The Zen of Magic Squares, Circles, and Stars

An Exhibition of Surprising Structures across Dimensions

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Mathematics, Recreations & Games, History
Cover of the book The Zen of Magic Squares, Circles, and Stars by Clifford A. Pickover, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Clifford A. Pickover ISBN: 9781400841516
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: November 28, 2011
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Clifford A. Pickover
ISBN: 9781400841516
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: November 28, 2011
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

Humanity's love affair with mathematics and mysticism reached a critical juncture, legend has it, on the back of a turtle in ancient China. As Clifford Pickover briefly recounts in this enthralling book, the most comprehensive in decades on magic squares, Emperor Yu was supposedly strolling along the Yellow River one day around 2200 B.C. when he spotted the creature: its shell had a series of dots within squares. To Yu's amazement, each row of squares contained fifteen dots, as did the columns and diagonals. When he added any two cells opposite along a line through the center square, like 2 and 8, he always arrived at 10. The turtle, unwitting inspirer of the ''Yu'' square, went on to a life of courtly comfort and fame.

Pickover explains why Chinese emperors, Babylonian astrologer-priests, prehistoric cave people in France, and ancient Mayans of the Yucatan were convinced that magic squares--arrays filled with numbers or letters in certain arrangements--held the secret of the universe. Since the dawn of civilization, he writes, humans have invoked such patterns to ward off evil and bring good fortune. Yet who would have guessed that in the twenty-first century, mathematicians would be studying magic squares so immense and in so many dimensions that the objects defy ordinary human contemplation and visualization?

Readers are treated to a colorful history of magic squares and similar structures, their construction, and classification along with a remarkable variety of newly discovered objects ranging from ornate inlaid magic cubes to hypercubes. Illustrated examples occur throughout, with some patterns from the author's own experiments. The tesseracts, circles, spheres, and stars that he presents perfectly convey the age-old devotion of the math-minded to this Zenlike quest. Number lovers, puzzle aficionados, and math enthusiasts will treasure this rich and lively encyclopedia of one of the few areas of mathematics where the contributions of even nonspecialists count.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Humanity's love affair with mathematics and mysticism reached a critical juncture, legend has it, on the back of a turtle in ancient China. As Clifford Pickover briefly recounts in this enthralling book, the most comprehensive in decades on magic squares, Emperor Yu was supposedly strolling along the Yellow River one day around 2200 B.C. when he spotted the creature: its shell had a series of dots within squares. To Yu's amazement, each row of squares contained fifteen dots, as did the columns and diagonals. When he added any two cells opposite along a line through the center square, like 2 and 8, he always arrived at 10. The turtle, unwitting inspirer of the ''Yu'' square, went on to a life of courtly comfort and fame.

Pickover explains why Chinese emperors, Babylonian astrologer-priests, prehistoric cave people in France, and ancient Mayans of the Yucatan were convinced that magic squares--arrays filled with numbers or letters in certain arrangements--held the secret of the universe. Since the dawn of civilization, he writes, humans have invoked such patterns to ward off evil and bring good fortune. Yet who would have guessed that in the twenty-first century, mathematicians would be studying magic squares so immense and in so many dimensions that the objects defy ordinary human contemplation and visualization?

Readers are treated to a colorful history of magic squares and similar structures, their construction, and classification along with a remarkable variety of newly discovered objects ranging from ornate inlaid magic cubes to hypercubes. Illustrated examples occur throughout, with some patterns from the author's own experiments. The tesseracts, circles, spheres, and stars that he presents perfectly convey the age-old devotion of the math-minded to this Zenlike quest. Number lovers, puzzle aficionados, and math enthusiasts will treasure this rich and lively encyclopedia of one of the few areas of mathematics where the contributions of even nonspecialists count.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book The Terrorist's Dilemma by Clifford A. Pickover
Cover of the book The Story of Silver by Clifford A. Pickover
Cover of the book The Long Divergence by Clifford A. Pickover
Cover of the book Philip Roth's Rude Truth by Clifford A. Pickover
Cover of the book Platonic Noise by Clifford A. Pickover
Cover of the book Imperialism and Jewish Society by Clifford A. Pickover
Cover of the book Don't Blame Us by Clifford A. Pickover
Cover of the book The Praise of Folly by Clifford A. Pickover
Cover of the book Global Environment by Clifford A. Pickover
Cover of the book A Cooperative Species by Clifford A. Pickover
Cover of the book Wandering Greeks by Clifford A. Pickover
Cover of the book A Fraught Embrace by Clifford A. Pickover
Cover of the book Theory of Games and Economic Behavior by Clifford A. Pickover
Cover of the book The Opinion of Mankind by Clifford A. Pickover
Cover of the book Descent in Buildings (AM-190) by Clifford A. Pickover
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy