Reaching for the Extreme - How the Quest for the Biggest, Fewest and Weirdest Makes Maths

Összefoglaló

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF PROFESSOR STEWART'S CABINET OF MATHEMATICAL CURIOSITIES <BR><BR>'A superlative study of superlatives' GUARDIAN <BR>'Britain's most brilliant and prolific populariser of maths' ALEX BELLOS<BR><BR>What is the maximum land you can enclose inside a given border?<BR><BR>What is the minimum number of colours you can use to colour in a map so that no region shares a shade?<BR><BR>And how do you calculate the shortest route between two cities?<BR><BR>These questions may not sound related, but they have this in common: they all explore extremes: shortest lines, greatest areas, fewest colours. They have also given rise to some of the most important areas of mathematical study and have resulted in a myriad of applications - from the legend of Dido's founding of the city of Carthage to contemporary satellite navigation systems. <BR><BR>From soap bubbles to the cosmos, Britain's most beloved mathematician tells the fascinating stories of the people and ideas pushing the very bounds of mathematics - and the discoveries that have changed our lives.