About this title: 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 ...
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Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Broadway
Date Published: 2002-10
ISBN-13:9780767908153ISBN:0767908155
Description: Fair. Ex-Library, usual library stamps/stickers/marks inside and outside, light moisture stain on some page edges/does not interfere with text, no page creases, no writing on text pages, dust jacket, shelf-wear, edge-wear. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Broadway
Date Published: 2003-09-23
ISBN-13:9780767908160ISBN:0767908163
Description: Very Good. SOFTCOVER. Very Good-Condition. Binding tight, pages clean. Light wear to edges and corners. Crease at front hinge. Light scuffing to covers. Nice copy! read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Broadway
Date Published: 2003-09-23
ISBN-13:9780767908160ISBN:0767908163
Description: LIKE NEW SOFTCOVER. Size: trade paperback; Most readers will have at least dim memories from geometry class of the irrational number pi. Theoretical astrophysicist Livio gives pi's overlooked cousin phi its due with this lively account, the first on the subject written for the layperson. Phi is the golden ratio of antiquity (1.6180339887), a never-ending number so lauded for its harmonious qualities that in the 16th century it was dubbed the divine proportion. It is related to phenomena as ... read more
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. no marks on text. no spine crease. cover shows wear with rubbed/wear along edges, small 1" tear on edge. bent cover corners. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 304 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: New in new dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 304 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. BRAND NEW NEVER OPENED read more
Description: Brand New. Paperback. The number phi-1.6180339887, to be approximate-recurs throughout nature from mollusk shells and rose petals to the shape of the galaxy. It was discovered by Euclid over 2, 000 years ago in the measurements of the mystical pentagram. The followers of Pythagoras believed it revealed the hand of God. In telling the story of phi, astronomer Mario Livio tells their stories along with those of other phi-obsessed individuals like Kepler, Goethe, Cezanne, Bartok and physicist ... read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Broadway Books
Date Published: 2003-09-01
ISBN-13:9780767908160ISBN:0767908163
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780767908160. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Broadway
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780767908160ISBN:0767908163
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Broadway Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780767908160ISBN:0767908163
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 304 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Broadway Books
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780767908153ISBN:0767908155
Description: New in new dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 304 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. BRAND NEW NEVER OPENED OR READ read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Broadway Books, New York
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780767908153ISBN:0767908155
Description: Fine in Fine jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. viii, 294 pp., illus., biblio., index; 25 cm. AS NEW. Dust jacket protected in a mylar book cover. On the aesthetics of mathematics; artists from all ages have employed the "Golden Ratio" in proportioning their compositions. "Throughout history, thinkers from mathematicians to theologians have pondered the mysterious relationship between numbers and the nature of reality. In this fascinating book, Mario Livio tells the tale of a number at the heart of ... read more
"The number phi (approximately 1.618) is a ratio of successive numbers in the Fibonacci Sequence, first described by Euclid geometrically as the means-extreme ratio, that appears in many surprising places in nature and mathematics. This ratio shows part of the beauty of the mathematical design of the natural world. Why God chose to use this ratio is a mystery that needs to be further explored."
"I found the seed of the book interesting, but after long strings of repetitions of examples, I got a little bored. I think the author has hit on a voice that works for people with some mathematical background and interest, but I think he's overshot for people who didn't enjoy learning math (on the other hand, would they have picked up the book in the first place?). I confess that I skipped the proofs at the back. But I did enjoy the beginning of the book - brief bits of the history of mathematics - and the end - a mere 4-page foray into the philosophy of mathematics. I didn't know there was such a thing, although I suppose I should have!"
"This book was given to me by my daughter and son-in-law. Excellent read! I was familiar with the golden ration already from a few of the science reads I have done but this book zeros in on it 100 %. You go from the last page mesmerized by the beauty of all existence with an insurmountable awe with the connection of everything. Not even 4 years of studying philosophy can expose you to the awe of this one book.
"Any of you who know me are aware that I am NOT a math person. But this book has some incredibly cool insights to the number phi 1.61 which is found repeated through art, mathematics, science, nature, music...I am surprised I like this!"
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