For years Ian Stewart has been wrestling with the mathematical underpinnings of the natural world. In his new book What Shape is a Snowflake? he explains his fascination with nature's numbers and explores the fruits of his quest so far. No, wait! There isn't a single equation in the book--honest.

Stewart starts with a general exploration of patterns in nature--six-pointed snowflakes, feathery patterns of frost on glass, zebra stripes, ripples in the sand, honeycombs, spirals, and so on--then attempts to illustrate, in words, the mathematical principles underlying them. In the process the reader is introduced to ideas of dimensionality, symmetry in all its manifestations, patterns of tiling and packing, symmetry breaking, fractals, complexity theory and chaos. In the penultimate chapter he goes on to explain how the mathematics of earthly nature may mirror that of the universe. Finally he addresses the question of the book's title: What shape is a snowflake? You may be disappointed with the answer, but only if you don't get the joke.

Snowflake is a fascinating read, though it does requires a bit of patience. Much space in the first half of the book is given over to introducing patterns without offering many clues as to what generates them. In consequence, I found myself skipping sections to get to the juicier bits towards the end. Still, for the numerically challenged but patient reader, Snowflake is as friendly an introduction to the mathematics of nature as you could wish to find.--Chris Lavers

Product Description

Think of the stripes of a zebra and the complexities of a spider's web. Think of a snowflake... These are natural patterns that have been recognized for centuries, and they can all be accounted for mathematically. In this enlightening book, Ian Stewart shows how life on Earth develops not simply from the outworkings of genetic processes, but also from the principles of mathematics. The result is a visually compelling guide to the links between mathematics and the natural world - a beautiful journey through the fields of science, mathematics, history and art.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good - but not outstanding., 11 April 2002

By	"stevebaggley" - See all my reviews

This is a superb idea for a book, but for me there was just a little something missing.

The book attempts to explain the formation of snowflakes in detail, taking a long journey through the processes of nature; pattern-formation, symmetry, complexity, chaos theory & more. These ideas are examined from the atomic level, through to the cosmic scale.

Whilst much of this is interesting, the book sometimes varys from over-simplicity to complex ideas, and often takes a long route to reach these concepts. I also found that sometimes the context of Ian Stewart's text (and very occasionaly, the grammer itself) could be difficult to fully understand - although this may be down to differences in the way which I look at things.

Much of this journey is neatly tied-up in the final chapter on the snowflake itself; it's just that the trip itself is not always completely satisfying.

Interesting and worth a read, but not the most engaging book I have ever read.

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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maths for real people, 30 Nov 2001

By A Customer

Ian Stewart provides the key to unlocking the secrets of the mathematical world through the myriad wonderful and varied examples of the everday world.

Why indeed, is a snowflake the overall shape it is and why is every single one unique in the detail. Stewart does what many other science writers do in popularising his subject but it is in the detail that he is unique, and fascinating.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Sans serif - yuk!, 8 Jan 2004

By A Customer

An absolutely fascinating and lavishly illustrated book by Professor Ian Stewart, which in my view is a bit of a nightmare to read as it has been set throughout in a sans serif typeface. It's a great pity that the publishers, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, have succumbed to the foibles of fashion in this way, as reading more than a page at a time is quite a strain on the eyes. Nevertheless, it is a very compelling book that explains the mathematics behind the wonders of nature quite brilliantly.

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