Revolutionary mathematics : artificial intelligence, statistics and the logic of capitalism by
Our finances, politics, media, opportunities, information, shopping and knowledge production are mediated through algorithms and their statistical approaches to knowledge. Increasingly, these methods form the organisational backbone of contemporary capitalism. Revolutionary Mathematics traces the revolution in statistics and probability that has quietly underwritten the explosion of machine learning, big data and predictive algorithms that now decide many aspects of our lives. Exploring shifts in the philosophical understanding of probability in the late twentieth century, Joque shows how this was not merely a technical change but a wholesale philosophical transformation in the production of knowledge and the extraction of value.
This book provides a new and unique perspective on the dangers of allowing artificial intelligence and big data to manage society. It is essential reading for those who want to understand the underlying ideological and philosophical changes that have fuelled the rise of algorithms and convinced so many to blindly trust their outputs, reshaping our current political and economic situation.
Reimagining Time by
A quirky, funny, and accessible blend of science and art that delves into the heart of Einstein's theory of relativity It was a link to his 1905 paper--an early attempt at explaining his revolutionary ideas on space, time, and matter--that drew Tanya Bub into Albert Einstein's imaginative vision of the world. What particularly struck her was how Einstein interwove words and math to create clear visuals illustrating his theories. As an artist, she naturally started doodling as she worked her way through his concepts, creating drawings that intuitively demonstrated Einstein's core principles. In Reimagining Time Tanya Bub teams up with her father, the distinguished physicist Jeffrey Bub, to create a quirky and accessible take on one of science's most revolutionary discoveries. Blending original art and text, they guide readers through Einstein's theory of special relativity to expose truths about our universe: time is relative, lengths get shorter with motion, energy and mass are interchangeable, and the Universe has a speed limit.
Differential Equations in Engineering by
Differential Equations in Engineering: Research and Applications describes advanced research in the field of the applications of differential equations in engineering and the sciences, and offers a sound theoretical background, along with case studies. It describes the advances in differential equations in real life for engineers. Along with covering many advanced differential equations and explaining the utility of these equations, the book provides a broad understanding of the use of differential equations to solve and analyze many real-world problems, such as calculating the movement or flow of electricity, the motion of an object to and from, like a pendulum, or explaining thermodynamics concepts by making use of various mathematical tools, techniques, strategies, and methods in applied engineering. This book is written for researchers and academicians, as well as for undergraduate and postgraduate students of engineering.
Mathematics for Reliability Engineering by
Without mathematics no science would survive. This especially applies to the engineering sciences which highly depend on the applications of mathematics and mathematical tools such as optimization techniques, finite element methods, differential equations, fluid dynamics, mathematical modelling, and simulation. Neither optimization in engineering, nor the performance of safety-critical system and system security; nor high assurance software architecture and design would be possible without the development of mathematical applications. De Gruyter Series on the Applications of Mathematics in Engineering and Information Sciences (AMEIS) focusses on the latest applications of engineering and information technology that are possible only with the use of mathematical methods. By identifying the gaps in knowledge of engineering applications the AMEIS series fosters the international interchange between the sciences and keeps the reader informed about the latest developments.
Mage Merlin's Unsolved Mathematical Mysteries by
Most people think of mathematics as a set of useful tools designed to answer analytical questions, beginning with simple arithmetic and ending with advanced calculus. But, as Mage Merlin's Unsolved Mathematical Mysteries shows, mathematics is filled with intriguing mysteries that take us to the edge of the unknown. This richly illustrated, story-driven volume presents sixteen of today's greatest unsolved mathematical puzzles, all understandable by anyone with elementary math skills. These intriguing mysteries are presented to readers as puzzles that have time-traveled from Camelot, preserved in the notebook of Merlin, the wise magician in King Arthur's court. Our guide is Mage Maryam (named in honor of the brilliant young mathematician, the late Maryam Mirzakhani), a distant descendant of Merlin. Maryam introduces the mysteries-each of which is presented across two beautifully illustrated pages-and provides mathematical and historical context afterward. We find Merlin confronting mathematical puzzles involving tinker toys (a present for Camelot's princesses from the sorceress Morgana), cake-slicing at a festival, Lancelot's labyrinth, a vault for the Holy Grail, and more. Each mystery is a sword awaiting removal from its stone, capturing the beauty and power of mathematics.
Mathematics for Human Flourishing by
Winner of the Mathematics Association of America's 2021 Euler Book Prize, this is an inclusive vision of mathematics--its beauty, its humanity, and its power to build virtues that help us all flourish "This is perhaps the most important mathematics book of our time. Francis Su shows mathematics is an experience of the mind and, most important, of the heart."--James Tanton, Global Math Project "A good book is an entertaining read. A great book holds up a mirror that allows us to more clearly see ourselves and the world we live in. Francis Su's Mathematics for Human Flourishing is both a good book and a great book."--MAA Reviews For mathematician Francis Su, a society without mathematical affection is like a city without concerts, parks, or museums. To miss out on mathematics is to live without experiencing some of humanity's most beautiful ideas. In this profound book, written for a wide audience but especially for those disenchanted by their past experiences, an award-winning mathematician and educator weaves parables, puzzles, and personal reflections to show how mathematics meets basic human desires--such as for play, beauty, freedom, justice, and love--and cultivates virtues essential for human flourishing. These desires and virtues, and the stories told here, reveal how mathematics is intimately tied to being human. Some lessons emerge from those who have struggled, including philosopher Simone Weil, whose own mathematical contributions were overshadowed by her brother's, and Christopher Jackson, who discovered mathematics as an inmate in a federal prison. Christopher's letters to the author appear throughout the book and show how this intellectual pursuit can--and must--be open to all.
The Muslim Contribution to Mathematics by
This book, first published in 1977, discusses the Muslim contribution to mathematics during the golden age of Muslim learning from the seventh to the thirteenth century. It was during this period that Muslim culture exerted powerful economic, political and religious influence over a large part of the civilised world. The work of the Muslim scholars was by no means limited to religion, business and government. They researched and extended the theoretical and applied science of the Greeks and Romans of an earlier era in ways that preserved and strengthened man's knowledge in these important fields. Although the main object of this book is to trace the history of the Muslim contribution to mathematics during the European Dark Ages, some effort is made to explain the progress of mathematical thought and its effects upon present day culture. Certain Muslim mathematicians are mentioned because of the important nature of their ideas in the evolution of mathematical thinking during this earlier era. Muslim mathematicians invented the present arithmetical decimal system and the fundamental operations connected with it - addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, raising to a power, and extracting the square root and the cubic root. They also introduced the 'zero' symbol to Western culture which simplified considerably the entire arithmetical system and its fundamental operations; it is no exaggeration if it is said that this specific invention marks the turning point in the development of mathematics into a science.