Birth of a theorem a mathematical adventure
"An intimate look inside a mathematician's mind as he wrestles with the theorem that will make his reputation. Cédric Villani is a rock-star mathematician. An intellect of unusual depth and breadth, he is the director of France's greatest mathematics research institute. In 2010 he re...
| Main Author: | Villani, Cédric, 1973- (Author) |
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| Other Authors: | DeBevoise, M. B. (Translator), Gondard, Claude (Illustrator) |
| Format: | Books Print Book |
| Language: | English French |
| Published: |
New York :
Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
2015.
|
| Edition: | First American edition. |
| Subjects: |
| Summary: |
"An intimate look inside a mathematician's mind as he wrestles with the theorem that will make his reputation. Cédric Villani is a rock-star mathematician. An intellect of unusual depth and breadth, he is the director of France's greatest mathematics research institute. In 2010 he received the Fields Medal, the most coveted prize in mathematics, for his proofs resolving one of the most controversial theories of classical physics. Birth of a Theorem is his own account of the year leading up to the award. It invites readers inside the mind of a genius as he wrestles with the most important work of his career. But you don't have to understand nonlinear Landau damping to love Birth of a Theorem. It doesn't simplify or overexplain; rather, it invites readers into collaboration. Villani's diaries, e-mails, and musings enmesh you in the process of discovery. You join him in unproductive lulls and late-night breakthroughs. You're privy to the mess-hall conversations of the world's greatest research institutions. Villani discusses his favorite songs, his love of manga, and the imaginative stories he tells his children. Mathematics is like any other creative work in that the thinker's whole life propels discovery--and with Birth of a Theorem, Villani welcomes you into his."--Provided by publisher. |
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| Physical Description: |
260 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm |
| Bibliography: |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [253]-260). |
| ISBN: |
9780865477674 0865477671 |
| Author Notes: |
Cédric Villani is the director of the Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris and a professor of mathematics at the Université de Lyon. His work on partial differential equations and various topics in mathematical physics has been honored by a number of awards, including the Fermat Prize and the Henri Poincaré Prize. He received the Fields Medal in 2010 for results concerning Landau damping and the Boltzmann equation. |