An edition of Achilles in the quantum universe (1997)

Achilles in the quantum universe

the definitive history of infinity

1st ed.
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Last edited by MARC Bot
August 6, 2024 | History
An edition of Achilles in the quantum universe (1997)

Achilles in the quantum universe

the definitive history of infinity

1st ed.
  • 2 Want to read
  • 1 Have read

Centuries ago, when the ancient philosopher Zeno proposed his famous paradox involving Achilles and the Tortoise, he struck at the heart of one of science's most enduring and intractable problems: How do we define the infinite? From then on, our greatest natural philosophers, logicians, mathematicians, and scientists, from Aristotle to Stephen Hawking, have been stymied - and driven - by infinity.

Acclaimed science writer Richard Morris guides us on a fascinating, literate, and entertaining tour of the efforts made throughout history to make sense of the mind-bending concept of the infinite. In tracing this quest, Morris shows us how each new encounter with infinity drove the advancement of physics and mathematics.

Along the way, we encounter such luminaries as Galileo and Newton, Tycho Brahe and Giordano Bruno, and the giants of modern physics: Planck, Einstein, Bohr, Feynmann, Hawking, and numerous others.

Beginning with simple logical puzzles and progressing to the latest cosmological theories, Morris shows how these same infinity problems helped spawn such groundbreaking scientific developments as relativity and quantum mechanics. Though in many ways, the infinite is just as baffling today as it was in antiquity, contemporary scientists are probing ever deeper into the nature of our universe and catching fleeting glimpses of the infinite in ways the ancients could never have imagined.

Publish Date
Publisher
Henry Holt
Language
English
Pages
224

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Previews available in: Chinese English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Wu xian tan suo wu xian =
Wu xian tan suo wu xian =: Achilles in the quantum universe : the definitive history of infinity
1998, Xin xin wen wen hua shi ye gu fen you xian gong si
in Chinese
Cover of: Achilles in the quantum universe
Achilles in the quantum universe: the definitive history of infinity
1997, Henry Holt
in English - 1st ed.

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Book Details


Edition Notes

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Published in
New York

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
530/.01
Library of Congress
QB14.5 .M67 1997, QB14.5.M67 1997

The Physical Object

Pagination
xii, 224 p. :
Number of pages
224

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL1009728M
Internet Archive
achillesinquantu00morr
ISBN 10
0805047794
LCCN
96049772
OCLC/WorldCat
35990288
Library Thing
25537
Goodreads
1489472

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August 6, 2024 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
December 27, 2021 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
April 28, 2010 Edited by Open Library Bot Linked existing covers to the work.
October 23, 2009 Edited by WorkBot add subjects to works
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