Automotive Holiday Deals BOTYKT Shop Women's Dresses Learn more nav_sap_SWP_6M_fly_beacon Pentatonix egg_2015 All-New Amazon Fire TV Luxury Beauty Gifts Under $100 Street Art Project Amazon Gift Card Offer aos aos aos Amazon Echo Starting at $49.99 Kindle Voyage AntMan Shop Now HTL

Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

  • Apple
  • Android
  • Windows Phone
  • Android

To get the free app, enter your email address or mobile phone number.
Download to your computer
Kindle Cloud Reader

Five Equations that Changed the World: The Power and Poetry of Mathematics

by
Michael Guillen (Author)
› Visit Amazon's Michael Guillen Page
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
See search results for this author
Are you an author? Learn about Author Central
Michael Guillen (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars 51 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0786881871
ISBN-10: 0786881879
Why is ISBN important?
ISBN
This bar-code number lets you verify that you're getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. The 13-digit and 10-digit formats both work.
Scan an ISBN with your phone
Use the Amazon App to scan ISBNs and compare prices.
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Buy used On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
$3.98 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
Buy new On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
$11.51 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
More Buying Choices
29 New from $2.81 122 Used from $0.01 3 Collectible from $10.95
154 used & new from $0.01
See All Buying Options
Free Two-Day Shipping for College Students with Amazon Student Free%20Two-Day%20Shipping%20for%20College%20Students%20with%20Amazon%20Student

Get Up to 80% Back Rent Textbooks
$11.51 FREE Shipping on orders over $35. In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Frequently Bought Together

  • Five Equations that Changed the World: The Power and Poetry of Mathematics
  • +
  • The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope (P.S.)
Total price: $22.07
Buy the selected items together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.
Back
  1. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope (P.S.)
    William Kamkwamba
    4.6 out of 5 stars 503
    #1 Best Seller in Wind Energy
    Paperback
    $10.56 Prime
  2. "What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character
    Richard P. Feynman
    4.5 out of 5 stars 176
    Paperback
    $12.90 Prime
  3. Nobel Prize Women in Science:: Their Lives, Struggles, and Momentous Discoveries, Second Edition
    Sharon Bertsch…
    4.8 out of 5 stars 18
    Paperback
    $18.01 Prime
  4. The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
    James D. Watson Ph.D.
    4.0 out of 5 stars 199
    Paperback
    $11.34 Prime
  5. The Prince
    Niccolo Machiavelli
    3.8 out of 5 stars 4
    Paperback
    $4.99 Prime
  6. Can a Smart Person Believe in God?
    Michael Guillen
    3.5 out of 5 stars 32
    Paperback
    $11.81 Prime
Next
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
Hero Quick Promo
Up to 85% Off Over 1,000 Kindle Books
Visit our Holiday Deals store and save up to 85% on more than 1,000 Kindle books. These deals are valid until December 31, 2015. Learn more

Product Details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Hachette Books (August 29, 1996)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0786881879
  • ISBN-13: 978-0786881871
  • Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #672,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 60 people found the following review helpful
The poetry of equations --
By V. N. Dvornychenko on February 15, 2002
Format: Paperback
You might characterize this book along the lines of "an opera book for people who think they don't like opera." The author, Dr. Michael Guillen, sets himself the formidable task of instilling into non-mathematicians an appreciation of the beauty and glory of mathematical equations. His approach is to take five historical figures, give a brief biography of each, select an equation best encapsulating their accomplishments, and explain this equation's relevance for contemporary society. The figures selected are Isaac Newton, Daniel Bernoulli, Michael Faraday, Rudolph Clausius, and Albert Einstein.
Is his format a good choice? Yes, perhaps among the best. Are the historical figures good choices? Yes again; but here one might quibble a bit: all the figures selected are male physicists who lived during the approximately 300-year time-span, 1640-1950. Were there no important equations prior to this? What about the Pythagorean theorem? Euclid's proof of the infinity of primes? Archimedes's formula for pi? The delFerro-Tartaglia-Cardano equations for the cubic? What about women?
Is his approach successful? Generally speaking, yes. It is not clear what readership Guillen has in mind. At first I though it might be your typical Scientific American reader. But the biographies tend toward a Horatio-Alger style, suggesting a younger audience.
Dr. Guillen's unique talent is his understanding of the relationship between religion and science. Although he treats the subject only briefly, I have never seen a better exposition in readily accessible material. As Guillen points out, this relationship has not always been favorable to religion. A comparison with the proverbial ingrate camel comes to mind: having inveigled its nose into the tent, the camel proceeds to evict the original tenants.Read more ›
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful
masterfully presented
By Michael R. Chernick on February 15, 2008
Format: Hardcover
Michael Guillen has chosen five famous mathematician to describe. The theme for discussing the particular person is that he discovered an equation that changed the world. Each deals with a result in Physics. One could argue that others could be added to the list but there is no question that these are certainly all contenders for the top five. Guillen is a science editor for ABC and is a professor of physics and methematics. This combination makes him well suited to choose the equations and to describe the results and the men behind them to a layman. The five equations and their authors are 1) F=GxMxm/d^2 Newton and the Law of Universal Gravitation, 2) P+rhox 1/2 nu^2 =CONSTANT, Daniel Bernoulli and the Law of Hydrodynamic Pressure, 3)DelXE=-dB/dt, Michael Faraday and the law of electromagnetic induction, 4) Delta S universe > 0, Rudoph Clausius and the second law of thermodynamics and 5) E=mxC^2, Einstein and the special theory of relativity. I am sure we all expected 1 and 5 and depending on your knowledge of physics, the others may or may not be a bit of a surprise. Guillen spends a lot of pages describing the nature of the equation, the character of the inventor and the impact of the results on society (sometimes centuries later). Newton's laws were instrumental in developing guidance and tracking systems for artificial satellites, space shuttles and other objects launched into space in the 20th Century. Our landing on the moon would not have been possible without Newton's laws. This makes for interesting reading for anyone interested in mathematics or science. A good book for teenagers to read to develop motivation to study math and science and to aspire for a career as a scientist.
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
61 of 67 people found the following review helpful
Engaging, Optimistic and Sloppy
By Joel M. Kauffman on March 13, 2003
Format: Hardcover
Delightfully written, easy to follow, Guillen describes the personal situations and scientific context of Newton's Law of Gravitation, Bernoulli's Law of Hydrodynamic Pressure, Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction, Clausius's Second Law of Thermodynamics, and Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity (the equivalence of mass and energy).
As is the recent custom outside of textbooks, Guillen has given an exceptional amount of personal detail, letting us be amazed once more about how much these five scientists achieved despite personal situations that varied from ordinary to awful. Furthermore, the resistance from other scientists of their times is still surprising to some of us, while the resistance of the Catholic Church is not.
Guillen's efforts to provide clear explanations for the discoveries mostly succeed, least well for Clausius's Second Law of Thermodynamics, in my opinion. Many clever similes are used. A better explanation of the inverted delta in Clerk-Maxwell's equation on Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction is needed. Guillen defines it as "the amount of" (p158), while "the rate of change" might be better. The math does not go beyond high school algebra, with that one exception, so the mathematically challenged such as this reviewer need not fear.
What is very disappointing is the number of errors:
1. On p27 globes are said to 2-dimensional, when they are actually 3-dimensional; circles are 2-dimensional.

2. On p36 et seq planetary motion around the sun is said to follow oval paths, when the paths are actually elliptical. These are different shapes.
3. On p137 the Leyden jar was said to be the forerunner of the modern battery. In fact is was the ancestor of the modern capacitor.
4.Read more ›
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse

Most Recent Customer Reviews

This is an easy book to follow

This is an easy book to follow. I would recommend this to any one who thinks they're not smart enough to get into scientific theories because the author was able to simplify them... Read more

Published 26 days ago by Amazon Customer
Terrific book, about how Esoteric Equations in Basic Sciences ...

Terrific book, about how Esoteric Equations in Basic Sciences (math, biology, chemistry and physics) become fundamental Truths about the workings of Nature and Applied Sciences... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Dr.Bing A
Five Stars

Very easy to read and understandable. A pleasure.

Published 5 months ago by Chick Logan
Very disappointing for the scientist reader.

Much has been written about Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, all carefully documented. The anecdotal tales in this book are completely undocumented. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Len Margolin
Five Stars

It is very good

Published 16 months ago by Robert R. Openshaw
All equations are not true.

More than just math; I thought about the times these persons worked with the concepts. I am sure they had many more equations that did not work at all.

Published 17 months ago by Charlie Bialowas
5 Equations

Good book. Good service getting it. a a a a a a a a a a aa a a a

Published on January 31, 2013 by donpad
5 Equations That Changed the World

While the author is clearly an excellent writer, I did not enjoy the content of this book. It was required reading for my AP English Language and Composition class. Read more

Published on February 17, 2012 by MJ Robinson
It's the scientists -- not the science

I received the standard training of a physics undergraduate, and then graduate student. Ten years of study. Read more

Published on January 15, 2012 by Roscommon Reader
Five Equations That Changed The World

This book is great. Should be required reading for high schooler. Brings the Scientist to life. This is the second copy I have given as a gift. Read more

Published on March 30, 2011 by Louise

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more
Five Equations that Changed the World: The Power and Poetry of Mathematics
This item: Five Equations that Changed the World: The Power and Poetry of Mathematics
Price: $11.51
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com
Set up a giveaway

There's a problem loading this menu right now.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.



Want to discover more products? Check out these pages to see more: best poetry words that, inventions that changed the world, while the world watched, the book that changed the world, the power that changes the world