Product Description
Following the style of "The Physics Companion" and "The Electronics Companion", this book is a revision aid and study guide for undergraduate (primarily first year) students in physics and engineering. It consists of a series of one-page-per-topic descriptions of the key concepts covered in a typical first year "Mathematics for physics" course. The emphasis is placed on relating the mathematical principles being introduced to real-life physical problems, and in common with the other Companions, there is strong use of figures throughout to help in understanding of the concepts under consideration.

The book will be an essential reference and revision guide, particularly for those students who do not have a strong background in mathematics when beginning their degree. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Ideal for the person with a working knowledge of mathematics that needs a refresher
The prime audience for this book is working professionals whose education required at least the first two years of the math major. To be more specific, I mean people that had to take at least a two-semester college sequence of calculus, linear algebra and a few other courses and now use that knowledge in their jobs. The author is a physicist, so the topics reviewed are those that a working physicist would need to have studied, although people in other areas such as engineering and chemistry will also find it valuable.
A wide variety of topics are briefly surveyed:

*) Differential and integral calculus
*) Trigonometric and hyperbolic functions
*) Infinite series
*) Probability
*) Matrices
*) Ordinary differential equations
*) Partial differential equations
*) Matrices
*) Vector analysis
*) Fourier series
*) Multiple integrals
*) Complex functions

There is almost nothing in the way of theory, the topic is presented and a few examples/applications are demonstrated. It is assumed that the reader has been exposed to the material in detail and needs only a reminder or a slightly more in-depth refresher.
While there are some typos, there really are no more than in most books. The problem is that mathematics is presented in such condensed form; most errors of a single character are magnified. Nevertheless, this is a book that the person working in a profession based on mathematics can use as a valuable aid when a quick update is needed.

Very useful resource, but beware of the typos
This book provides a clear and concise summary of key mathematical concepts and formulas of the sort normally used by scientists and engineers.

There are some derivations, explanations, and examples scattered throughout the book, but this is mainly a reference book.The aim is therefore to provide a resource for looking things up which you may have forgotten, not to teach you the material from scratch.

The one negative with the book is that there are several typos, which is especially a problem with a reference book like this, and this is even more unfortunate because the typos could have been easily caught and corrected with proper editing.These typos are the only reason my rating is 4 stars instead of a solid 5 stars.

The bottom line is that I can still recommend this book, but beware of the typos.

Uniquely formatted, and reasonably successful summary of key mathematical concepts, diminished by editing and layout errors,
This is an mathematical reference book in a somewhat novel format. It provides concise coverage of important undergraduate-level mathematical techniques needed for science and engineering. The book is divided into two sections. As of the posting of this review, "Search inside this book" did not provide a table of contents, so the topics covered in each section are listed below:

-- Part 1. Mathematics Essentials: Numbers, Trigonometry, Geometry; Limits and Functions; Differentiation; Integration; Exponential and Logarithmic Functions; Trigonometric and Hyperbolic Functions; Methods of Integration; Infinite Series; Probability; Matrices.

-- Part 2. Advanced Mathematics: Ordinary Differential Equations; Laplace Transforms; Vector Analysis; Partial Derivatives; Multiple Integrals; Fourier Series; Partial Differential Equations; Complex Functions; Numerical Methods.

What makes this work unique is that each specific topic is usually presented in only one or two pages. Thus, e.g., 'Complex Numbers' are presented on two pages and 'Vector Differentiation' on one. This design allows readers to quickly cover a variety of topics where they may only need a short review. The book can also be thought of as a source of core templates from which to grow your own summary notes, augmenting those in the book with items and topics as needed.

The book's major deficiency is its editing. For example, in the summary section on "Differentiation" a number of differentiation formulas are presented. Although all results are present, for some of these formulas the actual functions to be differentiated are missing.

The book's size is similar to modern Dover mathematical reprints. However, it is printed on acid-free paper, and it feels more substantial than the typical paperback.

Conclusion: This work provides key mathematical concepts for science and engineering in a unique summary format. However, in spite of some editing and layout errors errors, it can be helpful for review, or for providing concise topic templates designs to which users can additional material for their own needs. Although, perhaps not, the first choice for a mathematics companion handbook.

Small but full of the right info.
I purchased the book, because it was required for a class (among other books) that I am attending in the graduate school (a refreshment course for people that has been away from college for a while).The definitions are short and to the point; clear and precise.So far I have found two typos, but I guess that means that the refreshment is working.In sumary, It is a great book, highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
This book presents a survey of Topology and Differential Geometry and also, Lie Groups and Algebras, and their Representations. The first topic is indispensable to students of gravitation and related areas of modern physics (including string theory), while the second has applications in gauge theory and particle physics, integrable systems and nuclear physics.

Part I provides a simple introduction to basic topology, followed by a survey of homotopy. Calculus of differentiable manifolds is then developed, and a Riemannian metric is introduced along with the key concepts of connections and curvature. The final chapters lay out the basic notions of simplicial homology and de Rham cohomology as well as fibre bundles, particularly tangent and cotangent bundles.

Part II starts with a review of group theory, followed by the basics of representation theory. A thorough description of Lie groups and algebras is presented with their structure constants and linear representations. Root systems and their classifications are detailed, and this section of the book concludes with the description of representations of simple Lie algebras, emphasizing spinor representations of orthogonal and pseudo-orthogonal groups.

The style of presentation is succinct and precise. Involved mathematical proofs that are not of primary importance to physics student are omitted. The book aims to provide the reader access to a wide variety of sources in the current literature, in addition to being a textbook of advanced mathematical methods for physicists. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Helped me with food and chemical sensitivities
This book was a godsend of help for my MCS and food reactions. I react far less intensely and less frequently after doing those energy balancing techniques. And the supplement suggestions were great. I also benefited from doing a phone consult with Prof. Rochlitz. And he just came out with a new book for us MCS, EMFS and food reactors. It's about how we may have underlying porphyria, and to help with that. See the site, [...].

But this classic, Allergies and Candida has stood the test of time, and is highly recommended!

A well written reference book
I'm on my second reading of this excellent book.I'm sure I'm so fascinated with it because it describes my condition and some very good solutions that the author has developed and perfected over the years.I'm looking forward to implimenting them as soon as I learn the techniques described.

Edy R.

Excellent - the allergy/sensitivity testing is on the money
This book led me to read the ingredients on my toothpaste. Everyday, twice a day, I was sabotaging my health by brushing my teeth.Although Toms of Main toothpaste is a really great toothpaste (my dentist noticed my cleaner teeth), it is made with Xylitol - which as explained in the ingredients list is derived from Birch.I read the label on my toothpaste after using the testing techniques and finding not only a weak muscle, but that my whole arm went weak (from just holding the tube of toothpaste). According to my allergist Birch is my worst allergy. I no longer feel like falling asleep during the day (at least in the mornings after I would brush my teeth) and at night I am sleeping better.I am working on the Candida and other allergy issues now.Some of the directions get a little confusing but even his basic exercises are very helpful.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in health
This book is a must read for anyone interested in health, not just those with allergies or candida.It contains information you could spend years searching for plus insights from the author you will not find anywhere else.

I use the techniques in the book on a daily basis to increase my mental clarity and physical stamina.

If you are sick or just want to stay healthy and feel great, get this book.

A Great Guide For Getting Well
In the course of my more than 13 years of battling with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I have read literally hundreds of "health books".I have come to judge these books on whether or not they contain useful, practical information, and if applying the information results in a significant improvement to my health.After reading this book and following the principles it explains, I went from spending days to weeks at a time barely able to get out of bed, to working fulltime and resuming a normal lifestyle.This is one of the very few books I have ever read that effectively addresses the usual collection of otherwise "incurable" chronic illnesses, which have become so widespread.I would wholeheartedly recommend this book for anyone who is seriously interested in overcoming one of these chronic illnesses.Wishing you the best of health! ... Read more

Product Description
If science has the equivalent of a Bloomsbury group, it is the five men born at the turn of the twentieth century in Budapest:Theodore von Kármán, Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner, John von Neumann, and Edward Teller. From Hungary to Germany to the United States, they remained friends and continued to work together and influence each other throughout their lives.As a result, their work was integral to some of the most important scientific and political developments of the twentieth century.
István Hargittai tells the story of this remarkable group: Wigner won a Nobel Prize in theoretical physics; Szilard was the first to see that a chain reaction based on neutrons was possible, initiated the Manhattan Project, but left physics to try to restrict nuclear arms; von Neumann could solve difficult problems in his head and developed the modern computer for more complex problems; von Kármán became the first director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, providing the scientific basis for the U.S. Air Force; and Teller was the father of the hydrogen bomb, whose name is now synonymous with the controversial "Star Wars" initiative of the 1980s. Each was fiercely opinionated, politically active, and fought against all forms of totalitarianism.
Hargittai, as a young Hungarian physical chemist, was able to get to know some of these great men in their later years, and the depth of information and human interest in The Martians of Science is the result of his personal relationships with the subjects, their families, and their contemporaries.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

An intriguing biography of five unsung heroes of physics
Certain men change the world, yet people on the street rarely know who they are. "Martians of Science: Five Physicists Who Changed the Twentieth Century" is a collective biography of five physicists who have had a major impact on the last hundred years. All five, hailing originally from Hungary, came to America at the critical time of war, and changed science with their ideas. Referred to as the Martians, a nickname with unclear origins, "Martians of Science" is an intriguing biography of five unsung heroes of physics.

"Some Secrets of Super Scientists"
"The Martians of Science: Five Physicists Who Changed the Twentieth Century", by Istavan Hargittai, Oxford Univ. Press, NY2006.ISBN 13 978-0-19-517845-6. HC 314/240 pages includes Preface, Contents, Intro., Appendix 12 pgs., Notes 36 pgs., Biblio. 6 pgs., Chronologies 7 pgs., & Index 12 pgs.9.5" x 6.5"

A cleverly devised treatise details five of the Worlds' most notable theoretical physicists - all began as Jewish Hungarian citizens of Budapest who, in time, migrated to the U.S., toiled collectively and separately to develop strategic defense systems including the atomic & hydrogen bombs, computers, modernized Airforce, and establishing or working at the AEC, NASA, JPL, Manhattan Project, Livermore, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, etc.

Convenient attribute of this writing is its apportionment into six chapters to reveal their progressive transition from early childhood into figures of greatness and thence onto their waning years.It reflects their family influences, societal environs, politico-economic conditions, scholastic opportunities, and acceptance into American cultural institutions as Princeton, Harvard, Berkeley, Caltech and the U.S. military.

The plethora of B & W photographs contributes enormously to the book's value as does appendix of "Sampler of Quotable Martians".Perhaps most importantly are descriptors of personal interactions amongst the Martians themselves. This book embraces exciting history, racism, psychological ploys of embattled nations & bureaucracies, and the search for peace amidst glorious and sometimes inglorious purlieus.That the author is an acclaimed writer, recognized scientist, Professor of chemistry, authored several dozen books and is personally acquainted with and interviewed several of the 'Martians' is a plus.Its a good read and the price is right.

Education, Immigration, Political Influence, & The Bomb
The above for me was the trust of the book with the historical perspective of early 1900 thru early 1980. As we start, we see what a great education can do as the five (5) did receive early intensive training in their outstanding "gymnasiums" of Hungary. Even though the education was so very good and produced many great students, these five still stood out to the point as if they were from Mars as the title depicts. As their academic reputations started to grow and the difficulties of the 1st war, they all had some experience of working or immigrating away from Hungary. As the 2nd war approached, all could see the writing on the wall and it was easier to immigrate a second time of which the US was the lucky recipient.

Upon arrival to the US, it did not take too long as they started to display their political influence since they saw or knew what was going on in Europe and that war was coming and felt that the US needed to wake up and be prepared. This persistance took time but paid off as all were involved in some way with the development of the 1st atomic bomb both technically and politically. This continued on for some time for all of their collective careers, as after WWII, the cold war commenced and new problems were present with the atomic age upon us.

The interactions between each of the Martians and between the people they met makes for some interesting side points which makes for some very good historical and political persectives if your interested in any of the above.

A unique look at a unique topic
As the daughter of the book's author, I bring an unusual perspective to this piece, one that will give you some background on how this book came about and why you will be in for a treat when reading it.

My father knew two of the five Martians discussed in this volume (Wigner and Teller) and had expressed a great interest in the work and lives of all five (Szilard, von Neumann, von Karman in addition to the above two) throughout his life. Curiously, however, despite having written numerous books about scientists, he never intended to write a book about these five until Oxford University Press approached him about it. When he finally took up this project, he threw himself into it with zest. When the book was near completion, he met with almost all of the surviving children of the Martians, not to change anything but to get an additional impression of their personalities. A byproduct of the book was a play he wrote about Teller, which surprised even me despite being used to his occasional unusual ideas.

Looking back, the Martians were always on my father's mind, and he cherished his long-lasting personal acquaintance with Eugene P. Wigner. (Even as a child, I remember seeing the picture of the two of them taken upon their encounter at the University of Texas at Austin in 1969.) The family legend had it that we might be distant relatives, but there was never any hard evidence for that. My father started correspondence with Wigner when he was still a student, well before I was born. Actually, Wigner wrote him first after my father had published an article in a Hungarian literary magazine soon after Wigner's Nobel Prize.My father's acquaintance with Teller came much later, when he and my mother visited the Tellers in their home in Stanford in 1996.

Having read The Martians of Science, I feel as if I had become personally acquainted with all five of the people discussed in the volume. It is fascinating to see that such incredible people emerge from just one country to contribute so much to science and to the defense of the United States. It is sad that they were forced out of Hungary, where even today - while their achievements are being recognized - the reasons of their departures are often covered up. This book puts these things into proper perspective.

For an engaging, detailed, and passionate account of the lives of five incredibly important figures (regarding both science and history), I highly recommend this book.

Highly recommended
What a great gem for those of us interested in 20th century history and the history of science.

The Jewish-Hungarian Martians represented a well-defined group from turn-of-the-century Budapest who became top scientists in Germany of the 1920s, and made decisive contributions to the defense of the Free World from the menace of totalitarian powers during World War II and the Cold War. The book succeeds admirably in presenting their complex characters and their single-minded determination to achieve their stated goals on the background of the turbulent twentieth century.

This is a book that was hard to put down. I have also returned to it from time to time. ... Read more

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Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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A biography of the brilliant scientist whose work with radioactivity caused her death, but gave life to others. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Amazing
I love this book!I had to do a project on Marie Curie and this helped me a lot!I love how she was a women physicist and how brave she was.And to be one of the first physicists, wow.I think this woman rocks! ... Read more

Product Description
The universe is a collection of microscopically smallparticles which developed at the very beginning from a Big Bang.Scientists can describe very precisely how all this came about.It makes breathtaking reading, but one's heart remains cold.Science seems to strive for a comprehensive explanation of theworld in which we live. If that is the case, then belief in Godwill be ruled out. But is it really the WHOLE of reality? Ifscientists ever finish their work, will they then understandEVERYTHING? Or are there, as Hamlet says to Horatio, more thingsin heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy?

Taking issue with recent scientific writers on this theme, theauthor of this book, a physicist himself, looks not only atrecent developments in science but also at scientists themselves,and the motivations behind their scientific activities. Theresult is a fascinating survey of modern science and anencouraging indication that the possibility of meaningfulreligious belief is still very much there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Beautifully written
The worlds of science and religion have never touched each other so closely as in this book. I read it in one sitting.

Beautiful
Anyone can read this easy book, although it is written by an eminent professor of physics. It is beautifully written. Van den Beukel has the power of endowing science with the beauty of poetry.
This book is to science what Garder's "Sophie's world" is to philosophy. I wish it as much success as Gaarder's book. Van den Beukel is also smart enough to consider science from a philosophical perspective. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Quarternionic calculus covers a branch of mathematics which uses computational techniques to help solve problems from a wide variety of physical systems which are mathematically modelled in 3, 4 or more dimensions. Examples of the application areas include thermodynamics, hydrodynamics, geophysics and structural mechanics. Focusing on the Clifford algebra approach the authors have drawn together the research into quarternionic calculus to provide the non-expert or research student with an accessible introduction to the subject. This book fills the gap between the theoretical representations and the requirements of the user. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Useful for beginners as well as for researchers.
Hypercomplex analysis is experimenting a "boom" nowadays, and the mathematical community waited for a long time before the first introductory text appeared. This is it. Any student willing to enter thisdiscipline is got here a concise and comprehensive introduction which willalso serve as a reference for further study and research.

Contents:Quaternions and multivectors, Clifford-valued functions and forms, Cliffordoperator calculus, boundary value problems, numerical Clifford analysis,further results and research problems. Appendices: Exact computations ofthe Theodorescu transform, discrete fundamental solutions, discreteTheodorescu transform.

It is worth mentioning that this book is almostthe only one covering the discrete case of hypercomplex analysis. Includesfull motivation and historical notes, and extensive references. Just becareful with some typos.

Please read the rest of my reviews (just clickon my name above). ... Read more

Product Description
Mathematical Tools for Physisists is a unique collection of 18 review articles, each one written by a renowned expert of its field. Their professional style will be beneficial for advanced students as well as for the scientist at work. The first may find a comprehensive introduction while the latter use it as a quick reference.

The contributions range from fundamental methods right up to the latest applications, including:

• Algebraic/ analytic / geometric methods
• Symmetries and conservation laws
• Mathematical modelling
• Quantum computation

Great attention was paid to ensuring fast access to the information, and each carefully reviewed article features:

• an abstract
• a detailed table of contents
• continuous cross-referencing
• references to the most relevant publications in the field, and
• suggestions for further reading, both introductory as well as highly specialized.

In addition, a comprehensive index provides easy access to the enormous number of key words beyond the headlines. ... Read more

Product Description
Introduction to Relativity is intended to teach physics and astronomy majors at the freshman, sophomore or upper-division levels how to think about special and general relativity in a fundamental, but accessible, way. Designed to render any reader a "master of relativity", everything on the subject is comprehensible and derivable from first principles. The book emphasizes problem solving, contains abundant problem sets, and is conveniently organized to meet the needs of both student and instructor.

*Simplicity: the book teaches space and time in relativity in a physical fashion with minimal mathematics
*Conciseness: the book teaches relativity by emphasizing the basic simplicity of the principles at work
*Visualization: space-time diagrams (Minkowski) illustrate phenomena from simultaneity to the resolution of the twin paradox in a concrete fashion
*Worked problems: two chapters of challenging problems solved in several ways illustrate and teach the principles
*Problem sets: each chapter is accompanied by a full set of problems for the student that teach the principles and some new phenonmena ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

You Should Seek Alternatives
A previous reviewer of this book and myself were actually members of the same physics class at the University of Cincinnati that used this text.I believe I can speak for the entire class when I say that we were all disappointed and frustrated with this book.

Kogut simply does not explain things well.I had purchased "Special Relativity" by A.P. French at the same time I bought Kogut's book, and I was very glad I did.Time and time again I found myself going back and reading French instead of Kogut.(Kogut's was the required text for this particular course, while French's was an optional text.)

If you are seeking a book to read simply to try to learn a bit about relativity on your own, you should skip this book.If you wish to learn about Special Relativity, I think you would be far better served by French's book than Kogut's.Now Kogut does have a couple chapters at the end on General Relativity, whereas French deals strictly with Special Relativity.But if you want to learn General Relativity, I have to believe there are far better books for you to consult than Kogut.

If you are purchasing this book for use in a course on relativity, I strongly recommend you purchase an additional text to supplement your learning.I think you will find Kogut incredibly frustrating, and you will be looking forward to simply being finished with the book.French's "Special Relativity" may be an old book, but French's presentation is incredible.(I was equally happy with French's "Vibrations and Waves" the previous quarter, so I think it's safe to say French knows what he's doing.)

The only thing I will say I liked about this book is that Kogut has several nicely done Minkowski diagrams resolving the Twin Paradox.For that reason alone, I am giving the book two stars instead of one.But I just don't think a few decent pictures are reason enough to put yourself through having to read the rest of this book.

prompt delivery, no problems
Delivery was quick.The condition of the book was as described. ... Read more

Product Description

This is the second volume of a modern introduction to quantum field theory which addresses both mathematicians and physicists ranging from advanced undergraduate students to professional scientists. This book seeks to bridge the existing gap between the different languages used by mathematicians and physicists.

For students of mathematics it is shown that detailed knowledge of the physical background helps to discover interesting interrelationships between quite diverse mathematical topics. For students of physics fairly advanced mathematics, beyond that included in the usual curriculum in physics, is presented.

The present volume concerns a detailed study of the mathematical and physical aspects of the quantum theory of light.

Customer Reviews (2)

Grand plan, poorly executed.
My background in math and physics is not good enough to do a good review of this book. It looks at QED from a big picture point of view which I like. He probably does a good job of it, I'm not in a position to say. I hope someone will come along soon who can do a better job of reviewing the good parts of the book.

My concern is that at the page level, it has a lot of problems. There are a large number of typos, sometimes in strategic places. I suppose that can't be helped. However, there is at least one definition that is simply incorrect. Fortunately, that becomes obvious right away. Although Schwartz spaces and tempered distributions are used in several places, they are not defined at all. Instead it refers you to the definition in volume I which I don't have. On the other hand, the Heaviside function is defined five times. Some of the definitions of mathematical objects are ambiguous, obviously not written by a mathematician for a mathematician. I presume that Professor Zeidler's native language is German, and while his English is quite good, it is not quite good enough for this book. He practially says as much himself. An intersting, but unimportant side-note: in one place I found the word 'und', where 'and' was meant. The notation is inconsistent from chapter to chapter, sometimes changing within a page and in at least one case changing in mid-sentence. It seems that whereever there is a similarity of ideas in two places, there lacks a corresponding similarity of presentation.

Some things I like about the book. Not every proof is given in the book. Instead, a citation is given to where the proof can be found in another book. This allows the author to cover more ground and the reader to choose whether or not to find the proof. I haven't been looking up these proofs myself. I hope that the diligent reader doesn't need an entire library to complete the proofs. A large range of mathematics is presented. Even if you don't learn any physics, you will learn a lot of math by reading this book. What is more, you will have physical motivation for the mathematics. I think this helps to understand the meaning behind the abstraction.

A Bridge Over Troubled Water
A Bridge Over Troubled Water


Professor Eberhard Zeidler has set upon himself the monumental task of uniting mathematics and physics, thereby building a bridge between two "enemy" ommunities.This is as difficult an undertaking as Shakespeare's attempt to unite two lovers, and thereby create a bridge between their feuding families.The reason is that Zeidler's task, like Shakespeare's, is beset with certain inherent difficulties and contradictions.

Mathematics, and mathematical education, start with a contradiction.By its very technical nature, mathematics is divided into various compartments and sub-compartments.Yet, to my knowledge, no other field is more united and inseparable than mathematics.Even physics can be divided into somewhat independent fields, but mathematics cannot.This makes math unique among all branches of human knowledge.

Soft fields like literature and history are very loosely bound.You can start with any author, like Shakespeare, Sartre, or Steinbeck, or any historical period, like British, Indian, or America history, and from there you can continue in any direction you want like a free bird.You can't do that in maths.You have to begin at a very specific point, 1,2,3,... and follow a very tightly bound order - just try to teach calculus to a guy who doesn't know trigonometry.In other words, soft fields like literature are like beautiful cities - you can visit their attractions in any order you want.But mathematics is like a maze or labyrinth - you have only one entry point, and once inside and in panic, you are forced to chase every nook and corner to reach for the exit before you go mad.This is the agony and the ecstasy of mathematics.

Now enters physics onthis "murky and stormy" stage.Again there are inherent differences in the approach of mathematicians and physicists to their respective fields.The most important thing in mathematics is a proof.In fact, I could not justify a lot of "weird" ideas in mathematics till I read their proofs.Often it is the necessity of proving things that introduces a lot of "weird" and counter-intuitive notions in math (at least for me).

Recently proofs in mathematics have become longer and longer.Many of Harish-Chandra's proofs in semi simple Lie groups and algebras are more that 100 pages long.Wiles proof of Fermat theorem is more than 200 pages long.And the Classification Theorem of finite groups requires more than 5000 pages of proof.As a physicists I have not even tried to read those proofs - I am incapable of that.But in my opinion a logical question arises:

Have these proofs to be so long, and if so, why?Do they reflect the strength or the weakness of the human mind?

I personally believe this is a fundamental question, and its very answer - whatever it may be - will clarify further the nature of mathematics, and even more , it would "throw some light" on the relationship between math and physics.

Now to physics.

Physics is all about Nature.And mathematics is just a language used to explain Nature.The relation between mathematics and physics is that of poetry and the language used to express that poetry.There is no inherent relation.This means that math and physics are not tightly bound, just as poetry is not bound to any specific language.Shakespeare could have used any language to express the same beautiful thoughts.And if it ever turns out that extraterrestrials have a better language to explain Nature I for one would rush to master it and throw our terrestrial mathematics into the dust-bin.This hints at a mismatch between math and physics.

One of the differences between physics and mathematics is that physics is more intuitive, and long mathematical proofs won't help if the intuition is not there.In fact, physics is a reality-check on math - it controls maths runaway flights into pure logic.I guess this is what Einstein and Feynman always said.And it is exactly here that a lot of bridges between math and physics have collapsed.Probably the mismatch lies in the brains of mathematicians and physicists.So, paradoxically again, in order to build true bridges between math and physics, some psychological study of the minds of mathematicians and physicists is needed.This gives some indication of the difficulty of building these bridges.It is not a bilateral but a multilateral task - a sort of multidisciplinary study.Seeing that Prof. Zeidler needs 6000 pages to deal with this bilateral task alone, it is no wonder that people dare not plunge into the murky waters of multilateralism - bilateralism is dark enough a territory to mess with.

The reason I am excited about "Zeidler Program" is that almost every time I read something from the 2 volumes of his series, I end up seeing some connection between physics and math which I did not see before, and this
sets me "thinking" ( at least in my limited ways).This cannot be said of many other books where all you can do is stare at the "most general formalism expressed in extremely terse notation".All you can carry away from such "masterpieces" is pseudo-knowledge consisting of some memorized terms and this is the most dangerous form of knowledge.

Yet the reason I am notpassing a technical judgement on the first 2 volumes of his program is that I want to wait till volume 3 (Gauge theory) and volume 4 (Quantum Mathematics) appear on the stage.They will be the making or breaking points of "Zeidler Program".Only they will demonstrate what kind of bridges he has built between poor, old, and senile Electromagnetism and his new, flashy, and rich cousin called Principal Fiber Bundle, and between a man called Witten and a man called Witten again, that is, between Witten the physicist and Witten the mathematician.It is over such troubled waters that many a bridges have been washed away in the past.So I wish Prof. Zeidler all luck.

To be continued after the appearance of volumes 3 and 4......

Rattan Mann
Oslo, Norway
... Read more

Product Description
This is an autobiography of this well known author with a unique perspective arising from his roles as both a theologian and a physicist. It tells the story of his journeys into both disciplines from a human angle, including the formative experiences and key relationships he experienced as a child, an undergraduate, graduate and beyond into university teaching, priesthood and writing. He describes his developing thoughts and understanding of the value and interdependence of each of the major disciplines and, by so doing, brings a human touch to the big questions that each approach raises. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Autobiography of a Remarkable yet "Ordinary" Life
Author, theologian and scientist John Polkinghorne describes his life as "ordinary". This is true only to the extent that an author of 30 books, Cambridge college president, honored physicist and theologian can be described as ordinary. As a warning, Polkinghorne's autobiography lacks drama and is more plainly and humbly written than the best of his science-theology work. It was difficult to get a sense of the intellectual passions and motivations that clearly make him more than ordinary. It is perhaps his own humility that prevents him from seeing this. While comfortable with great ideas he is largely unwilling to claim any greatness for himself. In contrast to his personal lack of glamor as he portrays it, are his honors as Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1997 and recipient of the 2002 Templeton Prize (for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities). These show a man who is extraordinary in his willingness to embark on a great intellectual adventure. In a sense, I was disappointed by the lack of a clear statement of what motivated Polkinghorne to become such a prolific author. On consideration I realized that it is simply due to his quiet passion for writing, teaching and ideas.

While this is an honest and accessible book it will be of interest mostly to those who are already familiar with or deeply interested in Polkinghorne's theological writings. In particular the chapter "Theological Writing" is an important guide in sorting out his many books for interested readers. Some of his more accessible recent works such asBelief in God in an Age of Science orExploring Reality: The Intertwining of Science and Religion are actually more engaging and among the better places to start for most readers.

Polkinghorne's decision to transition from academic physicist to priest (starting seminary at age 49 in 1979) is described in simple terms of prayerfully and thoughtfully pursuing a career that he felt would be a source of "deep satisfaction" to him as a Christian believer. Most interesting to me is that the question of the interaction of science and religion was apparently not of particular importance to his decision to enter the priesthood. Also remarkably, his wife Ruth returned to school at the same time at age 48 to train as a nurse. After serving enjoyable though relatively brief stints as a curate and parish priest in local parishes Polkinghorne returned to an academic setting to serve as Dean of Chapel at Trinity Hall. He subsequently served as President of Queens' college until his retirement in 1996. His years as priest and academic allowed him the time to write a series of more than 20 well regarded books on the intersection of science and religion. ... Read more