Nature's Numbers: The Unreal Reality of Mathematics (Science Masters Series) 1st Edition

by Ian Stewart (Author)

16 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0465072736

ISBN-10: 0465072739

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Mathematics has the power to open our eyes to new and unsuspected regularities in nature - the secret structure of a cloud or the hidden rhythms of the weather. This book aims to equip the reader with a mathematician's eye, changing the way we view the world.

Nature's Numbers: The Unreal Reality of Mathematics (Science Masters Series)

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Product Details

Hardcover: 164 pages
Publisher: BasicBooks; 1st edition (July 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0465072739
ISBN-13: 978-0465072736
Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 6.2 x 9.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,380,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1727 in Books > Science & Math > Mathematics > History
- #19021 in Books > Textbooks > Science & Mathematics > Mathematics

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Customer Reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars

5 star		25%
4 star		57%
3 star		6%
2 star		6%
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful

A mathematician with his head on straight

By Joel Brown on July 21, 2001

Format: Paperback

Nature's Numbers is a valuable resource and, I think, a new doorway of scientific philosophy. (I think some reviewers didn't like this because they expected more, but as I said, its a doorway to a field, and by no means a complete study in itself) From the very beginning, it is promised to the reader that a new pair of glasses, a mathematicians, will be provided to look at your life in the universe a bit differently. Ian Stewart attempts to grasp the mathematical hypostasis of the natural macrocosm. Objectively, simplicity still likely underlies all external phenomena, however a outward branching tree of complexity translates this core into our manifested world, appearing fairly simple again as the laws which govern the cosmos. However, in Stewart's universe, mere laws and equations do not suffice. He strives for a new field of mathematics that is intertwined with natural science. It is obvious, as he shows from the science of flowers, dripping water, etc., that math determines the observed phenomena of science. Even in apparently haphazard systems, the source remains as deterministic principles by nonlinear dynamics. (This is what you should know as chaos theory) And the shibboleth of "the butterfly effect" is an epitome of the need to comprehend the governing mathematics of systems. Take biological adaption and evolution for example. Some biologists believe that DNA and genetics is the sole shaper of organisms. This does not appear to be fully adequate alone, because then we would in turn need to explain why biology followed symmetries and patterns. But as he notes on pp. 137 "Maybe evolution started with the mathematical patterns that occurred naturally, and fine-tuned them by natural selection.Read more ›

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

Math is better than you thought

By Jiri Matejicek on July 11, 2000

Format: Hardcover

This book is a hint that math can be both fun and useful. Understandable even to the non-mathematical reader, it tells in an entertaining style what mathematics is about and what it is good for. It shows how math helped us understand nature and our world in general, how it was used in mankind's most important inventions and developments; how it threaded through our history and what can we expect in the future. Both enlightening and enjoyable reading.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Math, the ultimate look at nature's magic...

By Amazon Customer on October 18, 2010

Format: Paperback

I came across this book as I was looking for some books about math for my 6th grade homeschooled daughter. I opened it and was unable to put it down. This book is a simple look at the wonder of math in nature and everyday life. It really helps make math real to those of us who struggle with some mathematical concepts. And frankly, it was an entertaining read.

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

fascinating look at the relationship of math to our world

By John Merritt on February 28, 1999

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

Mr. Stewart delivers an excellent insight into the role mathematics plays in the everyday world. Ever easy to understand, the author takes us on an exciting journey into the role math takes on in the places we may least expect. A truly enjoyable read for the non-mathematical and a must for the serious or amateur mathematician. Riveting from the onset, this book keeps your attention and wraps up in a climatic section on chaos theory with some remarkable insights in the epilogue.

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12 of 17 people found the following review helpful

God does not play dice, nor vice versa..

By A Customer on May 24, 2001

Format: Paperback

Pros: Many interesting philosophical observations; lucid language.
Cons: Not enough details on the math; not enough pictures / diagrams that would support verbal descriptions of examples from nature; in some cases, insufficient explanation of the ideas (e.g. What is qualitative theory, and how can it be an advance rather than a retreat?).
Notable Quotes:
"There is much beauty in nature's clues, and we can all recognize it without any mathematical training."
"Patterns possess utility as well as beauty."
"One of the strongest features of the relationship between mathematic and the 'real world,' but also one of the strongest, is that good mathematics, whatever its source, turns out to be useful." [begs the question WHY?]
".. goal-oriented research can deliver only predictable results."
".. the dreamers and the mavericks must be allowed some free rein, too." [on the tension between pure and applied research]
A Question: There are many instances where the book talks about nature doing this or that. For instance, consider the following discussion of 'broken symmetry': "Nature, too, seems to be attracted to symmetry, for many of the most striking patterns in the natural world are symmetric. And nature also seems to be dissatisfied with too much symmetry, for nearly all the symmetric patterns in nature are less symmetric than the causes that give rise to them." HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR NATURE TO BEHAVE IN A CONSISTENT MANNER? IS THERE A CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE TO NATURE? HOW IS NATURE ABLE TO CONTROL EVERYTHING TO MAKE THESE CHOICES AND IMPLEMENT THEM? In scientific literature statements like this are frequently made, without any scientific basis. I don't know why, and I hope people can discern truly scientific from academic speculation.
A difference of opinion: I do not think the nature is "mass produced." Everything in it seems very special to me.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

mesmerized

By C. Robinson on June 22, 2013

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

I love this book. It is soooo interesting. O.K. I AM an intellectual nerd. And this is the perfect book for an intelligent person who is interested in reading something that can be interesting. Only my Scientific American is as interesting as this book!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Ian Stewart is a genius.

Best Book Evah!

Published 4 months ago by Cassiopeia

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. Ian Stewart showed me a whole new way to look at mathematics. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Kindle Customer

Good introductory book

Nature’s numbers is a great attempt by Ian Stewart to introduce mathematics as an important subject to human life and also introduce some important and fundamental concepts of... Read more

Published 23 months ago by Duc Le

Amazing Lecture

Being a mathematics teacher I was used to repetitive Math texbooks, but this book helped me acquire a new and more complete vision of our physical world. Read more

Published on April 23, 2004 by José Jiménez-Torres

An interesting pop science book

I first read the translated (Chinese) version of this book. I liked it a lot that I decided to buy the English version for my son, who is a 6-grader but has developed keen interest... Read more

Published on March 15, 2004 by syang53

Quantity vs. Quality

Nature�s Numbers is an oddity in that it is a serious overview of mathematics that contains no serious mathematics�at least in the traditional formalized sense, in spite of the... Read more

Published on January 29, 2003 by Albert Swanson

Where are the pictures?

This book promises to introduce the world of mathematics to the layman but doesn't quite deliver. It has a great premise and raises many interesting questions but fails to answer... Read more

Published on November 19, 2000 by Rob K

'Nature's numbers' - Avoid

Ian Stewart wastes an interesting subject with 'Nature's Numbers.' The book is bland, relatively uninformative, and shallow. Read more

Published on July 24, 2000 by fisher