"Have you wondered how rainbows or sand dunes form? Does it puzzle
you why drying mud forms polygonally shaped cracks? Can you explain
the patterns on a butterfly's wings or how birds fly? In this
delightful book, John Adam invites us to question and to share his
enthusiasm for developing mathematical models to explore a wide
range of everyday natural phenomena. "Mathematics in Nature" can be
used as a text on mathematical modeling or as a book to dip into
and encourage us to observe and wonder at the beauty of nature. It
has the potential of becoming a classic."--Brian Sleeman,
University of Leeds
"This is a book that I will want to keep close to hand so that I
will not be stumped by all those seemingly simple yet subtle
questions about nature: Why can fleas jump so high? Why is
visibility better in rain than in fog? Why does a river meander?
How high can trees grow? But it is much more than a compendium of
useful facts and explanations. It is the clearest guide I have seen
to the art of conceptualizing, simplifying, and modeling natural
phenomena--no less than an exegesis on how good quantitative
science is done."--Phillip Ball, Consultant Editor, "Nature"
""Mathematics in Nature" leads the calculus-literate reader on a
vigorous tour of nature's visible patterns--from the
radiator-sailed dinosaur Dimetrodon to fracturing of dried mud and
ceramic glazes, from the dispersion of rainbows and iridescence of
beetles to the pearling of spider silk. Eschewing phenomena that
are too small to see or too large to grasp, Adam shows how
elementary college mathematics, rigorously applied, can give
precise expression to everyday natural phenomena. His extraordinary
range of examples andmeticulous explanations document mathematics'
wonderful capacity to describe and explain nature's
patterns."--Lynn Arthur Steen, St. Olaf College
"This work is outstanding! The color photographs are beautiful.
The writing style is splendid."--Robert B. Banks, author of "Towing
Icebergs, Falling Dominoes, and Other Adventures in Applied
Mathematics"
"This is a unique, even great book. It is in the spirit of a
number of books on topics like symmetry and chaos that look at
mathematics in the context of visually striking natural and other
phenomena but is more broadly based. The author leads with the
phenomena and follows with the math, making the book accessible to
a wider audience while still appealing to math students and
faculty."--Frank Wattenberg
"This is one of the best contemporary texts on the subject,
appealing to a very broad audience that will definitely love this
excellent book."--Yuri V. Rogovchenko, "Zentralblatt Math"
(European Mathematical Society)
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