Publisher's Weekly Review
Strogatz (The Joy of X), a professor of applied mathematics at Cornell University, provides a reminder that calculus has practical applications and makes the field accessible to readers at all levels in this far-ranging survey. He begins with the ancient Greeks and their search for ways to calculate the areas of circles and curves by slicing them into smaller pieces. Centuries later, Galileo studied the relationship between the length and movement of pendulums. Strogatz introduces the characters behind the math, covering great partnerships (such as that of astronomers Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe, whose work led to Kepler's laws of planetary motion) and seething rivalries (such as that of Pierre de Fermat and RenAc Descartes, who laid the groundwork for differential calculus, and the famous competition between calculus innovators Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz). Strogatz also gives plenty of real-world applications, from designing microwave ovens to plotting the course of spacecraft and fighting HIV. His discussion is clear and accessible, with plenty of diagrams, and mercifully few equations. Strogatz successfully illuminates a notoriously complex topic and this work should enhance appreciation for the history behind its innovations. Agent: Katinka Matson, Brockman Inc. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A complex attempt to render calculus accessible.Strogatz (Applied Mathematics/Cornell Univ.; The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity, 2013, etc.) emphasizes that "calculus is an imaginary realm of symbols and logic" that "lets us peer into the future and predict the unknown. That's what makes it such a powerful tool for science and technology." It works by breaking problems down into tiny partsinfinitely tinyand then putting them back together. Breaking down is the work of differential calculus; putting together requires integral calculus. Early civilizations, including the Babylonians, Greeks, and Chinese, had no trouble measuring anything straight, including complex structures such as the icosahedron, but curves and movement caused problems. Thus, finding the area of a circle by converting it into a 10-sided polygon and measuring the polygon's area yields a fair approximation. A 100-sided polygon gave a more accurate result. Perfection required a polygon with an infinite number of infinitely small sides, but dealing with infinity was particularly tricky. Invented in its modern version by Newton and Leibniz in the late 17th century, calculus solved the problem. Readers who pay close attention to Strogatz's analogies, generously supplied with graphs and illustrations, may or may not see the light, but all will enjoy the long final section, which eschews education in favor of a history of modern science, which turns out to be a direct consequence of this mathematics. The best introduction to calculus remains a textbookCalculus Made Easy by Silvanus P. Thompsonpublished in 1910 and, amazingly, still in print. Readers who dip into Thompson will understand Strogatz's enthusiasm. His own explanations will enlighten those with some memory of high school calculus, but innumerate readers are likely to remain mystified.An energetic effort that successfully communicates the author's love of mathematics, if not the secrets of calculus itself. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
If, as physicist Richard Feynman believed, calculus is the language God talks, then readers not schooled in its divine idioms will thank Strogatz for taking on the role of translator. Converted from baffling equations into accessible metaphors and anecdotes, the heavenly language of calculus illuminates an astonishing range of natural marvels from the gravity waves generated by cosmically distant black holes to positrons annihilated in collision with electrons. With lucid brevity, Strogatz explains the intergalactic reach of calculus by examining just two operations: first, the division of a shape or phenomenon into infinitely many parts, and, second, the integration of the infinitesimal pieces. Of course, as a professor of applied mathematics at Cornell, Strogatz tutors readers in the use of calculus to image the brain, to design jetliner wings, to power GPS navigation. Strogatz grows giddy as he imagines a future in which artificially intelligent computers use calculus to fathom not only the hows of mathematics but also the whys. After this schooling in fundamentals, readers may hope to understand the heavenly language those computers will be speaking.--Bryce Christensen Copyright 2019 Booklist
Library Journal Review
For anyone who has struggled through a required calculus course, this latest book by Strogatz (Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Applied Mathematics, Cornell Univ.; The Joy of X) is especially welcome. Strogatz does a great job of explaining a difficult subject, both to those in need of a refresher and those who have never taken calculus. After describing calculus's history and the people who created it, the author uses real examples, ranging from athletics to medicine, to show some of its many old, new and, potentially future applications. Most importantly, he lays out the case that calculus is fundamental to the way we live today. Simply put, without calculus, there would be no modern physics, and without physics we wouldn't have the technology that shapes our modern world. VERDICT A solid choice for readers who want to know what calculus is all about, and for teachers who wish to improve their presentation.-Harold D. Shane, Mathematics Emeritus, Baruch Coll. Lib., CUNY © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
