The Mathematical Radio

Inside the Magic of AM, FM, and Single-Sideband

Paul Nahin, Andrew Simoson

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English

Princeton University Press
01 April 2024

Mathematics & Sciences; Applied mathematics; Circuits & components; Radio technology

The modern radio is a wonder, and behind that magic is mathematics. In The Mathematical Radio, Paul Nahin explains how radios work, deploying mathematics and historical discussion, accompanied by a steady stream of intriguing puzzles for math buffs to ponder. Beginning with oscillators and circuits, then moving on to AM, FM, and single-sideband radio, Nahin focuses on the elegant mathematics underlying radio technology rather than the engineering. He explores and explains more than a century of key developments, placing them in historical and technological context.

Nahin, a prolific author of books on math for the general reader, describes in fascinating detail the mathematical underpinnings of a technology we use daily. He explains and solves, for example, Maxwell’s equations for the electromagnetic field. Readers need only a familiarity with advanced high school-level math to follow Nahin’s mathematical discussions. Writing with the non-engineer in mind, Nahin examines topics including impulses in time and frequency, spectrum shifting at the transmitter, the superheterodyne, the physics of single-sideband radio, and FM sidebands. Chapters end with 'challenge problems' and an appendix offers solutions, partial answers, and hints. Readers will come away with a new appreciation for the beauty of even the most useful mathematics.

By: Paul Nahin
Foreword by: Andrew Simoson
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9780691235318
ISBN 10: 0691235317
Pages: 376
Publication Date: 01 April 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Paul J. Nahin is emeritus professor of electrical engineering at the University of New Hampshire. He is the author of many popular math books, including most recently In Pursuit of Zeta-3: The World's Most Mysterious Unsolved Math Problem; Hot Molecules, Cold Electrons: From the Mathematics of Heat to the Development of the Trans-Atlantic Telegraph Cable; and How to Fall Slower Than Gravity: And Other Everyday (and Not So Everyday) Uses of Mathematics and Physical Reasoning (all Princeton).

Reviews for The Mathematical Radio: Inside the Magic of AM, FM, and Single-Sideband

"""Mr. Nahin's fascinating historical guide to the science of how words are transformed into electricity and back again contains a lot of [mathematics]. Luckily, Mr. Nahin . . . is also a warm and infectiously enthusiastic guide in prose.""---Steven Poole, Wall Street Journal"