Trefethen's Index Cards: Forty Years of Notes about People, Words and Mathematics

ISBN-10: 9814458414
ISBN-13: 9789814458412
Category: Philosophy
Pages: 384
Language: English
Published: 2011-06-14
Publisher: World Scientific
Author: Lloyd N Trefethen

Description

This is a book unique in structure — a collection of ideas noted on index cards over a period of 40 years. Acclaimed mathematician Lloyd N Trefethen, Professor of Numerical Analysis at Oxford University, has created an intellectual diary, marking the development of his interests and ideas, from his teenage years to the present. These thoughts stand as signposts, directing us through a mind that applies the same scientific discipline and rigor in everyday life as that needed for success in science and academia. Informative and entertaining, Professor Trefethen's Index Cards is a collage of observations of rare clarity, in subjects ranging from astronomy to family life, and from music to politics. The book will be of interest not only to other scientists and mathematicians, but to anyone in the general public interested in discerning how a scientific outlook informs the way we see broader issues in the societies we live in. Contents:EgoKidsAging and DeathSexLiving with OthersThe Meaning of LifePolitics and SocietyCold War NukesEducationBritainFamous PeopleOptimizing Your LifeThe Life of the ProfessorMusicWordsWriting and LiteratureMemoryMisperceptionsKnowledge and TruthAnalogiesBad LogicGod and ReligionGood and EvilScienceStars and PlanetsMathematicsBig NumbersMathematics and Science in Everyday LifeInventionsComputersLife and DNAHearts, Minds and Bodies Readership: Students and general public, mathematicians, mathematical scientists. Keywords:Index Cards;Idea Development;Philosophy;Computer Science;Numerical Analysis;Mathematics and Science in Everyday LifeReviews: “What's especially original here is the book's structure. It's a collection of thoughts and questions, some playful, some very deep, each compact enough to fit on an index card. Nick has been writing these index cards to himself for the past 40 years. By arranging them longitudinally, he allows us to watch him unfold, captured as if by time-lapse photography, as he matures from promising teenager to the Professor of Numerical Analysis and FRS at Oxford. Whether you're a fellow mathematician, or merely a fellow human being, you're in for a treat you'll never forget. I know of nothing else like it.” Steven Strogatz Cornell University

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