![]() The Adventures of Hans Pfaall and Fatty Pyecraft (questionable physics in stories by Poe and Wells), V. The Advent of Radio (why radio was invented when it was), Pavel Bliokh, Nov/Dec96, p4 (Feature)Īdventures Among Pt-sets (math challenge), George Berzsenyi, Mar/Apr91, p55 (Contest) Nikitin, May/Jun97, p46 (At the Blackboard) Feldman, Jul/Aug00, p22 (Feature)Īn Act of Divine Providence (Kepler excerpt), Yuly Danilov, May/Jun93, p41 (Anthology)Īdding Angles in Three Dimensions (taking a plane theorem into the realm of polyhedrons), A. AĪbout the Triangle (it may be the simplest polygon, but it gave rise to an entire branch of mathematics), Mar/Apr00, p31 (Kaleidoscope)Īlgebraic and Transcendental Numbers (2/3, e, pi, the square root of 2-things like that), N. Note: In addition to the articles listed below, each issue of Quantum contained math and physics problems, “brainteasers,” a solution section, a department called Gallery Q that tied works of art to topics in the magazine, a chess column (in the early years), a science crossword puzzle (from November/December 1992 on), and a bulletin board. You can use your web browser’s “Find” function to search by author, title, description, department, or date (see the format used below). Published in Smarandache Notions Journal, reprinted with permission and this review also appears on Amazon.The articles are listed in alphabetical order by title. For this reason you should buy this book and keep a copy on your shelf. Geometry is a jewel that was born on the banks of the Nile river and we should treasure and respect it as the seed from which so much of our basic reasoning sprouted. In so many ways, Euclidean geometry is but the middle way between the other two geometries, a point well made and in great detail by Coxeter. His explanations of the non-Euclidean geometries is so clear that one cannot help but absorb the essentials. While fifty years is a mere spasm compared to the time since Euclid, it is certainly possible that students will be reading Coxeter far into the future with the same appreciation that we have when we read Euclid. The other two, elliptic and hyperbolic, are the main topics of this wonderful book.Ĭoxeter is arguably the best geometer of the twentieth century but there can be no argument that he is the best explainer of geometry of that century. There were in fact three geometries, all of which are of equal validity. ![]() Many tried to remove it, but finally the Holmsean dictum of “once you have eliminated the impossible, what is left, no matter how improbable, must be true,” had to be admitted. ![]() That annoying fifth postulate seemed so out of place and yet it could not be made to go away. ![]() For many centuries, it was nearly an act of faith that all of geometry was Euclidean. Most of the principles of the axiomatic method, the concept of the theorem and many of the techniques used in proofs were born and nurtured in the cradle of geometry. ![]() There are other reasons why geometry should occupy a special place in our hearts. The geometry taught in high schools today is with only minor modifications found in the Euclidean classic. It is one of the most read books of all time, arguably the only book without a religious theme still in widespread use over 2000 years after the publication of the first edition. The only book from the ancient history of mathematics that all mathematicians have heard of is the “Elements” by Euclid. It is generally conceded that much of the origins of mathematics is due to the simple necessity of maintaining accurate plots in settlements. We in mathematics owe so much to geometry. Fortunately, like so many things in the world, trends in mathematics are cyclic and one can hope that the geometric cycle is on the rise. It is a commentary on the recent demise of geometry in many curricula that 33 years elapsed between the publication of the fifth and sixth editions. Originally published in 1942, this book has lost none of its power in the last half century. ![]()
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