Milestones in Discovery and Invention Series

Modern Robotics: Building Versatile Machines. Milestones in Discovery and Invention.

Communications and Broadcasting

The Milestones in Discovery and Invention se ries books trace the development of innovations and inventio ns that have contributed significantly to society. Each book is packed with fascinating information on key aspects of ea ch discovery. '

Artificial Intelligence: Mirrors for the Mind. Milestones in Discovery and Invention.

by Harry Henderson

Published 1 January 2007

Mathematics: Powerful Patterns Into Nature and Society. Milestones in Discovery and Invention.

by Harry Henderson

Published 1 January 2007

Mathematics

by Harry Henderson

Published 6 January 2007

For most people, mathematics is an abstraction with little connection to the ""real"" universe. But some mathematicians have discovered relatively simple yet exceedingly powerful patterns that yield insight into aspects of natural and human behavior. ""Mathematics"" presents 10 essays that profile the minds behind such patterns, many of which have surfaced in recent popular culture. Meet Leonardo of Pisa, who worked with Fibonacci numbers and the ""Golden Section""; John von Neumann and John Nash, proponents of game theory; Edward Lorentz, who developed chaos theory; and Sid Meier, who has created award-winning computer games, such as Gettysburg and SimGolf, and five other mathematicians. Although the ideas explored here may produce complex results, they are inherently simple in concept, making them appealing, accessible vehicles for acquainting students with the human side of mathematics.

Nuclear Physics

by Harry Henderson

Published 1 January 1998

The Milestones in Discovery and Invention series acknowledges that science and technology are intricate webs of insight, experiment, and breakthrough passed from one generation to the next. Created especially for young adults, this series traces the flow of scientific and technological ideas through the innovations that changed the face of society and made further exploration possible.

Combining biography, scientific reasoning, and history, each volume in the series investigates a particular field, such as nuclear physics, communications, and medical technology. Enhanced by the use of primary sources, each chapter examines a milestone invention, the specific inventor (or inventors), the process and inspiration, and how the discovery forever changed the world.

Further reading lists at the end of each chapter provide direction to those who wish to learn more.

Chapters cover the work and discoveries of Marie and Pierre Curie, Ernest Rutherford, Niels Bohr, Lise Meitner, Richard Feynman, Murray Gell-Mann, and examine physics at the end of the twentieth century.

Artificial Intelligence

by Harry Henderson

Published 30 June 2007

In the 1950s, a new field, cognitive psychology, emerged as a dialogue between the growing capabilities of digital computers and the study of human cognition and perception. Artificial Intelligence (AI) researchers began to develop models of perception, reasoning, knowledge organization, and natural language communication. They also created neural networks, expert systems, and other software with practical applications. AI models in turn have offered provocative insights into the human mind; now, new developments in virtual community and cyberspace point toward a future in which human and computer minds will interact in increasingly complex ways. Ultimately, AI research compels us to ask what it is that makes us human. ""Artificial Intelligence"" presents dynamic new portraits of the men and women in the vanguard of this innovative field. Subjects include Alan Turing, who made the connection between mathematical reasoning and computer operations; Alan Newell and Herbert Simon, who created a program that could reason like a human being; Pattie Maes, who developed computerized agents to help people with research and shopping; and Ray Kurzweil, who, besides inventing the flatbed scanner and a reading machine for the blind, has explored relationships between people and computers that may exceed human intelligence.