Review of 'Love and math : the heart of hidden reality' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This book gives a comprehensive look at the most recent mathematics. It is also a nice biography of Edward Frenkel. I'll quote the author a few times and give my comments.
What if at school you had to take an "art class" in which you were only taught how to paint a fence? Hits the nail squarely on the head - loving math starts with seeing beauty in math, not in rote work. The first several chapters of the book effectively use the concept of symmetry as a gateway to the Langlands Program.
My goal is to explain this stuff to you in terms that you will understand. I have a bachelors in math and followed most of it. I am not sure others would have as much ease, especially in the later sections of the book. The importance was conveyed, if not the full meaning.
As a whole, the …
This book gives a comprehensive look at the most recent mathematics. It is also a nice biography of Edward Frenkel. I'll quote the author a few times and give my comments.
What if at school you had to take an "art class" in which you were only taught how to paint a fence? Hits the nail squarely on the head - loving math starts with seeing beauty in math, not in rote work. The first several chapters of the book effectively use the concept of symmetry as a gateway to the Langlands Program.
My goal is to explain this stuff to you in terms that you will understand. I have a bachelors in math and followed most of it. I am not sure others would have as much ease, especially in the later sections of the book. The importance was conveyed, if not the full meaning.
As a whole, the book conveys the author's love for mathematics. A more casual reader should definitely skip the heavier math chapters suggested in the preface.