Proceedings of a Symposium on The Impact of Science on Society organised by The European Committee of The Weizmann Institute of Science Brussels, June 28–29, 1971
Proceedings of a Symposium on The Impact of Science on Society organised by The European Committee of The Weizmann Institute of Science Brussels, June 28–29, 1971
Scientists in Search of Their Conscience" is the edited proceedings of the European Symposium on the effects of science on society held in Brussels in 1971. Organised by The European Committee of The Weizmann Institute, Israel, the Conference gave scientists from varied disciplines and many countries the platform from which to explore in depth the dilemma facing them. The dilemma is the responsibility of scientists for society's use of scientific findings. Though no hard and fast conclusions were reached-in fact quite the contrary-the discussions left no doubt that scientists were becoming aware that they can no longer claim that the pursuit of knowledge is divorced from its use. Yet should they begin to face the responsibility for the application of their work, it is clear that their freedom will be impaired. The loss of freedom is of course part of the dilemma of science. Contents Official Opening, Monday, June 28, 1971 1 Chairman: Albert B. Sabin 3 Speakers: Theo Lefevre . 7 Altiero Spinelli . 11 Morning Session, Monday, June 28, 1971 13 Chairman: John C. Kendrew 15 Speakers: Friedrich Cramer "Can our Society meet the Challenge of a Technological Future?" . . . 19 Aharon Katzir-Katchalsky "A Scientist's - proach to Human Values" . 33 Discussion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Afternoon Session, Monday, Jtme 28, 1971 . . . . . . . . 61 Chairman: Hendrik B. G. Casimir . . . . . . . . . . 61 Speakers: Leon Van Hove" Physical Science in Relation to Human Thought and Action" . . . . . . 63 Chaim L. Pekeris "The Impact of Physical Sciences on Society" 73 Discussion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
This book is about the life of primes. Indeed, once they are defined, primes take on a life of their own and the mysteries surrounding them begin multiplying, just like living cells reproduce themselves, and there seems to be no end to it. This monograph takes the reader on a journey through time, providing an accessible overview of the numerous prime number theory problems that mathematicians have been working on since Euclid. Topics are presented in chronological order as episodes. These include results on the distribution of primes, from the most elementary to the proof of the famous prime number theorem. The book also covers various primality tests and factorisation algorithms. It is then shown how our inability to factor large integers has allowed mathematicians to create today's most secure encryption method. Computer science buffs may be tempted to tackle some of the many open problems appearing in the episodes. Throughout the presentation, the human side of mathematics is displayed through short biographies that give a glimpse of the lives of the people who contributed to the life of primes. Each of the 37 episodes concludes with a series of problems (many with solutions) that will assist the reader in gaining a better understanding of the theory.
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