The Parsimonious Universe: Shape and Form in the Natural WorldSpringer Science & Business Media, 18.07.1996 - 330 Seiten Why does nature prefer some shapes and not others? The variety of sizes, shapes, and irregularities in nature is endless. Skillfully integrating striking full-color illustrations, the authors describe the efforts by scientists and mathematicians since the Renaissance to identify and describe the principles underlying the shape of natural forms. But can one set of laws account for both the symmetry and irregularity as well as the infinite variety of nature's designs? A complete answer to this question is likely never to be discovered. Yet, it is fascinating to see how the search for some simple universal laws down through the ages has increased our understanding of nature. The Parsimonious Universe looks at examples from the world around us at a non-mathematical, non-technical level to show that nature achieves efficiency by being stingy with the energy it expends. |
Inhalt
A Grand Scheme of the World | 21 |
The Heritage of Ancient Science | 43 |
Shortest and Quickest Connections | 87 |
A Miracle and Not a Miracle | 129 |
Soap Films The Amusement of Children and Mathematicians | 147 |
Optimal Design | 215 |
Dynamics and Motion | 271 |
307 | |
Sources of Quotations | 320 |
321 | |
323 | |
Andere Ausgaben - Alle anzeigen
The Parsimonious Universe: Shape and Form in the Natural World Stefan Hildebrandt,Anthony Tromba Keine Leseprobe verfügbar - 2012 |
Häufige Begriffe und Wortgruppen
action principle altitude triangle Archimedes axis ball body bounded catenoid cells circle circular closed curve configuration consider contour convex cylinder described disk disk-type minimal surfaces ellipse equation equilibrium Euler example Fermat point figure forces free boundary Frei Otto Frontispiece Galileo genus geometric gravitation Greek hexagonal infinitely infinitesimal calculus intersect isoperimetric isoperimetric problem Johann Bernoulli Kepler Leibniz length liquid edges mathematical mathematician Maupertuis Maupertuis's mean curvature mechanics minimal surfaces minimum mirror motion move Newton orbits P₁ P₂ parabola perpendicular physical planar Plateau Plateau problem plates possible potential energy Principia proof prove Pythagorean radiolarian rays reflection result rotating Schwarz's shape shortest connection shortest path soap bubbles soap films solution space spanning sphere spherical stable Steiner problem straight line surface of revolution surface tension theorem theory tion topological type Torricelli point Torricelli trees triangle unstable variational principle velocity wire
Beliebte Passagen
Seite 17 - seems to show that nature is so constructed. We simply have to accept it. One could perhaps describe the situation by saying that God is a mathematician of a
Seite 17 - in terms of a mathematical theory of great beauty and pow-er, needing quite a high standard of mathematics for one to understand it. You may
Seite 16 - a passion for music. That passion is rather common in children, but gets lost in most people later on. Without this passion, there
Verweise auf dieses Buch
Oxford Users' Guide to Mathematics Eberhard Zeidler,W. Hackbusch,Hans Rudolf Schwarz Keine Leseprobe verfügbar - 2004 |