The mathematical tourist: snapshots of modern mathematics - Softcover

When the first edition of Ivars Peterson's The Mathematical Tourist was published in 1988, the New York Times called it "a rich array of ideas, drawing on virtually every branch of mathematics and bunging in plenty of late-breaking developments to boot." Now Peterson has expanded this popular book to feature another decade of mathematical progress, including new sections on crystal structure, string theory, mathematicians' use of computers, chaos theory, and Fermat's Last Theorem. Most of the other sections have been reworked and reworded as well, and there are many new illustrations. One thing that has not changed is the clarity of Peterson's writing and his almost unparalleled ability to make mathematical ideas themselves interesting, without focusing on the lives and personalities of mathematicians. Martin Gardner called the first edition "a travel guide that the professional mathematician will read with as much excitement and pleasure as the veriest amateur ... a masterpiece of popular exposition," and this second edition is no less. --Mary Ellen Curtin

The Mathematical Tourist
New and Updated Snapshots of Modern Mathematics
Ivars Peterson

"A top-notch survey of the frontiers of contemporary mathematics. Far from being old and musty, mathematics is alive, vital, and vibrant, full of interesting, unanswered questions that Peterson makes accessible to nonexpert but attentive readers."
--Los Angeles Times

"Anybody can read it with pleasure, and it will fill you with sights and sounds enough to make you want to return again and again."
--New Scientist

In the first edition of The Mathematical Tourist, renowned science journalist Ivars Peterson took readers on an unforgettable tour through the sometimes bizarre, but always fascinating, landscape of modern mathematics. Now the journey continues in a new, updated edition that includes all the latest information on mathematical proofs, fractals, prime numbers, and chaos, as well as new material on

* the relationship between mathematical knots and DNA
* how computers based on quantum logic can significantly speed up the factoring of large composite numbers
* the relationship between four-dimensional geometry and physical theories of the nature of matter
* the application of cellular automata models to social questions and the peregrinations of virtual ants
* a novel mathematical model of quasicrystals based on decagon-shaped tiles

Blazing a trail through rows of austere symbols and dense lines of formulae, Peterson explores the central ideas behind the work of professional mathematicians-- how and where their pieces of the mathematical puzzle fit in, the sources of their ideas, their fountains of inspiration, and the images that carry them from one discovery to another.

About The Author
Ivars Peterson is the mathematics writer and Online Editor at Science News. He lives in Washington, D.C.