Euler's pioneering equation
Subtitle: the most beautiful theorem in mathematics
By: Robin Wilson
Edition: First edition.
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 162
ISBN-13: 9780198794929
Copyright date: 2018
Subjects: Euler's numbers; Mathematics
Other titles: Most beautiful theorem in mathematics
Description: What is it that makes Euler's identity, e]iPi + 1 = 0, so special? In Euler's Pioneering Equation Robin Wilson shows how this simple, elegant, and profound formula links together perhaps the five most important numbers in mathematics, each associated with a story in themselves: the number 1, the basis of our counting system; the concept of zero, which was a major development in mathematics, and opened up the idea of negative numbers; Pi an irrational number, the basis for the measurement of circles; the exponential e, associated with exponential growth and logarithms; and the imaginary number i, the square root of -1, the basis of complex numbers. Following a chapter on each of the elements, Robin Wilson discusses how the startling relationship between them was established, including the several near misses to the discovery of the formula. --
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 153-155) and index.