Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
The Great Courses (2003), 12 hours, 24 lectures, 640 pages
Description
The world of mathematics contains some of the greatest ideas of humankind--tideas comparable to the works of Shakespeare, Plato, and Michelangelo. These mathematical ideas can add texture, beauty, and wonder to your life, without being a mathematician! This course explores the fourth dimension, coincidences, fractals, aesthetics, the allure of number, geometry, and how great mathematical ideas arise, along with learning to think abstractly, to grasp insightful strategies for approaching, enjoying, and understanding the world--not what is traditionally thought of as mathematics.
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
640 p.; 10 inches
Local notes
1 Great Ideas that Bring Our World into Focus / 2 How Many? Counting Surprises / 3 Fermat’s Last Theorem and the Allure of Number / 4 Pining for Nature’s Numbers / 5 Sizing up the Fibonacci Numbers / 6 The Sexiest Rectangle / 7 The Hidden Beauty of the Golden Rectangle / 8 The Pythagorean Theorem and Geometry of Ellipses / 9 Not-so-Platonic Relationships in the Platonic Solids / 10 Hunting for a Sixth Platonic Solid / 11 Is There a Fourth Dimension? Can We See It? / 12 The Invisible Art of the Fourth Dimension / 13 A Twisted Idea—The Möbius Band / 14 A One-Sided, Sealed Surface—The Klein Bottle / 15 Ordinary Origami—Creating Beautiful Patterns / 16 Unfolding Paper to Reveal a Fiery Fractal / 17 Fractals—Infinitely Complex Creations / 18 Fractal Frauds of Nature / 19 Chance Surprises—Measuring Uncertainty / 20 Door Number Two or Door Number Three? / 21 Great Expectations—Weighing the Uncertain Future / 22 Random Thoughts—Randomness in Our World / 23 How Surprising are Surprising Coincidences? / 24 Life Lessons Learned from Mathematical Thinking