- Hardcover: 136 pages
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis; 1 edition (Jan 1 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0750306483
- ISBN-13: 978-0750306485
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 14.7 x 1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 272 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,679,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Choice Magazine, March 2001
...an engaging, eclectic...and generously illustrated tour of packing questions...recommended for the lively spirit conveyed.
Product Description
In 1998 Thomas Hales dramatically announced the solution of a problem that has long teased eminent mathematicians: what is the densest possible arrangement of identical spheres? The Pursuit of Perfect Packing recounts the story of this problem and many others that have to do with packing things together. The examples are taken from mathematics, physics, biology, and engineering, including the arrangement of soap bubbles in foam, atoms in a crystal, the architecture of the bee's honeycomb, and the structure of the Giant's Causeway. Using an informal style and with key references, the book also includes brief accounts of the lives of many of the scientists who devoted themselves to problems of packing over many centuries, together with wry comments on their efforts. It is an entertaining introduction to the field for both specialists and the more general public.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
The half-empty suitcase or refrigerator is a rare phenomenon. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The half-empty suitcase or refrigerator is a rare phenomenon. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Introduction to mysteries and myths of packing!,
By Vivek Sharma "Kavi" (Cambridge / Boston, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Pursuit of Perfect Packing (Hardcover)
The text is packed with both ordered and disorderly discussions of several packing problems that arise in daily life as well as in crystallography, physics and abstract mathematics. A nice introduction to the solved and unsolved mysteries and myths of packing problems!! The text is an easy read, suitable for even high school kids, though graduate students and teachers will find it more illuminating and informative!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent introduction to packing,
By
This review is from: The Pursuit of Perfect Packing (Hardcover)
A good starting discussion for packing problems, even though several issues are not covered (look at Erich's Packing Center for the next edition). Chapters cover Circle packings, sphere packings, the Hales proof, seed shapes, honeycombs, bubbles, atoms and crystals, fractal aggregates, The Giant's Causeway, buckyballs, higher dimensional packings, and various odds and ends. There are lots of illustrations and good discussions. I would have prefered for more to be packed into the book. Still, it's the best introductory book on packing I know of.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent introduction to packing,
By Ed Pegg "Math puzzler" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Pursuit of Perfect Packing (Hardcover)
A good starting discussion for packing problems, even though several issues are not covered (look at Erich's Packing Center for the next edition). Chapters cover Circle packings, sphere packings, the Hales proof, seed shapes, honeycombs, bubbles, atoms and crystals, fractal aggregates, The Giant's Causeway, buckyballs, higher dimensional packings, and various odds and ends. There are lots of illustrations and good discussions. I would have prefered for more to be packed into the book. Still, it's the best introductory book on packing I know of.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Introduction to mysteries and myths of packing!,
By Vivek Sharma "Kavi" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Pursuit of Perfect Packing (Hardcover)
The text is packed with both 'ordered' and 'disordered' discussions of several packing problems that arise in daily life as well as in crystallography, physics and abstract mathematics. A book serves as a nice introduction to the solved and the unsolved mysteries and myths of packing problems. The enthusiasm of Aste and Weaire is infectious, and the reach of concepts described here is far ranging and deep. Yet the text itself an easy read, perhaps even high school kids can enjoy it, though graduate students and teachers will find it most illuminating and informative!(May 11/ 2004) |
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