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When Least Is Best

By Nahin, Paul J

When Least Is Best

By Nahin, Paul J

0 - Default Title
Description
A mathematical journey through the most fascinating problems of extremes and how to solve them What is the best way to photograph a speeding bullet? How can lost hikers find their way out of a forest? Why does light move through glass in the least amount of time possible? When Least Is Best combines the mathematical history of extrema with contemporary examples to answer these intriguing questions and more. Paul Nahin shows how life often works at the extremes-with values becoming as small (or as large) as possible-and he considers how mathematicians over the centuries, including Descartes, Fermat, and Kepler, have grappled with these problems of minima and maxima. Throughout, Nahin examines entertaining conundrums, such as how to build the shortest bridge possible between two towns, how to vary speed during a race, and how to make the perfect basketball shot. Moving from medieval writings and modern calculus to the field of optimization, the engaging and witty explorations of When Least Is Best will delight math enthusiasts everywhere.
Product details
Binding:
Paperback
Number of Pages:
406
Release Date:
2021-05-18
Publication Date:
2021-05-18
Publisher:
Princeton University Press
Languages:
Original: English
ISBN10:
0691218765
ISBN13:
9780691218762
GPSR Manufacturer Reference:
[email protected]
Weight:
368 g
Height:
137 cm
Width:
214 cm
Thickness:
30 cm
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