非文學類(科普/歷史)
更新日期:
2016-11-29
Finding Fibonacci: The Quest to Rediscover the Forgotten Mathematical Genius Who Changed the World
Keith Devlin
Princeton University Press
Mar 2017
256pp
書籍編號:
03-9351
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● 內文簡介

★《這個問題,你用數學方式想過嗎?》(Introduction to Mathematical Thinking)、《數學的語言》(The Language of Mathematics)、《案發現場:FBI警探和數學家的天作之合》(The Numbers behind Num3ers,合著)作者 齊斯.德福林 最新力作
★數學科普書《大自然的數學遊戲》(Nature's Numbers)、《改變世界的17個方程式》(Seventeen Equations that Changed the World)、《數學是什麼?》(What is Mathematics?,合著)作者伊恩.史都華(Ian Stewart)教授盛情推薦


中世紀義大利數學家比薩人李奧納多(Leonardo of Pisa, 1175 –1250),後來以費波那契(Fibonacci)之名更廣為人知,他撰寫的《計算書》(Liber abbai, 1202)將現代代數概念,包括使用阿拉伯數字的十進位系統引介至西方,可以說影響了今日所有人的生活。費波那契雖以費波那契數(Fibonacci numbers)著稱,這畢竟不是他的發明,其最巨大的貢獻在於以一般人能理解的方式闡釋數學概念。然而費氏死後很長一段時間被歷史所遺忘,竟然一直要到1960年代,真正的成就才終獲承認。

史丹佛大學數學家德福林,從2000年開始投入研究費波那契的生平與貢獻,《尋找費波那契》(Finding Fibonacci)紀錄德福林長達十年鍥而不捨的執拗訪查,就為了更理解這位被忽略的數學家、其所處時代與現代數學的開端,事實證明這的確是無比艱鉅的任務!

本書依據德福林十年間的日記,生動描述計畫進展的高低起伏,錯誤的方向與失望,種種悲劇與意想不到的轉折,其間有爆笑荒唐的段落,偶爾也有幸運的驚喜。德福林一路上造訪各式獨特人物,都有各自為費波那契著迷的理由,像是一位耶魯大學教授,為追溯現代金融史因而認識費波那契;或者發現重要文獻資料的義大利史學家,使費波那契的故事斷片終於得以串連。

費波那契使數學在中古西方世界復甦,成為孕育現代科學、科技、商貿的搖籃,他卻消失在歷史長河中。德福林秉持不可思議的意志尋找費波那契的故事,讀來高潮迭起堪比偵探小說,而在透過本書認識中世紀偉大數學家的同時,這段個人的探尋旅程也動人地思索了現代性的意義與命運。

 

● 作者簡介

齊斯・德福林(Keith Devlin),史丹佛大學數學家,該校人文科學與先端科技研究中心(H-STAR)共同創辦人暨執行長,Media X研究計畫創立人之一,語言資訊研究中心(CSLI)資深研究員,世界經濟論壇院士,美國科學促進協會(American Association for the Advancement of Science)院士。並創辦科技教育公司BrainQuake,致力設計數學學習電玩遊戲。他是美國國家公共廣播電台的固定來賓,以「數學傢伙」(the Math Guy)為名與主持人賽門(Scott Simon)對話。

 

● 媒體報導

"A charmingly personal account of Keith Devlin's long quixotic search to understand the man, Leonardo Bonacci, better known as Fibonacci, as well as the thirteenth-century mathematician's surprisingly pervasive influence."--John Allen Paulos, author of Innumeracy and A Numerate Life

"Lovers of history, travel, and mathematics alike will relish this journey through time to ancient worlds, as master expositor Keith Devlin navigates Italy to uncover the beginnings of modern math. Fascinating!"--Danica McKellar, New York Times bestselling author of Math Doesn't Suck

"Though most of us only know about Leonardo of Pisa (aka Fibonacci) because of the numbers named after him, he was in fact the Steve Jobs of the thirteenth century who ushered in a revolution--as we learn from this fascinating book that reads by turns as a detective novel, a moving personal journey, and a meditation on the fate of modernity. Highly recommended to all lovers of math and history."--Edward Frenkel, professor of mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of Love and Math

"An unusual and fascinating personal account of a modern mathematician's quest to separate truth from myth and show us the real 'Fibonacci.'"--Ian Stewart, author of Professor Stewart's Incredible Numbers

"Interesting and engaging. Devlin succeeds in making the reader care about his quest to understand Leonardo the person. He conveys the sense of awe and reverence at holding in your hands a document that has come to you straight from centuries before."--Dana Mackenzie, author of The Universe in Zero Words: The Story of Mathematics as Told through Equations