Ebook: A most elegant equation: Euler's formula and the beauty of mathematics

An award-winning science writer introduces us to mathematics using the extraordinary equation that unites five of mathematics' most important numbers Bertrand Russell wrote that mathematics can exalt "as surely as poetry." This is especially true of one equation: ei(pi) + 1 = 0, the brainchild of Leonhard Euler, the Mozart of mathematics. More than two centuries after Euler's death, it is still regarded as a conceptual diamond of unsurpassed beauty. Called Euler's identity or God's equation, it includes just five numbers but represents an astonishing revelation of hidden connections. It ties together everything from basic arithmetic to compound interest, the circumference of a circle, trigonometry, calculus, and even infinity. In David Stipp's hands, Euler's identity formula becomes a contemplative stroll through the glories of mathematics. The result is an ode to this magical field.;Intro; TITLE PAGE; COPYRIGHT; TABLE OF CONTENTS; DEDICATION; EPIGRAPH; Introduction; ONE God's Equation; TWO A Constant That's All About Change; THREE It Even Comes Down the Chimney; FOUR The Number Between Being and Not-Being; FIVE Portrait of the Master; SIX Through the Wormhole; SEVEN From Triangles to Seesaws; EIGHT Reggie's Problem; NINE Putting It Together; TEN A New Spin on Euler's Formula; ELEVEN The Meaning of It All; APPENDIX 1: Euler's Original Derivation; APPENDIX 2: Why ii Is Real; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS; GLOSSARY; BIBLIOGRAPHY; ABOUT THE AUTHOR; ALSO BY DAVID STIPP; NOTES; INDEX.