Reading Euler's story is inspiring! ( )

Professor William Dunham writes about one of the greatest mathematicians who has lived. Leonhard Euler (pronounced "oiler" or "OILa") lived from 1707 to 1783 and produced a massive volume of papers and books on mathematics, physics, and other subjects. His influence on mathematics is incalculable and considerd by modern mathematicians as one of the greatest minds ever. This work is one in a series that was chartered by the American Mathematical Association with the purpose of "furthering the ideal of execellence in mathematical exposition". This book provides the student of mathematics an appreciation of the man behind the math and some good exercises in the math itself. It also gives those with more general interest an appreciation of the mind of a great thinker whose works fundamentally influence great thinkers today.

This book is not, and is not meant to be, anything close to a biography or even a history. Dunham clearly wants the reader to develop a reverant appreciation for the man who almost single-handedly pushed math into the modern era. He allows one to glimpse, in less than 200 pages, the works that are still to this day being published in what will likely be 25,000+ pages (those actually written by Euler).

Get your pencil and paper and follow along with this one. You will get an inkling of the way one of the great minds worked, and you might even learn some math! ( )