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An Imaginary Tale: The Story of i [the square root of minus one] by Paul J. Nahin Sales Rank : 23675

Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Princeton University Press January 15, 2007 Language: English ISBN-10: 0691127980 ISBN-13: 978-0691127989 Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces Product Review At the very beginning of his book on i, the square root of minus one, Paul Nahin warns his readers: "An Imaginary Tale has a very strong historical component to it, but that does not mean it is a mathematical lightweight. But don't read too much into that either. It is *not* a scholarly tome meant to be read only by some mythical, elite group. Large chunks of this book can, in fact, be read and understood by a high school senior who has paid attention to his or her teachers in the standard fare of pre-college courses. Still, it will be most accessible to the million or so who each year complete a college course in freshman calculus. But when I need to do an integral, let me assure you I have not fallen to my knees in dumbstruck horror. And neither should you." Nahin is a professor of electrical engineering at the University of New Hampshire; he has also written a number of science fiction short stories. His style is far more lively and humane than a mathematics textbook while covering much of the same ground. Readers will end up with a good sense for the mathematics of i and for its applications in physics and engineering. --Mary Ellen Curtin --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. Product Review An Imaginary Tale is marvelous reading and hard to put down. Readers will find that Nahin has cleared up many of the mysteries surrounding the use of complex numbers. -- Victor J. Katz Science Imaginary numbers! Threeve! Ninety-fifteen! No, not those kind of imaginary numbers. If you have any interest in where the concept of imaginary numbers comes from, you will be drawn into the wonderful stories of how i was discovered. -- Rebecca Russ Math Horizons There will be something of reward in this book for everyone. -- R.G. Keesing Contemporary Physics Nahin has given us a fine addition to the family of books about particular numbers. It is interesting to speculate what the next member of the family will be about. Zero? The Euler constant? The square root of two? While we are waiting, we can enjoy An Imaginary Tale. -- Ed Sandifer MAA Online There will be something of reward in this book for everyone. -- Review --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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