String, Straightedge, and Shadow The Story of Geometry
by Julia E. Diggins
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Please note that this Floris Books edition has been revised for UK and European notation, language and metric systems.From the early peoples who marvelled at the geometry of nature -- the beehive and bird's nest -- to ancient civilisations who questioned beautiful geometric forms and asked 'why?', the story of geometry spans thousands of years. Using only three simple tools -- the string, the straight-edge and the shadow -- human beings revealed the basic principles and constructions of show more elementary geometry. Weaving history and legend, this fascinating book reconstructs the discoveries of mathematics's most famous figures. Through illustrations and diagrams, readers are able to follow the reasoning that lead to an ingenious proof of the Pythagorean theorem, an appreciation of the significance of the Golden Mean in art and architecture, or the construction of the five regular solids.This insightful and engaging book makes geometry accessible to everyone. Readers will be fascinated with how the knowledge and wisdom of so many cultures helped shape our civilisation today.String, Straight-edge and Shadow is also a useful and inspiring book for those teaching geometry in Steiner-Waldorf classrooms. show lessTags
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themulhern A more advanced treatment of several geometries, suitable for an intelligent high school student.
Member Reviews
This book doesn't really take off until it reaches the chapter about the Ionian Greeks. Previous chapters are constrained to be a bit too speculative. The treatment is suitable for middle schoolers. However, its tone of respect for these ancient geometers, even when the treatment is humorous, is much more characteristic of the '60s then of the current age, some 50 years on. The illustrations are in two colors, black and a rusty red, and are also rather respectful and unlike the caricatures that a more contemporary book would use. The mathematical diagrams are very pleasing to the eye and the mathematical presentation is overall quite good.
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Children's Books About Science and Math
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- Genres
- Nonfiction, Kids, Tween
- DDC/MDS
- 513.09 — Natural sciences & mathematics Mathematics Arithmetic Geometry
- LCC
- QA40.5 .D5 — Science Mathematics Mathematics General
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- English
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- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
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