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A review by maxsebastian
The Universe in Zero Words: The Story of Mathematics as Told Through Equations by Dana Mackenzie
adventurous
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
Steven Hawking's publisher once told him that every equation he included in his books would half their sales, so he only featured one, Einstein's relation for rest mass energy. In The Universe in Zero Words: The Story of Mathematics Told Through Equations, Dana Mackenzie takes the opposite approach, using mathematical relationships to frame scientific history and human advancement.
Through four sections, Mackenzie guides the reader through mostly (although far from completely) Western history. With 6 equations in each part of the book, Mackenzie provides a thorough overview of the important mathematical tenants of the time and particularly highlights some less well known discoveries. Mackenzie spends a significant amount of time with physicists, noting in his conclusion that historically mathematics has been far more successfully applied to physics than any other discipline. Through this work, the only person to get more than one chapter is Newton, who shares the spotlight in the chapter on the fundamental theorem of calculus and is the center of the successive one on Newton's laws of motion and universal gravity. Through all 24 chapters, Mackenzie holds true to his promise, only rarely selecting an "equation" that reads more like a mathematical statement or concept.
In this work, Mackenzie threads an incredible needle, managing to write about mathematics in a manner that is approachable for anyone and yet fascinating to the expert. By telling compelling stories around the people behind each equation, Mackenzie shows how adept he is with words even in a book that professes to not value them. Mackenzie's major flaw here, however, is the description of the equations themselves. While the takeaways and history of each discovery is clearly explained, Mackenzie sometimes misses or ignores fundamental mathematics needed to understand the discovery. All told, even the chapters where I had to gloss over the details are were very enjoyable.
Perhaps the most interesting idea this book posits is what Mackenzie opens with, the back and forth between direct computation and using equations to solve problems. In a world come alive with machine learning and other computational techniques, it is worth considering if we may be returning to a time where the hardest problems are best solved by the fanciest calculators rather than through clever algorithms.
Through four sections, Mackenzie guides the reader through mostly (although far from completely) Western history. With 6 equations in each part of the book, Mackenzie provides a thorough overview of the important mathematical tenants of the time and particularly highlights some less well known discoveries. Mackenzie spends a significant amount of time with physicists, noting in his conclusion that historically mathematics has been far more successfully applied to physics than any other discipline. Through this work, the only person to get more than one chapter is Newton, who shares the spotlight in the chapter on the fundamental theorem of calculus and is the center of the successive one on Newton's laws of motion and universal gravity. Through all 24 chapters, Mackenzie holds true to his promise, only rarely selecting an "equation" that reads more like a mathematical statement or concept.
In this work, Mackenzie threads an incredible needle, managing to write about mathematics in a manner that is approachable for anyone and yet fascinating to the expert. By telling compelling stories around the people behind each equation, Mackenzie shows how adept he is with words even in a book that professes to not value them. Mackenzie's major flaw here, however, is the description of the equations themselves. While the takeaways and history of each discovery is clearly explained, Mackenzie sometimes misses or ignores fundamental mathematics needed to understand the discovery. All told, even the chapters where I had to gloss over the details are were very enjoyable.
Perhaps the most interesting idea this book posits is what Mackenzie opens with, the back and forth between direct computation and using equations to solve problems. In a world come alive with machine learning and other computational techniques, it is worth considering if we may be returning to a time where the hardest problems are best solved by the fanciest calculators rather than through clever algorithms.