Journey through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics

Praise for William Dunham s Journey Through Genius The GreatTheorems of Mathematics "Dunham deftly guides the reader throughthe verbal and logical intricacies of major mathematical questionsand proofs, conveying a splendid sense of how the greatestmathematicians from ancient to modern times presented theirarguments." Ivars Peterson Author, The Mathematical TouristMathematics and Physics Editor, Science News "It is mathematics presented as a series of works of art; afascinating lingering over individual examples of ingenuity andinsight. It is mathematics by lightning flash." Isaac Asimov "It is a captivating collection of essays of major mathematicalachievements brought to life by the personal and historicalanecdotes which the author has skillfully woven into the text. Thisis a book which should find its place on the bookshelf of anyoneinterested in science and the scientists who create it." R. L.Graham, AT&T Bell Laboratories "Come on a time-machine tour through 2,300 years in which Dunhamdrops in on some of the greatest mathematicians in history. Almostas if we chat over tea and crumpets, we get to know them and theirideas ideas that ring with eternity and that offer glimpses intothe often veiled beauty of mathematics and logic. And all the whilewe marvel, hoping that the tour will not stop." Jearl Walker,Physics Department, Cleveland State University Author of The FlyingCircus of Physics… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member mschaefer

A delightful tour of some of the intellectual highlights or mathematics. Not as focussed as the author's even better "Calculus gallery", but gives a wider range, though the book stops with Cantor's investigations into infinity. The stories in this book have been told many times, but they are told

well here.

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LibraryThing member br77rino

The best expostion on mathematics I've ever read.

LibraryThing member tungsten_peerts

I read this book while I was in the hospital recovering from surgery. It held my morphined attention. 'Nuff said? Probably not.

I'm coming to consider truly substantive "popular" scientific exposition to be a high art, indeed: many attempt it & few are successful. This book is one of the rare

successes. It does not dumb down, but it speaks warmly and invitingly to the reader.

A total treat & one to keep. I want to re-read it in a more lucid state.

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LibraryThing member ftong

Excellent balance of historical background and real-life proofs. Although at times the material is too simple, it is presented briskly and the author's tone is pleasant.

LibraryThing member nmarun

It felt great reading this book because it took me back to my school days where we learned these concepts/theorems along with their proofs.

The book brings history and mathematics together which was an interesting read. I specifically liked reading about how Archimedes proved the area of a circle

and how Limits were introduced as a result of finding the area of irregular shapes.

This book is recommended for anyone who has even the slightest interest in Mathematics.

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LibraryThing member datrappert

This is a brilliant intellectual journey through some of the great theorems of mathematics. The author writes very clearly and evocatively--then, there is the math. I am not a mathematician, and I frequently get lost in the rows after rows of numbers that go into the proofs of each theorem. Still,

through Dunham's excellent explanations, I am able at least to grasp the gist of what is being said and to understand the intellectual achievement involved. I learned a lot reading this book about the beauty of mathematics and how geniuses--because that is the apt word here--have unraveled some of its mysteries over the centuries. This is not a long book, and while the math can be dense, and the ideas themselves may verge on giving you a headache as you struggle to understand them, the journey through genius (great title) is actually a very pleasant one for anyone with a bit of curiosity about a subject they may feel they don't understand well enough. This book will certainly increase your understanding of mathematics a bit--but it will increase your understanding and appreciation of mathematicians a LOT.

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