W.W. Norton & Company, New York, London, 2010. – 217 p. – ISBN: 0393337936, 039306204XPhilosopher and science historian Robert P. Crease tells the stories behind ten of the greatest equations in human history. Was Nobel laureate Richard Feynman really joking when he called Maxwell's electromagnetic equations the most significant event of the nineteenth century? How did Newton's law of gravitation influence young revolutionaries? Why has Euler's formula been called "God's equation," and why did a mysterious ecoterrorist make it his calling card? What role do betrayal, insanity, and suicide play in the second law of thermodynamics?
The Great Equations tells the stories of how these equations were discovered, revealing the personal struggles of their ingenious originators. From "1 + 1 = 2" to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, Crease locates these equations in the panoramic sweep of Western history, showing how they are as integral to their time and place of creation as are great works of art.
Contents
Introduction
“The Basis of Civilization”: The Pythagorean Theorem
Interlude: Rules, Proofs, and the Magic of Mathematics
“The Soul of Classical Mechanics”: Newton’s Second Law of Motion
Interlude: The Book of Nature
“The High Point of the Scientific Revolution”: Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation Interlude: That Apple
“The Gold Standard for Mathematical Beauty”: Euler’s Equation Interlude: Equations as Icons
The Scientific Equivalent of Shakespeare: The Second Law of Thermodynamics Interlude: The Science of Impossibility
“The Most Significant Event of the 19th Century”: Maxwell’s Equations
Interlude: Overcoming Anosognosia; or Restoring the Vitality of the Humanities
Celebrity Equation: E = mc2 Interlude: Crazy Ideas
The Golden Egg: Einstein’s Equation for General Relativity Interlude: Science Critics
“The Basic Equation of Quantum Theory”: Schrödinger’s Equation Interlude: The Double Consciousness of Scientists
Living with Uncertainty: The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle Interlude: The Yogi and the Quantum
Conclusion: Bringing the Strange Home
