Fearless Symmetry

Exposing the Hidden Patterns of Numbers - New Edition

Avner Ash, Robert Gross

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English

Princeton University Pres
03 November 2008

Mathematics & Sciences; Number theory; Popular science

Mathematicians solve equations, or try to. But sometimes the solutions are not as interesting as the beautiful symmetric patterns that lead to them. Written in a friendly style for a general audience, Fearless Symmetry is the first popular math book to discuss these elegant and mysterious patterns and the ingenious techniques mathematicians use to uncover them. Hidden symmetries were first discovered nearly two hundred years ago by French mathematician evariste Galois. They have been used extensively in the oldest and largest branch of mathematics--number theory--for such diverse applications as acoustics, radar, and codes and ciphers. They have also been employed in the study of Fibonacci numbers and to attack well-known problems such as Fermat's Last Theorem, Pythagorean Triples, and the ever-elusive Riemann Hypothesis. Mathematicians are still devising techniques for teasing out these mysterious patterns, and their uses are limited only by the imagination. The first popular book to address representation theory and reciprocity laws, Fearless Symmetry focuses on how mathematicians solve equations and prove theorems. It discusses rules of math and why they are just as important as those in any games one might play. The book starts with basic properties of integers and permutations and reaches current research in number theory. Along the way, it takes delightful historical and philosophical digressions. Required reading for all math buffs, the book will appeal to anyone curious about popular mathematics and its myriad contributions to everyday life.

By: Avner Ash, Robert Gross
Imprint: Princeton University Pres
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: New edition
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9780691138718
ISBN 10: 0691138710
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 03 November 2008
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Avner Ash is professor of mathematics at Boston College and the coauthor of Smooth Compactification of Locally Symmetric Varieties . Robert Gross is associate professor of mathematics at Boston College.

Reviews for Fearless Symmetry: Exposing the Hidden Patterns of Numbers - New Edition

The authors are to be admired for taking a very difficult topic and making it ... more accessible than it was before. -- Timothy Gowers, Nature The authors ... outline current research in mathematics and tell why it should hold interest even for people outside scientific and technological fields. -- Science News The book ... does a remarkable job in making the work it describes accessible to an audience without technical training in mathematics, while at the same time remaining faithful to the richness and power of this work. I recommend it to mathematicians and nonmathematicians alike with any interest in this subject. -- William M. McGovern, SIAM Review Unique... [T]his book is an amazing attempt to provide to a mathematically unsophisticated reader a realistic impression of the immense vitality of this area of mathematics. -- Lindsay N. Childs, Mathematical Reviews To borrow one of the authors' favorite words, this book is an amazing attempt to provide to a mathematically unsophisticated reader a realistic impression of the immense vitality of this area of mathematics. But I think the book has another useful role. With a very broad brush, it paints a beautiful picture of one of the main themes of the Langlands program. -- Lindsay N. Childs, MathSciNet