Mathematics is the poetry of science
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Bibliographic Information
Mathematics is the poetry of science
Oxford University Press, 2020
1st ed
- : [pbk]
- Other Title
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Les mathématiques sont la poésie des sciences
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Note
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
In the words of the great poet Senghor, Cedric Villani makes the bold claim that Mathematics is the Poetry of Science. Perhaps paradoxical to some, both disciplines are concerned with describing the world around us, understanding its parts, and using this knowledge to create something profound.
World-renowned mathematician and Fields Medallist Cedric Villani explores this analogy in this engaging and intelligent text, and shows how mathematics, one of the world's few universal languages, holds deep similarities to the literary genre. A great lover of poetry, he insists that the two are intrinsically linked in their aim of both tackling the complexities of our reality as well as distancing us from it so that we may better appreciate its beauty.
In a more light-hearted and concise approach than his more theoretical academic works, this book represents one of Villani's attempts to communicate his love of mathematics to a wider audience, drawing daring parallels between two universes that meet in their aspiration of the sublime.
Table of Contents
0: Elisa Brune: Foreword
1: Mathematics, Science, and Poetry
2: Constraints and Creativity
3: Inspiration
4: Making Connections
5: A Portable Universe
6: The Form of Words
7: Visionaries
8: Poincare and the Omnibus
9: Ping-Pong
10: Ode to Imperfection
11: Appendix: Henri Poincare on Mathematical Discovery
by "Nielsen BookData"