I've had this for years, although it's a bit presumptuous in the face of Quantum Field Theory.
Posted on 06/29/2016 8:33:17 PM PDT by MtnClimber
In 2012, Mathematician Ian Stewart came out with an excellent and deeply researched book titled "In Pursuit of the Unknown: 17 Equations That Changed the World."
His book takes a look at the most pivotal equations of all time, and puts them in a human, rather than technical context.
"Equations definitely can be dull, and they can seem complicated, but that’s because they are often presented in a dull and complicated way," Stewart told Business Insider. "I have an advantage over school math teachers: I'm not trying to show you how to do the sums yourself." ...
Stewart continued that "equations are a vital part of our culture. The stories behind them — the people who discovered or invented them and the periods in which they lived — are fascinating."
Here are 17 equations that have changed the world:
The Pythagorean Theorem
Image: Business Insider What does it mean? The square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of its legs.
History: Though attributed to Pythagoras, it is not certain that he was the first person to prove it. The first clear proof came from Euclid, and it is possible the concept was known 1,000 years before Pythoragas by the Babylonians.
Importance: The equation is at the core of much of geometry, links it with algebra, and is the foundation of trigonometry. Without it, accurate surveying, mapmaking, and navigation would be impossible.
In terms of pure math, the Pythagorean Theorem defines normal, Euclidean plane geometry. For example, a right triangle drawn on the surface of a sphere like the Earth doesn't necessarily satisfy the theorem.
Modern use: Triangulation is used to this day to pinpoint relative location for GPS navigation.
(Excerpt) Read more at weforum.org ...
Interesting article showing the relationship between abstract mathematic equations and real world things that impact all of us.
Time = Money
In case you want to send to your ping list.
White privilege in action.
I taught my kids that calculus is totally awesome, because it where one learns to divide by zero.
Bump for relay to my mathematician daughter.....
I take issue with the article including the Black–Scholes financial derivatives model along with the others.
Lanchester Equations of Warfare.
B4L8r
Hmmmmm.
E=mc^2
F=ma
E=1/2 mv^2
I could go on but I don’t want to show off. Maxwells equations ought to be in there somewhere. And some thermo stuff. And don’t forget Quantum Mechanics - lots of candidates there. Climate Change will not make the list.
(Plus, I don’t know how to push Greek and Latin characters into Freeperland from my iPad. And, as you can see, I can’t even do superscripts.)
So I leave it to others with more nimble fingers.
I didn’t do too bad....only the final three were ones I have never used.. Fourteen of the seventeen were part of my work...some at the margins , many on a daily basis
I have always thought Maxwell’s equations were brilliant. When I was in college I never understood the Taylor Series Expansion in Einstein’s General Relativity Theory, but I thought I could have come up with Maxwell’s equations on my own back in the day. I thought it was too obscure to show up, but there it was in this article.
Pretty good article.
Amongst other things, I am a mathematician, cryptographer, and physicist.
While I get the math, still can’t really get my head around the Navier-Stokes equation.
Why?
I know zero about the financial derivatives equation. I know lots about the first fourteen. They are indeed revolutionary ideas and did change the world....in oh so many ways
Please explain why you take issue with the authors analysis
Agree. Esp re Maxwell’s equations. Too tired to pull it up, but there is a gif that basically says God spoke those and then there was light.
Less = more
Why not just read the article. It is interestin
I've had this for years, although it's a bit presumptuous in the face of Quantum Field Theory.
That one was in the article and I have to admit I know nothing about it.
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