The Pursuit of Perfect Packing [Hardcover]

Denis Weaire (Author), Tomaso Aste (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0750306483 | ISBN-13: 978-0750306485 | Publication Date: October 2000

In 1998 Thomas Hales dramatically announced the solution of a problem that has long teased eminent mathematicians: what is the densest possible arrangement of identical spheres? The Pursuit of Perfect Packing recounts the story of this problem and many others that have to do with packing things together. The examples are taken from mathematics, physics, biology, and engineering, including the arrangement of soap bubbles in foam, atoms in a crystal, the architecture of the bee's honeycomb, and the structure of the Giant's Causeway. Using an informal style and with key references, the book also includes brief accounts of the lives of many of the scientists who devoted themselves to problems of packing over many centuries, together with wry comments on their efforts. It is an entertaining introduction to the field for both specialists and the more general public.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 136 pages
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750306483
• ISBN-13: 978-0750306485
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,202,868 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to packing, February 24, 2001

By 

Ed Pegg "Math puzzler" (Champaign) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pursuit of Perfect Packing (Hardcover)

A good starting discussion for packing problems, even though several issues are not covered (look at Erich's Packing Center for the next edition). Chapters cover Circle packings, sphere packings, the Hales proof, seed shapes, honeycombs, bubbles, atoms and crystals, fractal aggregates, The Giant's Causeway, buckyballs, higher dimensional packings, and various odds and ends. There are lots of illustrations and good discussions. I would have prefered for more to be packed into the book. Still, it's the best introductory book on packing I know of.

4.0 out of 5 stars Introduction to mysteries and myths of packing!, May 10, 2004

By 

Vivek Sharma "Kavi" (Cambridge / Boston, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Pursuit of Perfect Packing (Hardcover)

The text is packed with both 'ordered' and 'disordered' discussions of several packing problems that arise in daily life as well as in crystallography, physics and abstract mathematics. A book serves as a nice introduction to the solved and the unsolved mysteries and myths of packing problems. The enthusiasm of Aste and Weaire is infectious, and the reach of concepts described here is far ranging and deep. Yet the text itself an easy read, perhaps even high school kids can enjoy it, though graduate students and teachers will find it most illuminating and informative!
(May 11/ 2004)