Allan McRobie - Böcker
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2 produkter
2 produkter
Seduction of Curves
The Lines of Beauty That Connect Mathematics, Art, and the Nude
Inbunden, Engelska, 2017
290 kr
Skickas inom 7-10 vardagar
A lavishly illustrated book that explores the language of curves that spans the human body, science, engineering, and artCurves are seductive. These smooth, organic lines and surfaces-like those of the human body-appeal to us in an instinctive, visceral way that straight lines or the perfect shapes of classical geometry never could. In this large-format book, lavishly illustrated in color throughout, Allan McRobie takes the reader on an alluring exploration of the beautiful curves that shape our world-from our bodies to Salvador Dali's paintings and the space-time fabric of the universe itself.The book focuses on seven curves-the fold, cusp, swallowtail, and butterfly, plus the hyperbolic, elliptical, and parabolic "umbilics"-and describes the surprising origins of their taxonomy in the catastrophe theory of mathematician Rene Thom. In an accessible discussion illustrated with many photographs of the human nude, McRobie introduces these curves and then describes their role in nature, science, engineering, architecture, art, and other areas. The reader learns how these curves play out in everything from the stability of oil rigs and the study of distant galaxies to rainbows, the patterns of light on pool floors, and even the shape of human genitals. The book also discusses the role of these curves in the work of such artists as David Hockney, Henry Moore, and Anish Kapoor, with particular attention given to the delicate sculptures of Naum Gabo and the final paintings of Dali, who said that Thom's theory "bewitched all of my atoms."A unique introduction to the language of beautiful curves, this book may change the way you see the world.
The Geometry of Equilibrium
James Clerk Maxwell and 21st-Century Structural Mechanics
Inbunden, Engelska, 2025
1 303 kr
Skickas inom 7-10 vardagar
James Clerk Maxwell is one of the giants of scientific thought, and whilst his groundbreaking contributions to electromagnetism and statistical physics are well known, his profound insights into the theory of structures are appreciated less widely. Maxwell's approach was deeply geometrical, and this richly illustrated book reveals his astute perception of the remarkable dualities that exist between the form of a structure and the forces it can carry, with understandings that will surprise contemporary readers. Early chapters introduce the background in which Maxwell was working, followed by contributions by leading researchers describing the latest applications of these ideas. Subsequent chapters introduce the many subtopics that this work embraces. The book ends with Maxwell's original papers on structural mechanics, each annotated to highlight and explain the ideas therein. This is a wonderful resource for mathematicians, scientists, engineers, and designers to enter this rich and underexplored aspect of the genius of Maxwell.