Donald C. Benson's Books

The Moment of Proof

Mathematical Epiphanies

By: Donald C. Benson

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The Moment of Proof

Mathematical Epiphanies

By: Donald C. Benson

A brilliant introduction to the pleasures of mathematical thinking, this book attempts to convey to general readers the feeling of eureka--the joy of discovery--that mathematicians feel when they first encounter an elegant truth. 92 line illustrations.

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Page Count

346

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195139194

ISBN 13

9780195139198

A Smoother Pebble

Mathematical Explorations

By: Donald C. Benson

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A Smoother Pebble

Mathematical Explorations

By: Donald C. Benson

This book takes a novel look at the topics of school mathematics--arithmetic, geometry, algebra, and calculus. In this stroll on the mathematical seashore we hope to find, quoting Newton, "...a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary..." This book assembles a collection of mathematical pebbles that are important as well as beautiful.

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Page Count

286

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0198032978

ISBN 13

9780198032977

Prologue to Manifest Destiny

Anglo-American Relations in the 1840s

By: Howard Jones,Donald Allen Rakestraw

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Prologue to Manifest Destiny

Anglo-American Relations in the 1840s

By: Howard Jones,Donald Allen Rakestraw

This is an account of the settlement of the Maine and Oregon boundary disputes between the US and England during the 1840s. The country's success with England in resolving the dispute, marked the dawn of America's new age of expansion. This may be of value to students and history enthusiasts.

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Page Count

366

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

0842024883

ISBN 13

9780842024884

The Ballet of the Planets

A Mathematician's Musings on the Elegance of Planetary Motion

By: Donald Benson

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The Ballet of the Planets

A Mathematician's Musings on the Elegance of Planetary Motion

By: Donald Benson

Explores the mystery of planetary motion, based on the theories that came from famous scientists such as Newton, Archimedes, and Copernicus.

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Page Count

193

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199891001

ISBN 13

9780199891009

The Ballet of the Planets

A Mathematician's Musings on the Elegance of Planetary Motion

By: Donald Benson

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The Ballet of the Planets

A Mathematician's Musings on the Elegance of Planetary Motion

By: Donald Benson

The Ballet of the Planets unravels the beautiful mystery of planetary motion, revealing how our understanding of astronomy evolved from Archimedes and Ptolemy to Copernicus, Kepler, and Newton. Mathematician Donald Benson shows that ancient theories of planetary motion were based on the assumptions that the Earth was the center of the universe and the planets moved in a uniform circular motion. Since ancient astronomers noted that occasionally a planet would exhibit retrograde motion--would seem to reverse its direction and move briefly westward--they concluded that the planets moved in epicyclic curves, circles with smaller interior loops, similar to the patterns of a child's Spirograph. With the coming of the Copernican revolution, the retrograde motion was seen to be apparent rather than real, leading to the idea that the planets moved in ellipses. This laid the ground for Newton's great achievement--integrating the concepts of astronomy and mechanics--which revealed not only how the planets moved, but also why. Throughout, Benson focuses on naked-eye astronomy, which makes it easy for the novice to grasp the work of these pioneers of astronomy.

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Page Count

193

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199939292

ISBN 13

9780199939299

The Moment of Proof

Mathematical Epiphanies

By: Donald C. Benson

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The Moment of Proof

Mathematical Epiphanies

By: Donald C. Benson

When Archimedes, while bathing, suddenly hit upon the principle of buoyancy, he ran wildly through the streets of Syracuse, stark naked, crying "eureka!" In The Moment of Proof, Donald Benson attempts to convey to general readers the feeling of eureka--the joy of discovery--that mathematicians feel when they first encounter an elegant proof. This is not an introduction to mathematics so much as an introduction to the pleasures of mathematical thinking. And indeed the delights of this book are many and varied. The book is packed with intriguing conundrums--Loyd's Fifteen Puzzle, the Petersburg Paradox, the Chaos Game, the Monty Hall Problem, the Prisoners' Dilemma--as well as many mathematical curiosities. We learn how to perform the arithmetical proof called "casting out nines" and are introduced to Russian peasant multiplication, a bizarre way to multiply numbers that actually works. The book shows us how to calculate the number of ways a chef can combine ten or fewer spices to flavor his soup (1,024) and how many people we would have to gather in a room to have a 50-50 chance of two having the same birthday (23 people). But most important, Benson takes us step by step through these many mathematical wonders, so that we arrive at the solution much the way a working scientist would--and with much the same feeling of surprise. Every fan of mathematical puzzles will be enthralled by The Moment of Proof. Indeed, anyone interested in mathematics or in scientific discovery in general will want to own this book.

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Page Count

342

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0198027745

ISBN 13

9780198027744

A Smoother Pebble

Mathematical Explorations

By: Donald C. Benson

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A Smoother Pebble

Mathematical Explorations

By: Donald C. Benson

Offering a selective cultural history of algorithmic approaches to calculation, from Babylonian arithmetic and Egyptian geometric and surveying methods, through Newton's calculus, this text should appeal to students and to amatuer mathematicians.

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Page Count

279

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195144368

ISBN 13

9780195144369

Book's by Donald C. Benson

The Moment of Proof

The Moment of Proof

A Smoother Pebble

A Smoother Pebble

Prologue to Manifest Destiny

Prologue to Manifest Destiny

The Ballet of the Planets

The Ballet of the Planets

The Ballet of the Planets

The Ballet of the Planets

The Moment of Proof

The Moment of Proof

A Smoother Pebble

A Smoother Pebble

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