceeds from the assumption that the cosmos is ordered in an intelligible way. Beneath the bewildering richness of natural phenomena there lies an elegant mathematical unity. How astonishing that the human mind is attuned to this hidden subtext of nature! With elegance and clarity, Mario Livio charts how, through science and mathematics, we have come to glimpse the fundamental rules on which the universe runs."-- Paul Davies, author ofThe Goldilocks Enigmaand Director of the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University, "Is God a mathematician? In his new book Mario Livio delves into this question, putting it into a scientific, historical and philosophical context. He steers skillfully through deep and tricky waters, but writes with clarity and ease...Read the book and decide for yourself what the answer is." -- Sir Michael Atiyah, recipient of the Fields Medal, 1966, and the Abel Prize, 2004, "Theologians have God, philosophers existence, and scientists mathematics. Mario Livio makes the case for how these three ideas might be related...Livio's rich history gives the discussions human force and verve." -- Sam Kean, New Scientist, "Is God a mathematician? In his new book Mario Livio delves into this question, putting it into a scientific, historical and philosophical context. He steers skillfully through deep and tricky waters, but writes with clarity and ease...Read the book and decide for yourself what the answer is."-- Sir Michael Atiyah, recipient of the Fields Medal, 1966, and the Abel Prize, 2004, "All science proceeds from the assumption that the cosmos is ordered in an intelligible way. Beneath the bewildering richness of natural phenomena there lies an elegant mathematical unity. How astonishing that the human mind is attuned to this hidden subtext of nature! With elegance and clarity, Mario Livio charts how, through science and mathematics, we have come to glimpse the fundamental rules on which the universe runs." -- Paul Davies, author of The Goldilocks Enigma and Director of the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University, "Theologians have God, philosophers existence, and scientists mathematics. Mario Livio makes the case for how these three ideas might be related...Livio's rich history gives the discussions human force and verve."-- Sam Kean, New Scientist, "This highly readable book explores one of the most fascinating questions that lies at the heart of fundamental physics -- why is mathematics so effective in describing nature and is mathematics an invention of the human mind or part of the fabric of physical reality? Livio provides a wonderful review of the various issues, presents a wide variety of opinions, and in addition some fascinating insights of his own. I strongly recommend this volume to anyone interested in these questions."-- David Gross, 2004 Nobel Prize Winner in Physics, Frederick W. Gluck Professor of Theoretical Physics and Director, Kavli Institute For Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara
IllustratedYes
Dewey Decimal510
SynopsisAfter a lifetime building a reputation as a composer of symphonies and chamber music, Czech composer Antonín Dvorák declared that his main love lay in writing operas. Written in 1900 at the height of Dvorák's creative powers, his fairytale opera Rusalka is a masterpiece firmly established in the international repertory--from 2010 to 2012 alone, over 200 performances of 27 productions of the opera will run in 21 European cities alone! Worldwide, music schools and summer programs have begun to mount the work as well, reflecting not only the power of Dvorák's music but the lyricism of the Jaroslav Kvapil's Czech libretto, considered one of the greatest of all opera librettos, regardless of language. This book serves as an aid to anyone seeking to perform and gain a deeper understanding of this multi-layered opera, which so trenchantly asks what it means to be human, to love, and to be loved in return.In the first part, Czech music scholar Timothy Cheek offers a thorough review of Czech lyric diction and inflection, describes the characters and their vocal requirements, and supplies a synopsis of the plot, an elucidation of the layers of meaning in Kvapil's libretto, a section on musical style and dance elements, and a fascinating explanation of why such a remarkable work took so long to be embraced by Western audiences. In the second half, Cheek gives word-for-word and idiomatic English translations of the Czech libretto, including stage directions, along with the International Phonetic Alphabet for pronunciation. Rounding out the book are illustrations from the Prague National Theatre, New York Metropolitan Opera, and elsewhere, as well as an appendix listing recordings and videos. Rusalka: A Performance Guide with Translations and Pronunciation is written for singers, pianists, vocal coaches, conductors, stage directors, translators, and opera enthusiasts-anyone who wishes to perform the work, or who is simply moved and intrigued by this stunning opera., Bestselling author and astrophysicist Mario Livio examines the lives and theories of history's greatest mathematicians to ask how--if mathematics is an abstract construction of the human mind--it can so perfectly explain the physical world. Nobel Laureate Eugene Wigner once wondered about "the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics" in the formulation of the laws of nature. Is God a Mathematician? investigates why mathematics is as powerful as it is. From ancient times to the present, scientists and philosophers have marveled at how such a seemingly abstract discipline could so perfectly explain the natural world. More than that--mathematics has often made predictions, for example, about subatomic particles or cosmic phenomena that were unknown at the time, but later were proven to be true. Is mathematics ultimately invented or discovered? If, as Einstein insisted, mathematics is "a product of human thought that is independent of experience," how can it so accurately describe and even predict the world around us? Physicist and author Mario Livio brilliantly explores mathematical ideas from Pythagoras to the present day as he shows us how intriguing questions and ingenious answers have led to ever deeper insights into our world. This fascinating book will interest anyone curious about the human mind, the scientific world, and the relationship between them.
LC Classification NumberQA8.4
