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Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt: and Other Intriguing Stories of Mathematical Physics Paul J. Nahin

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: United States The University Press Group Ltd 2009-08-17Description: 424 229ISBN:
  • 9780691135403
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 530.15 NAH
Summary: "What does quilting have to do with electric circuit theory? The answer is just one of the fascinating ways that best-selling popular math writer Paul Nahin illustrates the deep interplay of math and physics in the world around us in his latest book of challenging mathematical puzzles, ""Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt"". With his trademark combination of intriguing mathematical problems and the historical anecdotes surrounding them, Nahin invites readers on an exciting and informative exploration of some of the many ways math and physics combine to create something vastly more powerful, useful, and interesting than either is by itself. In a series of brief and largely self-contained chapters, Nahin discusses a wide range of topics in which math and physics are mutually dependent and mutually illuminating, from Newtonian gravity and Newton's laws of mechanics to ballistics, air drag, and electricity. The mathematical subjects range from algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus to differential equations, Fourier series, and theoretical and Monte Carlo probability. Each chapter includes problems - some three dozen in all - that challenge readers to try their hand at applying what they have learned. Just as in his other books of mathematical puzzles, Nahin discusses the historical background of each problem, gives many examples, includes MATLAB codes, and provides complete and detailed solutions at the end. ""Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt"" will appeal to students interested in new math and physics applications, teachers looking for unusual examples to use in class - and anyone who enjoys popular math books."
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Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

An incomparable collection of stimulating math puzzles from bestselling author Paul Nahin

What does quilting have to do with electric circuit theory? The answer is just one of the fascinating ways that best-selling popular math writer Paul Nahin illustrates the deep interplay of math and physics in the world around us in his latest book of challenging mathematical puzzles, Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt . With his trademark combination of intriguing mathematical problems and the historical anecdotes surrounding them, Nahin invites readers on an exciting and informative exploration of some of the many ways math and physics combine to create something vastly more powerful, useful, and interesting than either is by itself.

In a series of brief and largely self-contained chapters, Nahin discusses a wide range of topics in which math and physics are mutually dependent and mutually illuminating, from Newtonian gravity and Newton's laws of mechanics to ballistics, air drag, and electricity. The mathematical subjects range from algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus to differential equations, Fourier series, and theoretical and Monte Carlo probability. Each chapter includes problems--some three dozen in all--that challenge readers to try their hand at applying what they have learned. Just as in his other books of mathematical puzzles, Nahin discusses the historical background of each problem, gives many examples, includes MATLAB codes, and provides complete and detailed solutions at the end.

Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt will appeal to students interested in new math and physics applications, teachers looking for unusual examples to use in class--and anyone who enjoys popular math books.

Popular science

Hardback

"What does quilting have to do with electric circuit theory? The answer is just one of the fascinating ways that best-selling popular math writer Paul Nahin illustrates the deep interplay of math and physics in the world around us in his latest book of challenging mathematical puzzles, ""Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt"". With his trademark combination of intriguing mathematical problems and the historical anecdotes surrounding them, Nahin invites readers on an exciting and informative exploration of some of the many ways math and physics combine to create something vastly more powerful, useful, and interesting than either is by itself. In a series of brief and largely self-contained chapters, Nahin discusses a wide range of topics in which math and physics are mutually dependent and mutually illuminating, from Newtonian gravity and Newton's laws of mechanics to ballistics, air drag, and electricity. The mathematical subjects range from algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus to differential equations, Fourier series, and theoretical and Monte Carlo probability. Each chapter includes problems - some three dozen in all - that challenge readers to try their hand at applying what they have learned. Just as in his other books of mathematical puzzles, Nahin discusses the historical background of each problem, gives many examples, includes MATLAB codes, and provides complete and detailed solutions at the end. ""Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt"" will appeal to students interested in new math and physics applications, teachers looking for unusual examples to use in class - and anyone who enjoys popular math books."

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt is a great book for anyone interested in the connections between mathematics and physics. Along the way, Nahin (emer., electrical engineering, Univ. of New Hampshire), author of many popular math books (e.g., Digital Dice, CH, Sep'08, 46-0350; Duelling Idiots and Other Probability Puzzlers, CH, Apr'01, 38-4507), shares many historical anecdotes about the problems and the people who studied them. The problems come from various areas of physics, including Newtonian mechanics, gravity, air drag, electrical circuits, and random walks. The mathematical subjects include algebra, calculus, trigonometry, and differential equations. Most chapters are self-contained and include several challenging problems (with solutions provided at the end of the book) that expand on the topic under discussion. Nahin's writing style is very accessible. However, the level of mathematics for some discussions will limit the audience to those with either the background to appreciate the solutions or those willing to work at the mathematics to reach the solution. A teacher of general physics or introductory calculus will find many interesting discussions that can be included in an introductory course. The book also lends itself to a senior seminar course in either physics or applied mathematics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through graduate students, faculty, and professionals/practitioners. D. B. Mason Albright College

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