Euclid's Window
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Amazon.co.uk Review
In his charming mathematical history, Euclid's Window Leonard Mlodinow asks "How do you know where you are?" This question and others about space and time grew out of simple observations of the environment by a select group of thinkers whose lives and brains Mlodinow dissects. Starting with Euclid geometry has flowed out over the centuries describing the universe and, Mlodinow argues, making modern civilization possible.
This is not just a history of geometry--it's a timeline of reason and abstraction, with all the major players present: Euclid, Descartes, Gauss, Einstein and Witten, each represented by a mini-biography.
Lots of examples pepper the narrative to help readers achieve their own "eureka!" And it's impossible not to be staggered at the mathematical feats of these geniuses, accomplished as many of them were in the absence of anything but observation and intense thought. Each story builds satisfactorily upon the last until at the end of this delightful book one has a sense of having climbed a peak of understanding.
A working knowledge of basic geometry is helpful but not essential for enjoying Euclid's Window, and Mlodinow's chatty style lends itself remarkably well to explaining these deep and revolutionary concepts. --Adam Fisher --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
Michael Guillen author of "Five Equations That Changed the World" How often can you say that a book on math -- on math! -- is a real page-turner? Well, this one is. As engaging as a soap opera, as fascinating as a whodunit, as funny as the Sunday comics, Mlodinow's book is storytelling at its best.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
LUCID was a man who possibly did not discover even one significant law of geometry. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
LUCID was a man who possibly did not discover even one significant law of geometry. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Fantastic. This is definitely one of the best lay science books I've had the pleasure of reading, and I read alot of scientific books. Clear, witty, down-to-earth, and written with a real understanding of how to present complex ideas in everyday language. Read this, and you can't help but learn and enjoy. You'll emerge the other end feeling you've bettered yourself and had a really pleasant time doing it. You'll read things that you want to tell everyone you know, because Mlodinow makes them so interesting.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Structured along the lines of the "big man-style of history" (i.e. Euclid,Descrates, Gauss, Einstein and Edward Witten) this book takes us from theGreeks to Superstring (M-Theory) of the present. The explanations arevery clear and the historical elements are interesting and concise.
In a book of this size it can only be an introduction, of course, but itvery readable and contains mathematical details, where justified.
I would recommend The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene as an excellentcontinuation to the later chapters on Superstring and M-Theory.
In a book of this size it can only be an introduction, of course, but itvery readable and contains mathematical details, where justified.
I would recommend The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene as an excellentcontinuation to the later chapters on Superstring and M-Theory.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book describes the history of geometry as if it was the stuff of audacious adventurers and bold explorers. Very well written indeed for such a potentially boring subject. I even had trouble putting the book down...
In the first three chapters the author explains the Greek origin of Euclidian geometry and its unchallenged use throughout the Dark Ages, the improvements made by Descartes in the 17th century and the struggles of 19th century German mathematicians to improve its fundamental flaws that resulted in non-Euclidian geometry. The last two chapters explain Einstein's theory of relativity as well as the unifying theory of strings and touch upon the role non-Euclidian geometry plays in them.
The details of the characters involved and their motivations in developing geometry make this book fascinating. The humouristic style of writing and the often hilarious examples make this book really enjoyable to read as well. A recommendation for anyone interested in mathematics and/or history !
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A brilliant effort, could be very helpful for teenagers studying...
If you like maths and history this could be the book for you. I enjoyed it enormously , though I found it increasingly hard to understand as the book progressed and towards the end... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Jonathan Lowenstein
Great book but the footnotes are broken on the Kindle
Fantastic book which I recommend you to read but please avoid the Kindle version due to the excellent footnotes being broken. Read more
Published 19 months ago by S. Mackintosh
Not A Reader Friendly Book
This book is written by a narcissistic author who thinks he can explain the history of geometry ("from parallel lines to hyperspace") in a reader friendly way, but sadly fails in... Read more
Published 21 months ago by C.R.
A book for the Author
I'm writing this review from Work. It's Friday afternoon and I'm a bit bored. You know how it is when you become proficient at your job, things that used to excite you just wind... Read more
Published 22 months ago by EarlyDoors
Funny but....
the author saved no effort to make this book as fun as possible.If you are looking for some book about the historical development in geometry then this is the one. Read more
Published on 24 May 2009 by Jafar Qutteineh
An illuminating read
This is the sort of book I wish had been around before I went to university as it sets out some of the concepts around geometry that impact theoretical physics in an acccessible... Read more
Published on 12 Nov 2008 by Mist of Time
A funny, well written book about the history of geometry
This book describes the history of geometry as if it was the stuff of audacious adventurers and bold explorers. Very well written indeed for such a potentially boring subject. Read more
Published on 1 April 2002
Masterful
This book is insightful and elegent, having read it once I just had to buy it...
Published on 14 May 2001
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