Bøger af Colin Pask

Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg has written that "e;all that has happened since 1687 is a gloss on the Principia."e; Now you too can appreciate the significance of this stellar work, regarded by many as the greatest scientific contribution of all time. Despite its dazzling reputation, Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, or simply the Principia, remains a mystery for many people. Few of even the most intellectually curious readers, including professional scientists and mathematicians, have actually looked in the Principia or appreciate its contents. Mathematician Pask seeks to remedy this deficit in this accessible guided tour through Newton's masterpiece. Using the final edition of the Principia, Pask clearly demonstrates how it sets out Newton's (and now our) approach to science; how the framework of classical mechanics is established; how terrestrial phenomena like the tides and projectile motion are explained; and how we can understand the dynamics of the solar system and the paths of comets. He also includes scene-setting chapters about Newton himself and scientific developments in his time, as well as chapters about the reception and influence of the Principia up to the present day.

Science is based not only on observation and experiment, but on theory as well. As Einstein said, ';Theory tells us what to measure.' And theories are often crystallized into succinct calculations, like those made using Einstein's famous E = mc2. This book looks at fifty such great calculations, exploring how and why they were developed and assessing their impact on the history of science.As the author shows, many significant scientific calculations are quite simple and fairly easy to understand, even for readers will little math background. But their implications can be surprising and profound.For example, what links a famous comet and the cost of an annuity? Why do scientists claim there is ';dark matter' in the universe if it can't be observed? How does carbon-based life on Earth depend on a quirk of nuclear physics? The answer to each question is an illuminating calculation.This accessible, engaging book will help you understand these breakthroughs and how they changed our view of life and the world.