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008 220721s2023 njua 000 0 eng
010 _a 2022943169
020 _a9780691242057
040 _aDLC
_beng
_erda
_dDLC
050 0 0 _aQA63. L48
100 1 _aLevi, Mark
_eauthor.
245 1 4 _aThe mathematical mechanic :
_busing physical reasoning to solve problems
250 _aFirst Princeton science library edition.
264 1 _aPrinceton :
_bPrinceton University Press,
_c[c2023]
300 _a186 p
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _aunmediated
_bn
_2rdamedia
338 _avolume
_bnc
_2rdacarrier
490 0 _aPrinceton science library
520 _aEverybody knows that mathematics is indispensable to physics—imagine where we’d be today if Einstein and Newton didn’t have the math to back up their ideas. But how many people realize that physics can be used to produce many astonishing and strikingly elegant solutions in mathematics? Mark Levi shows how in this delightful book, treating readers to a host of entertaining problems and mind-bending puzzlers that will amuse and inspire their inner physicist. Levi turns math and physics upside down, revealing how physics can simplify proofs and lead to quicker solutions and new theorems, and how physical solutions can illustrate why results are true in ways lengthy mathematical calculations never can. Did you know it’s possible to derive the Pythagorean theorem by spinning a fish tank filled with water? Or that soap film holds the key to determining the cheapest container for a given volume? Or that the line of best fit for a data set can be found using a mechanical contraption made from a rod and springs? Levi demonstrates how to use physical intuition to solve these and other fascinating math problems. More than half the problems can be tackled by anyone with precalculus and basic geometry, while the more challenging problems require some calculus. This one-of-a-kind book explains physics and math concepts where needed, and includes an informative appendix of physical principles. The Mathematical Mechanic will appeal to anyone interested in the little-known connections between mathematics and physics and how both endeavors relate to the world around us.---Summary provided by the publisher
650 0 _aProblem solving.
650 0 _aMathematical physics.
906 _a7
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_corignew
_d2
_eepcn
_f20
_gy-gencatlg
942 _2lcc
_cBK
999 _c35092
_d35092