How heavy is that cloud? Why can you see farther in rain than in fog?
Why are the droplets on that spider web spaced apart so evenly? If you
have ever asked questions like these while outdoors, and wondered how
you might figure out the answers, this is a book for you. An
entertaining and informative collection of fascinating puzzles from the
natural world around us, A Mathematical Nature Walk will delight
anyone who loves nature or math or both.
John Adam presents ninety-six questions about many common natural
phenomena--and a few uncommon ones--and then shows how to answer them
using mostly basic mathematics. Can you weigh a pumpkin just by
carefully looking at it? Why can you see farther in rain than in fog?
What causes the variations in the colors of butterfly wings, bird
feathers, and oil slicks? And why are large haystacks prone to
spontaneous combustion? These are just a few of the questions you'll
find inside. Many of the problems are illustrated with photos and
drawings, and the book also has answers, a glossary of terms, and a list
of some of the patterns found in nature. About a quarter of the
questions can be answered with arithmetic, and many of the rest require
only precalculus. But regardless of math background, readers will learn
from the informal descriptions of the problems and gain a new
appreciation of the beauty of nature and the mathematics that lies
behind it.
