Elegance in Science: The beauty of simplicity

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Ian Glynn (Emeritus Professor of Physiology at Cambridge and a Fellow of the Royal Society)

Elegance in Science

Name: Elegance in Science
Price: 44.95 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock
ISBN: 9780199578627

The beauty of simplicity

Ian Glynn (Emeritus Professor of Physiology at Cambridge and a Fellow of the Royal Society)

$44.95

Hardback

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English

Oxford University Press
22 April 2010

Mathematics & Sciences; Mathematics; Philosophy of science; History of science; Popular science

The idea of elegance in science is not necessarily a familiar one, but it is an important one. The use of the term is perhaps most clear-cut in mathematics - the elegant proof - and this is where Ian Glynn begins his exploration. Scientists often share a sense of admiration and excitement on hearing of an elegant solution to a problem, an elegant theory, or an elegant experiment. The idea of elegance may seem strange in a field of endeavour that prides itself in its objectivity, but only if science is regarded as a dull, dry activity of counting and measuring. It is, of course, far more than that, and elegance is a fundamental aspect of the beauty and imagination involved in scientific activity. Ian Glynn, a distinguished scientist, selects historical examples from a range of sciences to draw out the principles of science, including Kepler's Laws, the experiments that demonstrated the nature of heat, and the action of nerves, and of course the several extraordinary episodes that led to Watson and Crick's discovery of the structure of DNA. With a highly readable selection of inspiring episodes highlighting the role of beauty and simplicity in the sciences, the book also relates to important philosophical issues of inference, and Glynn ends by warning us not to rely on beauty and simplicity alone - even the most elegant explanation can be wrong.

By: Ian Glynn (Emeritus Professor of Physiology at Cambridge and a Fellow of the Royal Society)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 223mm, Width: 147mm, Spine: 28mm
Weight: 491g
ISBN: 9780199578627
ISBN 10: 0199578621
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 22 April 2010
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational , A / AS level , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

1: The meaning of elegance 2: Celestial mechanics 3: Bringing the heavens down to Earth 4: So what is heat? 5: Elegance and electricity 6: Throwing light on light 7: How do nerves work? 8: Information handling in the brain 9: The genetic code: a hundred years of decoding 10: Epilogue: a cautionary tale