How a modern radio works, told through mathematics, history, and
selected puzzles
The modern radio is a wonder, and behind that magic is mathematics. In
The Mathematical Radio, Paul Nahin explains how radios work, deploying
mathematics and historical discussion, accompanied by a steady stream of
intriguing puzzles for math buffs to ponder. Beginning with oscillators
and circuits, moving on to AM, FM, and single-sideband radio. Nahin
focuses on the elegant mathematics underlying radio technology rather
than the engineering. He explores and explains more than a century of
key developments, placing them in historical and technological context.
Nahin, a prolific author of books on math for the general reader,
describes in fascinating detail the mathematical underpinnings of a
technology we use daily. He explains and solves, for example, Maxwell's
equations for the electromagnetic field. Readers need only a familarity
with advanced high school-level math to follow Nahin's mathematical
discussions. Writing with the nonengineer in mind, Nahin examines topics
including impulses in time and frequency, spectrum shifting at the
transmitter, the superheterodyne, the physics of single sideband radio,
and FM sidebands. Chapters end with "challenge problems" and an appendix
offers solutions, partial answers, and hints. Readers will come away
with a new appreciation for the beauty of even the most useful
mathematics.
