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Einstein's Heroes: Imagining the World through the Language of Mathematics 1st Edition

3.9 out of 5 stars 26

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Imagine you are fluent in a magical language of prophecy, a language so powerful it can accurately describe things you cannot see or even imagine. Einstein's Heroes takes you on a journey of discovery about just such a miraculous language--the language of mathematics--one of humanity's most amazing accomplishments.
Blending science, history, and biography, this remarkable book reveals the mysteries of mathematics, focusing on the life and work of three of Albert Einstein's heroes: Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, and especially James Clerk Maxwell, whose work directly inspired the theory of relativity. Robyn Arianrhod bridges the gap between science and literature, portraying mathematics as a language and arguing that a physical theory is a work of imagination involving the elegant and clever use of this language. The heart of the book illuminates how Maxwell, using the language of mathematics in a new and radical way, resolved the seemingly insoluble controversy between Faraday's idea of lines of force and Newton's theory of action-at-a-distance. In so doing, Maxwell not only produced the first complete mathematical description of electromagnetism, but actually predicted the existence of the radio wave, teasing it out of the mathematical language itself.
Here then is a fascinating look at mathematics: its colorful characters, its historical intrigues, and above all its role as the uncannily accurate language of nature.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Arianrhod is an infectiously enthusiastic writer, keen for her audience both to admire Einstein's heroes and to understand their contributions to fundamental mathematical physics."--Physics Nature

"Arianrhod's achievement is to so masterfully combine history, biography, and mathematics as to absorb and enlighten even the mathematically maladroit."--Booklist

"An intriguing blend of science, history, and biography.... Arianrhod's well-written, fascinating discussion of intertwined topics not usually presented in one book aimed at general readers is highly recommended."--Library Journal (starred review)

"A thrilling story.... Arianrhod is an easy author to like, and not simply for the clarity of her narrative. She brings out the human side of the scientists. She also is a student of imaginative prose: Her explication of a novel by the Australian David Malouf helps introduce ideas about mathematics, and she quotes the poet William Blake to crystallize a thought about Maxwell.... Scientists' quest for knowledge is exhilarating to Arianrhod, and she conveys that to the reader."--bloombergnews.com

"Offers readers an engaging intellectual exercise combining physics, language, mathematics, and biography."--Science News

"On one level, Robyn Arianrhod's Einstein's Heroes is about the crowning achievement of classical physics--James Clerk Maxwell's understanding of electricity, magnetism, and light. But on another level, Arianrhod adeptly examines a much deeper idea: why is mathematics the language of nature and how do physicists tap the hidden power of numbers to understand the physical world? Einstein's Heroes does an admirable job of explaining the strange allure that mathematics holds over the scientists who so dramatically altered the way we look at the universe."--Charles Seife, author of Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

Book Description

A fascinating tour of the mysterious language of mathematics, focusing on the life and work of Maxwell, Newton, Faraday, and Einstein

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (July 20, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195308905
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195308907
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.9 x 0.61 x 5.38 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 out of 5 stars 26

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3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
26 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2014
"For a hundred years, though, scientists have revered him. Max Planck, the great German theoretical physicist who created quantum theory at the dawn of the twentieth century, said Maxwell’s theory ‘must remain for all time one of the greatest triumphs of human intellectual endeavour’. Einstein said, ‘One scientific epoch ended and another began with James Clerk Maxwell’.

"But perhaps the most memorable tribute to Maxwell—and to his belief that mathematics is the best language with which to imagine the world—is the t-shirt slogan seen on university campuses in the 1990s:

"And God said,

∂ E/ ∂ t = c ∇ × B − 4πJ
∂ B/ ∂ t = − c ∇ × E
∇. E = 4πρ
∇. B = 0

And there was light.''

Explains the change from Newtonian 'action at a distance' to Faraday's 'fields'. Recounts the severe opposition from the Newtonian's to Faraday's fields. Lord Kelvin laments at the end of his life that he failed as a physicist for rejecting Maxwell's discoveries.

Reveals story of Oliver Heaviside, a self-taught physicist who discovered the correct application of Maxwell's theory, but was rejected due to the arrogance of the elite. He never gave up because he felt "Science was a means of seeking the laws of God and banishing superstition, filled with a strong sense of my Duty to impart my knowledge to others and help them." Inspiring to any who fight the same fight. He published his work at his cost to benefit his fellow man. He did.

Explains that Faraday had the same fight for the same reason, the educated elite not accepting his conclusions since he was not of their class. We now view Faraday as the physicist responsible for modern technology. He did the work that Maxwell and then Einstein used to create modern physics.

Connects the three mathematical theories, Newton's, Maxwell's and Einstein's. Shows how these have changed our view of reality, from physical solids to energy as fields to mathematical ideas.

Page 281: "it is a paradigm shift that has provoked some to wonder weather mathematics is somehow written into the very structure of the universe."

Good observation. This is a modern doubt. The men who implemented the modern use of mathematics, Galileo, Kepler, Barrow, Newton, Pascal, Maxwell, Wren, etc. did so because they believed ' god eternally mathematizes'. Their faith was validated.

Arianrhod relates that Einstein had three portraits on his wall, Faraday, Newton and Maxwell. All three were devout, Bible reading Christians. Their faith in the mathematics given by the great Mathematician never wavered.

Good insight into the life and personality of Faraday and Maxwell. Also, some detail on others of that time and how this new science affected radio, telephone and even quantum theory.

Well written. I enjoyed the way she connected the cultural effect to the science.

A Seamless Intertwining
A Reluctant Revolutionary Beetles, Strings and Sealing Wax
The Nature of Physics
The Language of Physics
Why Newton Held the World in Thrall
Rites of Passage
A Fledgling Physicist
Electromagnetic Controversy
Mathematics as Language
The Magical Synthesis of Algebra and Geometry
Maxwell’s Mathematical Language
Maxwell’s Rainbow
Imagining the World with the Language of Mathematics: A Revolution in Physics

Newton also used mathematics to provide insight into the unseen . . .

“Newton went even further than this. He hypothesised that gravity is a universal force, not just an earthly one. He worked out a formula describing how gravity would theoretically behave everywhere in the universe if it actually did extend beyond the earthly environment. . . . But in Newton’s day, while some scientists had begun to think of each planet having its own specific type of gravity, the idea that the Sun and other ‘heavenly bodies’ had the same gravity as the Earth was considered almost sacrilegious. Most of Newton’s contemporaries believed that the ‘heavens’—the home of the Moon, Sun and stars—must be governed by very different laws from the Earth, so they did not expect that earthly gravity would exist in the celestial realms.’’ (51)

Newton now known as early Unitarian, one who rejects the trinity in favor of the Jewish concept of the one Jehovah. This is why he wanted to unify all creation. This would confirm Jehovah's godship. How difficult?

“Newton’s theory was almost pure speculation: no one had been to the Moon or launched a spaceship when he made his revolutionary prediction that gravity is a property of all matter, anywhere in the universe. And that the Earth’s gravity is strong enough to extend as far as the Moon, and is keeping the Moon in its orbit, while the Sun’s gravity can be felt on Earth and is keeping Earth and the other planets in orbit.’’

This ‘pure speculation’ was derived from Newton's faith in the one universal creator.

“As for Newton’s theory of gravity, it was first published in 1687—twenty years after he had first begun working on the problem of planetary motion—in a great book called Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy). Nowadays referred to as ‘Newton’s Principia’, it is the most important book in the history of science because it introduced the world to the first consistent, broad-ranging scientific theory.’’ (77)

Newton created one science to confirm the belief in the one Creator!
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2016
Great read
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2013
The only author to include the concept of mathematical grammar in discussing Maxwell's equations. By understand how the equations described the dynamic electricity and magnetism fields to change gave me a clearer picture of why the equation are so valued. I can now picture the process and I was able to confirm that I had emulated those movements in my art form.
This is my second copy.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2006
Physics is the science of describing the physical world at its most fundamental level, and math is the language physicists use, the world of equations. "Mathematics is our language -- a sublime creation of the human mind, built by countless generations from all parts of the world. A language of unity, both culturally and philosphically. It has given us a synthesis of waves and particles, energy and matter, language and reality, just as it embodies in its very grammar and symbols a synthesis of intellectual contributions from the East, the Middle East and the West. And it has changed forever the way we think about reality, and about our place in the universe."

Albert Einstein is considered the father of modern physics. His equations showed that the universe was created in an explosion called the Big Bang theory. Although his "general relativity theory predicted the existence of black holes and the Big Bang, it cannot tell physicists what happens at the center of a black hole, or what happened at the moment of the Big Bang. It works on the cosmic scale, describing the origin and evolution of the universe itself." No one will ever be able to prove beyond doubt that mathematical creations like black holes exist, and that the Big Bang actually happened "because we can never return from an exploratory trip into a black hole."

Sir Isaac Newton's predictive theory of physics is "the mathematical law -- an equation -- that accurately described the effects of this ubiquitous but little understood downward pull." The most astounding part of Newton's theory was its use of math to prove a brilliant and radical hypothesis "that laid the foundations of the modern science of astronomy" -- the hypothesis that gravity is a universal force, not just and earthly one ...and that the ancient mystery of why the planets move through the sky can be explained by assuming the Sun's gravity is responsible for holding them in their orbits."

She gives the ancient history of the field of astronomy of Copernicus, Gailileo, Aristarchus, Hipparchus, Ptolomy, Kepler and others who paved the way for William Thomson, the most famous physicist of his day, who took James Clark Maxwell under his tutelage. It was his work which primarily inspired Einstein's special theory of relativity in 1905, and his portrait hung on the walls of Einstein's lab. The 100th anniversary of this discovery has just been observed by MIT as the era of modern physics. His general theory of relativity was developed in 1915.

Many scientists, still riding on Newton's wave of success, had turned to science rather than religion for answers to the important questions about the nature of the universe and our role in it. Maxwell saw science as a means of "understanding...creation." Charles Darwin developed his theory of human evolution by natural selection, which would bring "renewed heat to debates about God's role in designing and creating the universe. Meanwhile, in an Apostles essay on the nature of the evidence for design by an intelligent Creator, Maxwell wrote (following Kant) that 'our understanding of nature is limited by the structure of our brains,' so that the very belief in design 'is a necessary consequence of the Laws of Thought acting on the phenomena of perception.'"

Einstein is quoted as saying, "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." Whatever the ultimate reality of our origins, "and whatever the fate of relativity theory itself, physicists have learned an incredible amount about the universe over the past century, guided by Einstein's mathematical theory of gravity." The high success rate of various tests of Newton's theory over the previous 160 years had made astronomy 'the most glamorous and prestigious of the sciences.' Einstein also said, "The discovery of nuclear chain reactions need not bring about the destruction of mankind any more than did the discovery of matches. We only must do everything in our power to safeguard against its abuse."
10 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2007
Despite its title, this book's central themes are: the work of James Clerk Maxwell and the expression of scientific principles in the language of mathematics. In discussing Maxwell's life and work, the author allows a few excursions mainly into the work of Newton and Faraday - work related to that of Maxwell. In addition, the book contains a few digressions on some extremely basic mathematical principles, e.g., basic geometry, basic algebra, elementary graphs, etc. - material that is likely covered at the junior high school level if not earlier. Other material is presented on more advanced concepts such as vectors and vector spaces. The explanations are so clear, basic and painless that this book should be very popular among those who are mathematically challenged but who would like to know more about important scientific developments that have a mathematical flavor. As stated, the prose is quite clear, friendly and engaging. Science buffs that are better versed in mathematics should also enjoy this book because of its fascinating historical and biographical information.
19 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

BlueBrain
5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptionally Well Written and a must read for every one as early as possible
Reviewed in India on May 16, 2019
I had bought this book to read out for my kid, to inspire towards scientific thinking. I would read it for few pages per week. But one midnight I got up from my workbench to find my father who has took this book in morning of the day itself, was having moist eyes and totally engrossed and almost completed the book in a single day one go. In his age, his inclination is towards spiritual books...but this man read this entire book in single day, was so much influenced that he said that scientists like Maxewell are thousand times bigger than any Yogi or Swami. This book has left profound imprint on my father who took it accidentally and has developed immense respect for science and scientists after reading it. It is a book which every person above 8 years should read without delay. It not only teaches scientific thinking of greats, but also what makes a person great really.

The addictive way this book has been written and narrated is exceptional and author who has perhaps written a book for the first time must be appreciated for this great piece of exceptional work. It is written like a smooth novel which anyone can read easily.
Michael B
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow
Reviewed in Australia on February 9, 2020
Could not put this down. Emmensely satisfying read. Did not realise how tied I was to ‘agonizing appeals to a nonexistent physical intuition’. So much angst has gone.
J. Gor
5.0 out of 5 stars Einstein's Heroes: Imagining the World Through the Language of Mathematics
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 5, 2012
This is a scientific autobiography of James Clark Maxwell and should and can be read by everyone from experts and novices alike. The title starting with 'Einstein's Heroes:' is a little deceptive. But the book shows Einstein's predecessors who laid down the foundations of mathematics. And of the forces of attractions through Maxwell's description of magnetic forces.The author has done a excellent job in taking the reader by the hand and slowly describing the theory of vectors and thereby be able to describe the magnetic field which otherwise is not seen by the eye.Very beautifully written. The book describes his life and relationship with Michael Farady and the Royal Society.
RMS
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and stimulating
Reviewed in Canada on November 21, 2009
A fascinating and very stimulating insight into how Robert Maxwell single-handedly discovered one of the only four forces in the universe: the electo-magnetic force. The basic maths and physics needed to appreciate Maxwell's fabulous achievement are so clearly explained in this book that even I could grasp the concepts and understand the nature of his discovery, one of the most important intellectual breakthroughs in the history of physics and in the history of man's understanding of the world he lives in and just how it works.
W. Theinert
5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening!
Reviewed in Australia on January 7, 2020
The most interesting way in which the history of electricity and the development of knowledge is explained. Enlightening!