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Trigonometric Delights

令人兴奋的三角学

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拉普拉斯小妖 2020-02-12 15:00:57


Eli Maor,知名科普作家,以色列理工学院博士,曾在芝加哥洛约拉大学教授数学史课程。著有畅销书《e的故事:一个常数的传奇》、《勾股定理:悠悠4000年的故事》、《无穷之旅:关于无穷大的文化史》等。在各国期刊上发表过大量论文,涉及应用数学、数学史和数学教育等领域。

拉普拉斯小妖 2020-02-12 15:01:21


Trigonometry has always been the black sheep of mathematics. It has a
reputation as a dry and difficult subject, a glorified form of geometry
complicated by tedious computation. In this book, Eli Maor draws on his
remarkable talents as a guide to the world of numbers to dispel that
view. Rejecting the usual arid descriptions of sine, cosine, and their
trigonometric relatives, he brings the subject to life in a compelling
blend of history, biography, and mathematics. He presents both a survey
of the main elements of trigonometry and a unique account of its vital
contribution to science and social development. Woven together in a
tapestry of entertaining stories, scientific curiosities, and
educational insights, the book more than lives up to the title
Trigonometric Delights.Maor, whose previous books have demystified the
concept of infinity and the unusual number "e," begins by examining the
"proto-trigonometry" of the Egyptian pyramid builders. He shows how
Greek astronomers developed the first true trigonometry. He traces the
slow emergence of modern, analytical trigonometry, recounting its
colorful origins in Renaissance Europe's quest for more accurate
artillery, more precise clocks, and more pleasing musical instruments.
Along the way, we see trigonometry at work in, for example, the struggle
of the famous mapmaker Gerardus Mercator to represent the curved earth
on a flat sheet of paper; we see how M. C. Escher used geometric
progressions in his art; and we learn how the toy Spirograph uses
epicycles and hypocycles.Maor also sketches the lives of some of the
intriguing figures who have shaped four thousand years of trigonometric
history. We meet, for instance, the Renaissance scholar Regiomontanus,
who is rumored to have been poisoned for insulting a colleague, and
Maria Agnesi, an eighteenth-century Italian genius who gave up
mathematics to work with the poor--but not before she investigated a
special curve that, due to mistranslation, bears the unfortunate name
"the witch of Agnesi." The book is richly illustrated, including rare
prints from the author's own collection. Trigonometric Delights will
change forever our view of a once dreaded subject.

拉普拉斯小妖 2020-02-12 15:07:48


如果你认为学三角,就是把一个又一个函数与公式,「卯」起来背得滚瓜烂熟,还有什么可「说」的?那么你可就失去许多乐趣了!
其实,三角学不只是一大堆无趣的θ、sin、半角公式、和化积,如果从三角的发展历程来看,会发现它与现实世界是密不可分的。
本书作者舍弃教科书式的写法,欲帮助读者透过许许多多小故事,来认识史上伟大的数学家,并跟随他们的脚步,踏进有趣的三角殿堂。透過這本書,你將目睹三角學如何從埃及金字塔裡萌芽、從古希臘乃至中世紀天文學家的手中茁壯,你也將認識許許多多偉大的數學家,跟隨他們的腳步,踏進有趣的三角殿堂,一探平面三角學背後的無窮樂趣。

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