David Acheson – författare

What makes mathematics so special?Whether you have anxious memories of the subject from school, or solve quadratic equations for fun, David Acheson's book will make you look at mathematics afresh. Following on from his previous bestsellers, The Calculus Story and The Wonder Book of Geometry, here Acheson highlights the power of algebra, combining it with arithmetic and geometry to capture the spirit of mathematics. This short book encompasses an astonishing array of ideas and concepts, from number tricks and magic squares to infinite series and imaginary numbers.Acheson's enthusiasm is infectious, and, as ever, a sense of quirkiness and fun pervades the book. But it also seeks to crystallize what is special about mathematics: the delight of discovery; the importance of proof; and the joy of contemplating an elegant solution. Using only the simplest of materials, it conjures up the depth and the magic of the subject.

How can we be sure that Pythagoras's theorem is really true? Why is the 'angle in a semicircle' always 90 degrees? And how can tangents help determine the speed of a bullet?David Acheson takes the reader on a highly illustrated tour through the history of geometry, from ancient Greece to the present day. He emphasizes throughout elegant deduction and practical applications, and argues that geometry can offer the quickest route to the whole spirit of mathematics at its best. Along the way, we encounter the quirky and the unexpected, meet the great personalities involved, and uncover some of the loveliest surprises in mathematics.

What makes an aeroplane fly? Why aren't rollercoasters circular? And how long would it take to fall right through the Earth?This wide-ranging popular introduction to the science of motion tells the story of how dynamics developed, from Galileo's time to the present day. Including such exciting discoveries as the motion of the planets, the dynamics of spinning objects, wave motion, elasticity, and fluid mechanics, the book explains the physical phenomena involved, especially those that surprise us and most challenge our elementary intuition. The book brings the fundamental principles of mechanics to life by tackling a wide variety of real-world questions, such as why modern-day loop-the-loop rollercoasters are not circular, why skaters on ice spin faster when they draw in their arms, and how a falling cat, initially upside-down, can sometimes manage to land on its feet. The book also explores the idea that classic problems in mechanics can often acquire a wholly new life by being given a sudden and unexpected modern 'twist', including, for example, the role played by the gravitational three-body problem in the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s.Written in an informal and accessible style, yet underpinned by rigorous scholarship and historical research, this book shows that, even after all these years, classical mechanics still has the potential to surprise us and challenge our understanding of how the world around us really works.

Food Borne Illness is a common, costly, yet preventable public health problem. This issue of the Infectious Disease Clinics covers the most common food borne pathogens, along with articles that include indentifying, diagnosing, and treating food borne illness. The issue also covers food borne illness in special populations, as well as long term complications associated with food borne illness.