Scientific American
| Score | Description |
|---|---|
| 3/23/99 ***** |
Kline, Morris, The Loss of
Certainty. 1980. Oxford University Press. Morris Kline explores the controversies of the 20th century mathematics, including the split between Intuistionists and Logicists, and the aftermath of Kurt Godel's proof incompleteness theorems. |
| Mathematics 3/27/99 **** |
Maor, Eli; e: The Story of
a Number.1994. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Eli Maor notes that a book on the history of e would be a natural companion to Petr Beckmann's A History of Pi. I confess, that's why I bought it. Unfortunately, the book does not flow quite as smoothly as Beckman's history of Pi. It seems to bounce from topic to topic without a clear thesis or focus. I recommend the book to anyone interested in the history of mathematics. Maor does more than rehash the popular history of mathematics, and provides insight on many of the hidden corners of the subject. For people new to the history of mathematics, I would suggest beginning with the books of Morris Kline and Ian Stewart. For people who have read the history of Mathematics, e: The Story of a Number will be a treat. |
Magazine Description Since 1845, Scientific American has been at the forefront of knowledge. Each month, this energetic and eclectic magazine brings the individual talents of scientists, editors, and artists together to keep you up to date on new developments and important technologies. With regular features on scientific research and innovations, the magazine is the authoritative source of working knowledge for the 21st century.