Isbn: 9780691127989 - an Imaginary Tale – the Story of the Square Root: the Story of √-1 (29 results)

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Tells the 2000-year-old history of one of mathematics' elusive numbers, the square root of minus one, also known as i. This book weaves into the historical facts and mathematical discussions, including the application of complex numbers and functions to problems, such as Kepler's laws of planetary motion and ac electrical circuits. …

Paperback. Condition: Good. Tells the 2000-year-old history of one of mathematics' elusive numbers, the square root of minus one, also known as i. This book weaves into the historical facts and mathematical discussions, including the application of complex numbers and functions to problems, such as Kepler's laws of planetary motion and ac electrical circuits.…

Paperback. Condition: Fair. The item might be beaten up but readable. May contain markings or highlighting, as well as stains, bent corners, or any other major defect, but the text is not obscured in any way.

Condition: Very Good. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.

Condition: Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.

Condition: Very Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.

Condition: Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.

Condition: good. A copy that has been read, remains in good condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine and cover show signs of wear. Pages can include notes and highlighting and show signs of wear, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation, if you're not satisfied with purchase please return item! Ships via media mail.…

Paperback. Condition: Good. Tells the 2000-year-old history of one of mathematics' elusive numbers, the square root of minus one, also known as i. This book weaves into the historical facts and mathematical discussions, including the application of complex numbers and functions to problems, such as Kepler's laws of planetary motion and ac electrical circuits.…

Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.

Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.

Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.

Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.

Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.

paperback. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority.

paperback. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority.

Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. Softcover includes b/w illustrations, Notes and Indexes, 267 pages. The exception to the condition is spots on the top edge, dent/crease on the top and a price sticker on the rear wrapper.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Today complex numbers have such widespread practical use - from electrical engineering to aeronautics - that few people would expect the story behind their derivation to be filled with adventure and enigma. In "An Imaginary Tale", Paul Nahin tells the 2000-year-old history of one of mathematics' most elusive numbers, the square root of minus one, also known as i. He recreates the baffling mathematical problems that conjured it up, and the colourful characters who tried to solve them. In 1878, when two brothers stole a mathematical papyrus from the ancient Egyptian burial site in the Valley of Kings, they led scholars to the earliest known occurrence of the square root of a negative number. The papyrus offered a specific numerical example of how to calculate the volume of a truncated square pyramid, which implied the need for i.In the first century, the mathematician-engineer Heron of Alexandria encountered 'i' in a separate project, but fudged the arithmetic; medieval mathematicians stumbled upon the concept while grappling with the meaning of negative numbers, but dismissed their square roots as nonsense. By the time of Descartes, a theoretical use for these elusive square roots - now called 'imaginary numbers' - was suspected, but efforts to solve them led to intense, bitter debates. The notorious i finally won acceptance and was put to use in complex analysis and theoretical physics in Napoleonic times.Addressing readers with both a general and scholarly interest in mathematics, Nahin weaves into this narrative entertaining historical facts and mathematical discussions, including the application of complex numbers and functions to important problems, such as Kepler's laws of planetary motion and ac electrical circuits. This book can be read as an engaging history, almost a biography, of one of the most evasive and pervasive 'numbers' in all of mathematics. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Trade Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. (2007), 267pp, illus., light shelfwear to cover, light stain to pg edges, contents clean.

paperback. Condition: As New. ~ Like-New Inside and Out! Clean & Crisp Pages. (E-mail for more info./pics).

Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. New preface, notes, index. Minor wear, text is clean.

Condition: Very Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.

Paperback. Condition: Used: Very Good. Minor shelf/edge wear. Uncreased spine,one corner slightly bent.In very good condition!Text clean & unmarked.

Paperback. Condition: Near Fine. 267 clean, unmarked pages/index.

paperback. Condition: Near Fine.

Paperback. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed.

Condition: New. Satisfaction Guaranteed or your money back.