Seventeen Equations that Changed the World

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A logarithm for a particular base tells you what power you need to raise that base to to get a number. There was no overarching theme other than each one is important, nor did I feel was there any attempt to flow from equation to equation. He often refers to things in today's society that are relevant to the equation and its consequences.

Pythagoras, for example, works very well on a two-dimensional plane - not so well on a curved surface.Some of the explanations are quite complex, especially where Stewart is exploring the most recent applications of older ideas. By measuring one initial length very carefully, and many angles, the locations of the corners of the triangle, and hence any interesting features within them, can be calculated.

most modern technology, from electric lighting to digital cameras could not have been invented without them. There's not enough detail to interest people studying maths or physics at university, but it becomes too obscure in a number of places for the general reader.For example, we can think of velocity, or speed, as being the derivative of position — if you are walking at 3 miles per hour, then every hour, you have changed your position by 3 miles.