The Wonder Book of Geometry: A Mathematical Story

by David Acheson

Overview

How can we be sure that Pythagoras's theorem is really true? Why is the 'angle in a semicircle' always 90 degrees? And how can tangents help determine the speed of a bullet?

David Acheson takes the reader on a highly illustrated tour through the history of geometry, from ancient Greece to the present day. He emphasizes throughout elegant deduction and practical applications, and argues that geometry can offer the quickest route to the whole spirit of mathematics at its best. Along the way, we encounter the quirky and the unexpected, meet the great personalities involved, and uncover some of the loveliest surprises in mathematics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198846383
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/02/2021
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 5.30(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

David Acheson is an Emeritus Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, and the University's first winner of a National Teaching Fellowship, in 2004. He was President of the Mathematical Association from 2010 to 2011, and now lectures widely on mathematics to young people and the general public. In 2013, Acheson was awarded an Honorary D.Sc. by the University of East Anglia for his outstanding work in the popularisation of mathematics. His books include 1089 and All That (OUP, 2002), and The Calculus Story, (OUP, 2017).

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Getting Started
3. Euclid's Elements
4. Thales' Theorem
5. Geometry in Action
6. Pythagoras' Theorem
7. 'In Love with Geometry'?
8. 'Imagine my exultation, Watson...'
9. Congruence and Similarity
10. Conversely...
11. Circle Theorems
12. Off at a Tangent
13. From Tangents to Supersonic Flow
14. What is pi, exactly?
15. The Story of the Ellipse
16. Geometry by Coordinates
17. Geometry and Calculus
18. A Royal Road to Geometry?
19. Unexpected Meetings
20. Ceva's Theorem
21. A Kind of Symmetry
22. 'Pyracy' in Woolwich?
23. Fermat's Problem
24. A Soňap Solution
25. Geometry in 'The Ladies' Diary'
26. What Euclid Did
27. Euclid on Parallel Lines
28. 'A New Theory of Parallels'?
29. Anti-Euclid?
30. When Geometry Goes Wrong...
31. New Angles on Geometry
32. And Finally...

Editorial Reviews

"Well written, clear and informative." — Edward Rochead, Mathematics today

"This delightful book should be available, at the minimum, in every high school library and in every public library." — F. -J. Papp, Mathematical Reviews Clippings

"It would make an ideal addition both to readers' bookshelves and for every school library ." — GERRY LEVERSHA, The Mathematical Gazette

"Everything was explained clearly and concisely so that the wonders of geometry could definitely be seen." — Jasmine Wootten, LMS Newsletter

"There is no better tour guide to the wonders of geometry than the delightful David Acheson." — Matt Parker, author of Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors and Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension

"This is by far the most approachable book on geometry I've ever read, and I wish it had been around in my day... if you need to learn the basics of geometry for whatever reason (there must be several reasons, surely) then this blows every known textbook on the topic out of the water... The Wonder Book of Geometry does what it does wonderfully. Acheson has done a remarkable job." — Popular Science

"Anyone who has read David's earlier books will instantly recognise his almost playful style... I highly recommend it as a marvellous source book on geometry." — Ray Huntley, Mathematics in Schools

From the Publisher