{"title":"Julian Havil","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to our collection of works by Julian Havil, a renowned author celebrated for his engaging exploration of mathematical concepts. Havil's books are a delightful journey into the world of mathematics, where complex ideas are unravelled with clarity and precision, making them accessible to both the mathematically curious and serious enthusiasts alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAmong his notable works, \u003cem\u003eCurves for the Mathematically Curious\u003c\/em\u003e invites readers to explore the fascinating realm of curves, blending mathematical insight with historical narratives. In \u003cem\u003eGamma\u003c\/em\u003e, Havil delves into the mystery of Euler's constant, a mathematical enigma that has intrigued mathematicians for centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eImpossible?\u003c\/em\u003e takes on mathematical puzzles and challenges often deemed unsolvable, revealing the intriguing stories and solutions behind them. Lastly, \u003cem\u003eThe Irrationals\u003c\/em\u003e offers a captivating look at irrational numbers, tracing their origins and highlighting their profound impact on mathematics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis collection is perfect for those who appreciate the intricate beauty of mathematics and wish to deepen their understanding of its wonders. Julian Havil's works stand out for their ability to demystify complex ideas, making them a valuable addition to any science and nature reading list.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"curves-for-the-mathematically-curious-by-julian-havil-9780691206134","title":"Curves for the Mathematically Curious","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eCurves for the Mathematically Curious\u003c\/i\u003e is a thoughtfully curated collection of ten mathematical curves, selected by Julian Havil for their significance, mathematical interest, and beauty. Each chapter gives an account of the history and definition of one curve, providing a glimpse into the elegant and often surprising mathematics involved in its creation and evolution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn telling the ten stories, Havil introduces many mathematicians and other innovators, some whose fame has withstood the passing of years and others who have slipped into comparative obscurity. You will meet Pierre Bézier, who is known for his ubiquitous and eponymous curves, and Adolphe Quetelet, who trumpeted the ubiquity of the normal curve but whose name now hides behind the modern body mass index. These and other ingenious thinkers engaged with the challenges, incongruities, and insights to be found in these remarkable curves—and now you can share in this adventure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eCurves for the Mathematically Curious\u003c\/i\u003e is a rigorous and enriching mathematical experience for anyone interested in curves, and the book is designed so that readers who choose can follow the details with pencil and paper. Every curve has a story worth telling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'This is not your father's or grandfather's standard collection of conic sections.' - Jim Stein, \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Books Network\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Undoubtedly [this book], written in the same entertaining unmistakable style of the author and containing a lot of information - mathematical, historical and general - will attract, as the previous ones, a large audience.' - S. Cobzas, \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eStudia Mathematica\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'What a beautiful book!' - Jonathan Shock, \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eMathemafrica.org\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'A wonderful addition to libraries where the mathematically curious find their reading.' - \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Havil's narrative for each curve is a cornucopia of fun facts and rigorous explanation.' - Andrew J. Simoson, \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eMathematical Intelligence\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46854429409516,"sku":"9780691206134","price":62.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/eedc59d4e9f613625f99e317eb9b08a5.jpg?v=1759270279"},{"product_id":"gamma-by-julian-havil-9780691178103","title":"Gamma","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmong the many constants that appear in mathematics, π, e, and i are the most familiar. Following closely behind is γ, or gamma, a constant that arises in many mathematical areas yet maintains a profound sense of mystery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn a tantalizing blend of history and mathematics, Julian Havil takes the reader on a journey through logarithms and the harmonic series, the two defining elements of gamma, toward the first account of gamma's place in mathematics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIntroduced by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), who figures prominently in this book, gamma is defined as the limit of the sum of 1 + 1\/2 + 1\/3 + ... up to 1, minus the natural logarithm of n—the numerical value being 0.5772156... But unlike its more celebrated colleagues π and e, the exact nature of gamma remains a mystery—we don't even know if gamma can be expressed as a fraction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAmong the numerous topics that arise during this historical odyssey into fundamental mathematical ideas are the Prime Number Theorem and the most important open problem in mathematics today—the Riemann Hypothesis (though no proof of either is offered!).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSure to be popular with not only students and instructors but all math aficionados, \u003cem\u003eGamma\u003c\/em\u003e takes us through countries, centuries, lives, and works, unfolding along the way the stories of some remarkable mathematics from some remarkable mathematicians.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46854550159596,"sku":"9780691178103","price":57.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780691178103.jpg?v=1759246532"},{"product_id":"impossible-by-julian-havil-9780691150024","title":"Impossible?","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eNonplussed!\u003c\/em\u003e, popular-math writer Julian Havil delighted readers with a mind-boggling array of implausible yet true mathematical paradoxes. Now Havil is back with \u003cem\u003eImpossible?\u003c\/em\u003e, another marvellous medley of the utterly confusing, profound, and unbelievable—and all of it mathematically irrefutable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhenever Forty-second Street in New York is temporarily closed, traffic doesn't gridlock but flows more smoothly—why is that? Or consider that cities that build new roads can experience dramatic increases in traffic congestion—how is this possible?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat does the game show \u003cem\u003eLet's Make A Deal\u003c\/em\u003e reveal about the unexpected hazards of decision-making? What can the game of cricket teach us about the surprising behaviour of the law of averages? These are some of the counterintuitive mathematical occurrences that readers encounter in \u003cem\u003eImpossible?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHavil ventures further than ever into territory where intuition can lead one astray. He gathers entertaining problems from probability and statistics along with an eclectic variety of conundrums and puzzlers from other areas of mathematics, including classics of abstract math like the Banach-Tarski paradox.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese problems range in difficulty from easy to highly challenging, yet they can be tackled by anyone with a background in calculus. And the fascinating history and personalities associated with many of the problems are included with their mathematical proofs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eImpossible?\u003c\/em\u003e will delight anyone who wants to have their reason thoroughly confounded in the most astonishing and unpredictable ways.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46854602948844,"sku":"9780691150024","price":54.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/62039b2af2a93fcc87e476c7070847b8.jpg?v=1759267752"},{"product_id":"the-irrationals-by-julian-havil-9780691247663","title":"The Irrationals","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn entertaining and enlightening history of irrational numbers, from ancient Greece to the twenty-first century.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe ancient Greeks discovered them, but it wasn't until the nineteenth century that irrational numbers were properly understood and rigorously defined, and even today not all their mysteries have been revealed. In \u003ci\u003eThe Irrationals\u003c\/i\u003e, the first popular and comprehensive book on the subject, Julian Havil tells the story of irrational numbers and the mathematicians who have tackled their challenges, from antiquity to the twenty-first century. Along the way, he explains why irrational numbers are surprisingly difficult to define— and why so many questions still surround them. Fascinating and illuminating, this is a book for everyone who loves math and the history behind it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe insides of this book are as clever and compelling as the subtitle on the cover. Havil, a retired former master at Winchester College in England, where he taught math for decades, takes readers on a history of irrational numbers— numbers, like √2 or π, whose decimal expansion 'is neither finite nor recurring.' We start in ancient Greece with Pythagoras, whose thinking most likely helped to set the path toward the discovery of irrational numbers, and continue to the present day, pausing to ponder such questions as, 'Is the decimal expansion of an irrational number random?'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnna Kuchment, Scientific American\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Irrationals\u003c\/i\u003e is a true mathematician's and historian's delight.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRobert Schaefer, New York Journal of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46855009763564,"sku":"9780691247663","price":54.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9de2ba8d0e6a3abde05030a9f6222d6e.jpg?v=1759262566"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/julian-havil.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}