Dimensions
106 x 138 x 17mm
Discovering Order And Pattern In The Universe
2 cassettes; abridged
Read by Ian Stewart
Nature is full of patterns, and mathematics helps us understand them. Is maths just the creation of the human brain, or is it intrinsic to the universe? Why are snowflakes six-sided? Why do flowers often have five or eight petals, and very rarely six or seven? Why do tigers have stripes, but leopards have spots?
Without presuming that his listeners have any mathematical knowledge, Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics, provides a comprehensive tour of the mathematical universe, and explores the connection between maths theory and natural reality; he touches on games and chaos, violins and radio waves, rigorous proofs and computer models - all without equations. He shares his enthusiasm and delight in the way that maths helps us to understand - and often predict - how and why things happen in the real world.
