Mathematics and the Laws of Nature

Describes the evolution of the idea that nature can be described in the language of mathematics. Colourful chapters explore the earliest attempts to apply deductive methods to the study of the natural world. It then goes on to examine the development of classical conservation laws, including the conservation of momentum, the conservation of mass, and the conservation of energy.

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Mathematical methods are useful in understanding nature. Though many people accept this view without question, it is usually an act of faith. History demonstrates that nature's most fundamental and important patterns are neither easy to recognize nor easy to harness for the common good. The development of the concepts and methods necessary to deduce new knowledge of nature from already established results—and the development of methods to separate correct results from incorrect ones—remains a work-in-progress. Attempts to create these methods are documented in the earliest written records, and efforts to refine these methods and develop new ones continue to this day. Mathematics and the Laws of Nature, Revised Edition describes the evolution of the idea that nature can be described in the language of mathematics. Colorful chapters explore the earliest attempts to apply deductive methods to the study of the natural world. This revised resource goes on to examine the development of classical conservation laws, including the conservation of momentum, the conservation of mass, and the conservation of energy. Chapters have been updated and revised to reflect recent information, including the mathematical pioneers who introduced new ideas about what it meant to solve an equation and the influential efforts of the mathematicians of the former Soviet Union.