Euclid's Window: The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace

[lightreads]

Euclid's Window : The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace by Leonard Mlodinow

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


History of math more than actualfacts math, with a minimally annoying authorial voice as these things go. Except for the teeny weeny culture/race centrism problem – I’m neither a historian nor a mathematician, but even I know it’s pretty freaking suspect when your history doesn’t include the advancements of, um, the Arab world, the South/Central American empires, or, you know, Asia, except for that one paragraph that one time. I mean, write a history of European geometry, by all means, I did like it, but let’s maybe call it that next time so as to look less like clueless Eurocentric twits, yeah?

Anyway. Last third of the book swung into modern physics, and convinced me yet again that in the absence of advanced math, it really does sound like these guys are just making shit up. I mean, vibrating strings? Oh rilly. Shame I stopped at calculus, because no matter how many metaphors you throw at me, I still have a hard time taking this stuff seriously without the fundamental grocking I don’t have the tools for.




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Comments

[lightreads]

Well, string theory is, I believe, effectively unfalsifiable, so yeah, it basically is just making shit up.


True. They just do go on about how beautiful the math is. It goes something like "....so, eleven dimensions, then? Did you pick out of a hat?" "Oh no no, you don't understand, of course it is eleven, the math is perfect." Not like I don't believe them, I'd just like to experience firsthand the sort of math that would convince you of that. Just don't have mumblety years to spend on it. Or the brain shaped right for it, quite possibly.

I will sticky note your SO's books for the next time I'm in a pop physics mood. And perhaps unplug my headphones so the Doodledog can expand her education some more. She's shockingly unidiscipline -- a dog with a J.D. and not a jot of science in her fuzzy head.

[kate_nepveu]

The Doodledog is already a degree up on Emmy, so between that and, you know, the *working*, I think she need not hang her fuzzy head in intellectual shame!

Should you try Chad's books, I hope they suit.