An astrophysicist demonstrates the beauty and prevalence of a single geometric concept to the intelligent layperson, and discusses what it has meant to philosophers, scientists, and artists throughout history. The mathematician Euclid discovered over 2,000 years ago that, when a line is cut into two unequal lengths such that the ratio between the ...
This fascinating exploration of the great discoveries of history's most important mathematicians seeks an answer to the eternal question: Does mathematics hold the key to understanding the mysteries of the physical world? Illustrations throughout.
From the author of the bestseller The Golden Ratio comes the story of the 4,000-year-long mathematical quest that uncovered the laws of symmetry in nature and the arts.
Advance Praise for The Accelerating Universe "The Accelerating Universe is not only an informative book about modern cosmology. It is rich storytelling and, above all, a celebration of the human mind in its quest for beauty in all things." -Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams "This is a wonderfully lucid account of the extraordinary ...
What do the Parthenon in Greece, crosses in graveyards, the ratio of the height of the navel to a woman's total height, sunflowers and Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" have in common? The answer is that these disparate elements share a geometrical proportion of ancient origin, commonly known as the 'Golden Ratio', or expressed numerically as phi. ...
Since the dramatic discovery that the supernova SN1998bw coincided in position and time with a gamma-ray burst, the possibility was raised that these two types of spectacular explosions are related. This timely volume presents especially written articles by a host of world experts who gathered together for an international conference at the Space ...
The Hubble Space Telescope has made some of the most dramatic discoveries in the history of astronomy. From its vantage point 600km above the Earth, Hubble is able to capture images and spectra that would be difficult or impossible to obtain from the ground. This volume represents some of the most important scientific achievements of the Hubble ...
This timely volume reviews recent progress in our understanding of all aspects of stellar structure and evolution, with special emphasis on currently unsolved problems. It covers every stage in the life of a star, from birth to death, as well as the fundamental processes which affect stellar evolution. Each article is written by a leading world ...
This book reviews the recent findings on the composition of the universe, its dynamics, and the implications of both for the evolution of large-scale structure and for fundamental theories of the universe. With each chapter written by a leading expert in the field, topics include massive compact halo objects, the oldest white dwarfs, hot gas in ...
What can emission lines tell us about an astrophysical object? A workshop at the Space Telescope Science Institute was dedicated to address just this question - for a host of objects (including planetary nebulae and active galactic nuclei) across a broad range of wavelengths (from the infrared through to gamma-rays). Thirteen review articles from ...
Humans have long thought that planetary systems similar to our own should exist around stars other than the Sun, yet the search for planets outside our Solar System has had a dismal history of discoveries that could not be confirmed. However, this all changed in 1995, with the past decade witnessing astonishing progress in this field; we now know ...
With the Hubble Space Telepscope's next servicing mission still uncertain, identifying the most crucial science to be performed by this superb telescope has become of paramount importance. With this goal in mind, this book presents a review of some of the most important open questions in astronomy today. World experts examine topics ranging from ...
The Hubble Deep Field (HDF) is the deepest optical image of the Universe ever obtained. It provides a unique resource for researchers studying the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies. This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the scientific impact of the HDF on cosmology. It presents articles by a host of world experts who ...
The Local Group of galaxies consists of the Milky Way and all of its neighbors. The proximity of these galaxies allows for detailed studies of the processes that have led to their formation, structures, and evolution. In particular, studies of the Local Group can test predictions of structure formation that are based on dark energy and cold dark ...
What does the extragalactic background radiation, from gamma-rays through to radio waves, tell us about the formation and evolution of structure in the Universe? A workshop at the Space Telescope Science Institute was held to address just this question: it provided a unique opportunity for observational astronomers and theorists to share their ...
Astrobiology is one of the hottest areas of current research, reflecting not only impressive advances in the understanding of the origin of life but also the discovery of over 100 extrasolar planets in recent years. This volume is based on a meeting held at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which aimed to lay the astrophysical groundwork for ...
What do the Parthenon in Greece, crosses in graveyards, the ratio of the height of the navel to a woman's total height, sunflowers and Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa have in common? The answer is that these disparate elements share a geometrical proportion of ancient origin, commonly known as the "Golden Ratio", or expressed numerically as phi. In ...
The first book for the layperson on a mathematical relationship that has obsessed mathematicians, philosophers, scientists, and artists since ancient Greece--an omnipresent number considered to be "divine."
Advance Praise for The Accelerating Universe "The Accelerating Universe is not only an informative book about modern cosmology. It is rich storytelling and, above all, a celebration of the human mind in its quest for beauty in all things." -Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams "This is a wonderfully lucid account of the extraordinary ...
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