MTU Cork Library Catalogue

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The parsimonious universe : shape and form in the natural world / Stefan Hildebrandt, Anthony Tromba.

By: Hildebrandt, Stefan.
Contributor(s): Tromba, Anthony.
Material type: materialTypeLabelBookPublisher: New York : Copernicus, c1996Description: xiii, 330 p. : ill. (some col.), maps ; 24 cm. + hbk.ISBN: 0387979913 .Subject(s): Nature (Aesthetics) | Form (Philosophy) | Motion | Calculus of variationsDDC classification: 501
Contents:
Prologue: On form and shape -- A grand scheme of the world -- The heritage of ancient science -- Shortest and quickest connections -- A miracle and not a miracle -- Soap films: the amusement of children and mathematics -- Optimal design -- Epilogue: Dynamics and motion.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
General Lending MTU Bishopstown Library Lending 501 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 00010784
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Why does nature prefer some shapes and not others? The variety of sizes, shapes, and irregularities in nature is endless. Skillfully integrating striking full-color illustrations, the authors describe the efforts by scientists and mathematicians since the Renaissance to identify and describe the principles underlying the shape of natural forms. But can one set of laws account for both the symmetry and irregularity as well as the infinite variety of nature's designs? A complete answer to this question is likely never to be discovered. Yet, it is fascinating to see how the search for some simple universal laws down through the ages has increased our understanding of nature. The Parsimonious Universe looks at examples from the world around us at a non-mathematical, non-technical level to show that nature achieves efficiency by being stingy with the energy it expends.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 305-317) and index.

Prologue: On form and shape -- A grand scheme of the world -- The heritage of ancient science -- Shortest and quickest connections -- A miracle and not a miracle -- Soap films: the amusement of children and mathematics -- Optimal design -- Epilogue: Dynamics and motion.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Hildebrandt and Tromba explore the calculus of variations in a context accessible to the lay reader, providing insights that even will expand the understanding of mathematicians relative to maxima/minima problems in the intersecting worlds of geometry and nature. In their discussion of optimal shapes and forms in nature, the authors begin with a historical perspective of the related evidence (principle of the economy of means) and then explore a wealth of rich examples such as soap bubbles, spirals, fractals, atomic nuclei, crystals, architecture, and biological phenomena. Some of the key mathematical ideas included are minimal surfaces, bifurcations, curvature, the isoperimetric problem, dynamics, equilibrium, modeling, the Plateau problem, Steiner's problem, and topology. Throughout, each discussion is enriched by an impressive collection of color photos and illustrations, and also supplemented by an extensive list of references for further reading. It is important to note that this book is a revised and enlarged version of the authors' previous Mathematics and Optimal Form (CH, Feb'87). The improvements in this revision are significant enough to warrant having both. General; undergraduates through faculty. J. Johnson Western Washington University

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