Seventeen equations that changed the world. (Q2889279)

``Equations are the lifeblood of mathematics, science, and technology'' writes the author in the introduction to his new delightful book. He continues by saying ``The power of equations lies in the philosophically difficult correspondence between mathematics, a collective creation of human minds, and an external physical reality. Equations model deep patterns in the outside world. By learning to value equations, and to read the stories they tell, we can uncover vital features of the world around us. \dots Words alone can't provide the essential insights. Equations can.''NEWLINENEWLINEProfessor Stewart provides an exciting account of the history of society from the ancient to modern times using a selection of seventeen beautiful and powerful equations including Pythagoras's theorem, Newton's law of gravity, wave, Navier-Stokes, Maxwell's, Schrödinger's and Black-Scholes equations. The exposition is organized into seventeen chapters, each dedicated to a particular equation. Every chapter starts a very helpful equation's ``business card'' -- a page where the meaning of all the variables and parameters in the equation is explained and the three important questions are answered: What does equation tell us? Why is that important? What did it lead to? The reader will find lots of interesting facts about seventeen extraordinary mathematical equations that all contributed to significant changes of our understanding of the world and, in fact, helped to change the world itself. The book is nicely written and is well illustrated, it has a very detailed and useful index. It is both an instructive and entertaining reading appealing to a wide audience. Warmly recommended!