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Infinite Powers

How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe

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About this listen

Without calculus, we wouldn't have cell phones, TV, GPS, or ultrasound. We wouldn't have unraveled DNA or discovered Neptune or figured out how to put 5,000 songs in your pocket.    

Though many of us were scared away from this essential, engrossing subject in high school and college, Steven Strogatz's brilliantly creative, down-to-earth history shows that calculus is not about complexity; it's about simplicity. It harnesses an unreal number - infinity - to tackle real world problems, breaking them down into easier ones and then reassembling the answers into solutions that feel miraculous.    

Infinite Powers recounts how calculus tantalized and thrilled its inventors, starting with its first glimmers in ancient Greece and bringing us right up to the discovery of gravitational waves. Strogatz reveals how this form of math rose to the challenges of each age: how to determine the area of a circle with only sand and a stick; how to explain why Mars goes "backwards" sometimes; how to turn the tide in the fight against AIDS.    

As Strogatz proves, calculus is truly the language of the universe. By unveiling the principles of that language, Infinite Powers makes us marvel at the world anew.

©2019 Steven Strogatz (P)2019 Tantor Expeditions & Discoveries Mathematics World Solar System Math History
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Recommended for anyone with a basic to advanced knowledge of calculus. Well narrated with a descriptive story.

Great audiobook

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best book ever loved it great for people who don't know alot àbout the subject

life changing

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Excellent book, well narrated. Lots of anecdotes I haven't heard before, even with my keen interest in maths.
Just would have been great if a PDF was provided with a brief overview of the actual math sections involving math notation.
Steven Strogatz is an inspiring writer, I do recommend his other books as well.

inspiring

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The author did a great job in explaining this hard subject. It was clear even as an audio book, without seeing the written equations.

Managed to turn a heavy subject to a clear one

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This was engaging throughout. I could follow what was being said. I do need to revisit some sections to get the ideas committed to longterm memory. Even things I knew already were insightful and worth revisiting.

Well explained

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