Mathematics in Western Culture (Galaxy Books)

by Morris Kline (Author)

31 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0195007145

ISBN-10: 019500714X

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Product Details

Series: Galaxy Books
Paperback: 512 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press (December 31, 1964)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 019500714X
ISBN-13: 978-0195007145
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 1 x 5.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #573,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #464 in Books > Science & Math > Mathematics > History
- #566 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Movements & Periods > Ancient & Classical
- #3974 in Books > Textbooks > Science & Mathematics > Mathematics

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Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars

5 star		81%
4 star		10%
3 star		3%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 102 people found the following review helpful

Still the BEST basic review of Applied Mathematics..

By Kersi Von Zerububbel VINE VOICE on January 24, 2001

Format: Paperback

This book is geared to the general reader who has a cursory knowledge of mathematics. The chapters are organized around physical phenomena and the math behind their explanation. The result is a charming and VERY useful book. I have the 1970 edition which is quite worn from frequent use. The chapter titled, Differential Equations - The Heart Of Analysis, is exceptionally beautiful and pertinent. Reading this book is akin to a treasure hunt. There is page after page of mathematical discovery. Reading the chapter on Motion Of Projectiles made me terribly angry at the banal way in which this topic is handled in high school texts. Things such as quadratic equations and the law of gravitation are explained very well. I sincerely believe that this book should be a required text for High School math students. Highly recommended. The Dover edition is very affordable so even if it means foregoing a meal, do it. Buy this book! Well worth your time.

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52 of 52 people found the following review helpful

A Tasty Mix of Math and History

By Peter A. Farrell on May 12, 2000

Format: Paperback

Kline's book is a surprisingly accessible history of math, equations and all. It's a perfect balance for those who know their history and want to know more about the math behind scientific ideas, and those who know their math and want to delve into the practical applications of mathematical ideas.
I loved the examination of how Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the earth pretty accurately for a guy without so much as a telescope. I had terrific "aha" experiences reading the book, and the students I tutor in math are getting a bunch of interesting background stories with their algebra lessons.
Galileo's and Newton's calculations are a great way for the theoretically inclined to get their feet wet in physics. For all of us mathematicians who actually thought math developed in a vacuum, this book has excellent examples of how inextricably linked math, science and history are.

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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful

I wish this had been my physics textbook ...

By CubeBoy on March 23, 2007

Format: Paperback

I still have a hard time deciding if this is a book about math or physics, but actually, it's about both. Kline follows the history of physics beginning with the Greeks as a way to describe the evolution of mathematics up to the 20th century, and he does it brilliantly.

Kline is a master teacher, and his enthusiasm for his subject is evident. This is probably the clearest writing on mathematics (and physics) that I have ever seen. His chapters on the differential and integral calculus make their basic principles understandable to anyone with a high-school mathematics education -- not an easy task.

He shows how again and again through history, problems in physics led to mathematical discoveries which not only allowed the physical problems to be solved, but also advanced mathematics itself. And yet nowhere in the book is anything beyond simple algebra and geometry required to understand what he's saying. A remarkable achievement.

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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

Enlightening, Interesting and Accessible to All

By Patrick K Notz on May 19, 2000

Format: Paperback

I agree with the above review and would simply like to add my own thoughts. The book illustrates the fascinating way in which mathematics, society, religion, politics and of course physics have affected each other (it goes both ways!) through out the ages. Furthermore, the author nicely illustrates the processes by which people think and how those processes have also changed through the ages (i.e., The Age of Reason versus The Renisance). This book left me with real insights as to the nature and limitations of the current state of mathematics and physics. Things are not as they seem, my friend! Lastly, the author displays an appreciation for the humor and irony of the history which makes this book hard to put down at times. I never thought a math/history book could be a "page turner"... Read it.

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

A de-mystification of mathematics.

By A Customer on September 2, 1998

Format: Paperback

In most mathematics classes, students are presented with a completed edifice, and given a floor plan to help them navigate the halls. While this approach works for many people, others need a little more basic information. In this book, Morris Kline builds the building, starting with the mud and straw of the bricks.
"Mathematics in Western Culture" shows that the history of mathematics is one of hundreds of years of people sitting in the sand, drawing shapes and lines, scratching their heads, and trying to figure things out. This is not necessarily Dr. Kline's intention for the book, but this is certainly one of the many messages to be derived from it.
A fascinating, exciting book which makes mathematics more understandable and accessible.

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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

Almost a Humanities Course on Mathmatics

By THE HAPPY READER on June 12, 2007

Format: Paperback

This book is excellent! Have you ever wondered, where did math come from? What caused/ how has math to developed? If so this book will hit the nail on the head for you. Dr. Kline is fabulous in this book, he explains things very clearly and gives the reader an overview of some of the more practical uses of math. After reading this book you will look at the world with a much better understanding of how math is used in the real world.

Kline also explains why math is so abstract (think of the way American schools teach math). Along with this he explains why math is so precise (due to it's being limited to using inductive reasoning only).

In fact, this book is a humanities course mixed in with the practical usage of mathematics, which all add up to a brilliant text. But don't be mislead, the book is not absent of the actual equations to help you understand some of the math. It's just simplified so as to be short of a textbook on how to do mathematics.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Five Stars

Answers to questions you always asked ... And to those you never asked.

Published 3 months ago by Chetan Arshid

Five Stars

Just a great introduction to mathematics as a science.

Published 6 months ago by Thomas Levenson

Five Stars

Great Book.......Very Interesting Content.......Really Like the Way He writes........Will Buy More of His Books.......A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+

Published 11 months ago by russell lawrence

this is a tedious and badly-written book

Aside from whatever merits there are in the author's presentation of mathematical concepts, this is a tedious and badly-written book. Read more

Published 13 months ago by gojefferson

Read this book for a great foundation in math

I studied Chemical Engineering as an undergraduate and got to see more than my fair share of mathematics during that time. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Oregon Pineapple

far better than I could ever hope to compose

The entire book can be summed up in Morris Kline's own illuminative words, far better than I
could ever hope to compose. Read more

Published 15 months ago by Amazon Customer

Highly recommended for a novice like myself. Gives the reader much needed perspective in the history of ideas in an unthreatening and engaging way. Great read.

Published 16 months ago by george mchugh

Thank You Dover Books!

I highly recommend both Mathematics and the Physical World" as well as "Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach" both of which were authored long ago by Morris... Read more

Published 18 months ago by Sustainable Fuels

enlightening

This book puts Western culture in context. All the threads that didn't come together when you read philosophy, history, science, and religion now form a tapestry of... Read more

Published 21 months ago by V. T. Franks

Good way to pass the time, I guess

I bought this book because I was impressed with Morris Kline's "big" book, Calculus: A physical and intuitive approach. Read more

Published 23 months ago by L.S. Chang

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