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Circles Disturbed: The Interplay of Mathematics and Narrative
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Circles Disturbed: The Interplay of Mathematics and Narrative Hardcover - 2012

by Apostolos Doxiadis (Editor); Barry Mazur (Editor)


From the publisher

Circles Disturbed brings together important thinkers in mathematics, history, and philosophy to explore the relationship between mathematics and narrative. The book's title recalls the last words of the great Greek mathematician Archimedes before he was slain by a Roman soldier--"Don't disturb my circles"--words that seem to refer to two radically different concerns: that of the practical person living in the concrete world of reality, and that of the theoretician lost in a world of abstraction. Stories and theorems are, in a sense, the natural languages of these two worlds--stories representing the way we act and interact, and theorems giving us pure thought, distilled from the hustle and bustle of reality. Yet, though the voices of stories and theorems seem totally different, they share profound connections and similarities.A book unlike any other, Circles Disturbed delves into topics such as the way in which historical and biographical narratives shape our understanding of mathematics and mathematicians, the development of "myths of origins" in mathematics, the structure and importance of mathematical dreams, the role of storytelling in the formation of mathematical intuitions, the ways mathematics helps us organize the way we think about narrative structure, and much more.In addition to the editors, the contributors are Amir Alexander, David Corfield, Peter Galison, Timothy Gowers, Michael Harris, David Herman, Federica La Nave, G.E.R. Lloyd, Uri Margolin, Colin McLarty, Jan Christoph Meister, Arkady Plotnitsky, and Bernard Teissier.

From the rear cover

"Circles Disturbed offers a range of possibilities for how narrative can function in mathematics and how narratives themselves show signs of a mathematical structure. An intelligent, exploratory collection of writings by a distinguished group of contributors."--Theodore Porter, University of California, Los Angeles

"This collection is a pioneering effort to trace the hidden connections between mathematics and narrative. It succeeds magnificently, and represents a very significant contribution that will appeal to the professional mathematician as well as the general educated reader. The articles are written by top authorities in their fields."--Doron Zeilberger, Rutgers University

"The idea of a volume devoted to mathematics and narrative is a good one. The strength of the present volume is the breadth of its outlook, and I would imagine a fairly diverse readership from a wide variety of perspectives."--Robert Osserman, professor emeritus, Stanford University

Details

  • Title Circles Disturbed: The Interplay of Mathematics and Narrative
  • Author Apostolos Doxiadis (Editor); Barry Mazur (Editor)
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Edition.
  • Pages 552
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ:
  • Date 2012
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Dust Cover, Illustrated, Index, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780691149042 / 0691149046
  • Weight 2.16 lbs (0.98 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.3 x 6.3 x 2.1 in (23.62 x 16.00 x 5.33 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Logic, Symbolic and mathematical, Mathematics - History
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2011037043
  • Dewey Decimal Code 510.14

Media reviews

Citations

  • Choice, 09/01/2012, Page 0

About the author

Apostolos Doxiadis is a writer whose books include Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture and Logicomix.
Barry Mazur is the Gerhard Gade University Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Harvard University. His books include Imagining Numbers and Arithmetic Moduli of Elliptic Curves (Princeton).

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Circles Disturbed: The Interplay of Mathematics and Narrative
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Circles Disturbed: The Interplay of Mathematics and Narrative

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Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2012 Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 2012. Hardcover. First Printing by Line Number. Book is tight, square, and unmarked. Book Condition: Very Good +; small smudge to textblock bottom; small smudge line to FFFP. DJ: Very Good +; light rubbing to panels. Charcoal gray cloth boards and spine with bright gilt lettering to spine. 570 pp 8vo. This book brings together important thinkers in mathematics, history, and philosophy to explore the relationship between mathematics and narrative. This book delves into topics such as the way in which historical and biographical narratives shape our understanding of mathematics and mathematicians, the development of "myths of origins" in mathematics, the structure an importance of mathematical dreams, the role of storytelling in the formation of mathematical intuitions, the ways mathematics helps us organize the way we think about narrative structure, and much more. A clean very presentable copy in a… Read More
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Circles Disturbed: The Interplay of Mathematics and Narrative

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Circles Disturbed: The Interplay of Mathematics and Narrative

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Hardback. New. Recalls the last words of the great Greek mathematician Archimedes before he was slain by a Roman soldier - "Don't disturb my circles" - words that seem to refer to two radically different concerns: that of the practical person living in the concrete world of reality, and that of the theoretician lost in a world of abstraction.
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Circles Disturbed – The Interplay of Mathematics and Narrative
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Circles Disturbed – The Interplay of Mathematics and Narrative

by Doxiadis, Apostolos (Editor)/ Mazur, Barry (Editor)

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