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Why Beauty Is Truth: The History of Symmetry

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Why Beauty Is Truth: The History of Symmetry (Hardcover)

by Ian Stewart (Author)

5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

RRP:	�15.99
Price:	�13.59 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Product details

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Basic Books (3 May 2007)
Language English
ISBN-10: 046508236X
ISBN-13: 978-0465082360
Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 15.7 x 3 cm

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 174,982 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Popular in these categories:

#15 in	Books > Science & Nature > Mathematics > Algebra > Groups & Group Theory
#15 in	Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical > Mathematics > Algebra > Groups & Group Theory
#27 in	Books > Science & Nature > Experiments, Instruments & Measurements > Methods

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Product Description

Review
"(t)he pick of this year's maths books. Stewart, a veteran professor and populariser, uses a historical approach to show the significance of symmetry, one of the most powerful concepts in his field. Few equations, plenty of anecdotes." --Financial Times - Science Books of the Year

"Stewart is a highly gifted communicator, able not only to explain the motivation of mathematicians down the centuries but to elucidate the resulting mathematics with both clarity and style. Inspirational." --Times Educational Supplement

"Stewart, long a class act in popular maths, does not shy from presenting equations, illuminating them with imagistic explanations and sympathetic character sketches of heroes past and present". --The Guardian

Nature, May 2007
"(Ian Stewart) is renowned for his popular science books, but Why Beauty is Truth is without a doubt his finest... (A) brilliant interweaving of politics, history and intrigue... "

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	66% buy the item featured on this page: Why Beauty Is Truth: The History of Symmetry 5.0 out of 5 stars (2) �13.59
	16% buy Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities 3.9 out of 5 stars (12) �5.49
	6% buy Finding Moonshine: A Mathematician's Journey Through Symmetry 4.4 out of 5 stars (5) �4.85
	6% buy Bad Science 4.6 out of 5 stars (138) �4.85

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5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ian Stewart has done it again!, 29 Nov 2008

By	Mr. Daniel H. Johnson "FSM-BUCKETHEAD" (U.K.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Why Beauty is Truth: The History of Symmetry (Paperback)

What more can I say?

Ian Stewart takes us on a journey through group theory to places you probably never considered, but in a completely fun and accessible manner. The historical tone of the book works really well, this book has inspired me to study galois theory in far greater depth.

A MUST for anybody with an interest in mathematics.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book to be Prized., 3 Jun 2009

By	Anthony Murphy "feral cat" (Hull, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When Ian Stewart writes a book on mathematics it is always something that booklovers look forward too. This book is no exception. Beside explaining complex mathematical ideas in language understandable to non-mathematicians, and making the history of mathematics come to life through linking it with the biographies,and the personal struggles of those who have carried the subject forward through the ages,Ian Stewart does it with a beautiful simplicity. The title of this book is well earned and no one who buys it will be disappointed. A bonus in this book is thatIan Stewart shows with great economy, throughout the book, the very close relationship between the development of mathematics and the progress of physics.The care he takes not to over-reach or simplify the relationship between mathematics and physics is made clear in the final chapter where under the heading: 'Seekers After Truth and Beauty' he states:"But what works in mathematics need not work in physics,and vice versa". This is a book which cannot be too highly recommended.

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