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Euler S Pioneering Equation The Most Beautiful Theorem in Mathematics First Published in Paperback, Impression 1 Edition Robin Wilson
Euler S Pioneering Equation The Most Beautiful Theorem in Mathematics First Published in Paperback, Impression 1 Edition Robin Wilson
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EULER’S PIONEERING EQUATION
Leonhard Euler (1707–83), in an engraving by Bartholomaeus Hübner, 1786.
EULER’S
pi0neering
EQUATION
ROBIN WILSON
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP, United Kingdom
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the
University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing
worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in
certain other countries
© Robin Wilson 2018
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
First Edition published in 2018
Impression: 1
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in
writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by licence or under
terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning
reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department,
Oxford University Press, at the address above
You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same
condition on any acquirer
Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue,
New York, NY 10016, United States of America
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Data available
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017948015
ISBN 978–0–19–879492–9
ebook ISBN 978–0–19–251406–6
Printed in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc
Links to third party websites are provided by Oxford in good faith and for information only.
Oxford disclaims any responsibility for the materials contained in any third party website
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PREFACE
Introduction
Chapter 1: 1
Chapter 2: 0
Chapter 3: π
Chapter 4: e
Chapter 5: i
Chapter 6:
Further reading
Image credits
Publisher’s acknowledgements
Index
Fig. 1. Euler’s Introductio in Analysin Infinitorum, 1748
INTRODUCTION
I think I’ve known Euler’s theorem since I was five … Everyone should know
Euler’s theorem.
So what is this result that ‘Everyone should know’? And who was
Euler?
But why should the exponential function ex, which goes ‘shooting
off to infinity’ as x becomes large, have anything to do with the
trigonometric functions cos x and sin x, which forever oscillate
between the values 1 and −1 (see Figure 3)? And why should the
‘imaginary’ square root of −1 be the cause of this connection?
Answering these questions is the aim of this book.
Fig. 3. The graphs of , , and
Greek numbers
The Greek word ἀριθμὸς (arithmos) means ‘number’, and for the
Pythagorean brotherhood of around 550 bc ‘arithmetic’ originally
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Illustrator: L. J. Bridgman
Language: English
BY AMY E. BLANCHARD
Illustrated by
L. J. BRIDGMAN
BOSTON
DANA ESTES & COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
Copyright, 1909
By Dana Estes & Company
"I seem to have made an impression," she said as her aunt came up.
"I didn't know strangers were such a rarity here that people stared at
them the way that man did at me. I wonder who he is and what made
him look so taken by surprise."
"Oh, I suppose he didn't know that any of the summer residents had
arrived," returned Miss Elliott, "and he wondered who you were and
where you came from. There aren't usually any summer visitors here
before the middle of June."
"I suppose that must have been it," returned Gwen, at the same time
feeling that it did not quite explain matters.
At the side door, by which it seemed they were expected to enter,
they met Ora. She turned away her head and hurried around to the
kitchen.
"What a pretty girl," said Gwen, looking after her. "Such a lovely
complexion. But, oh dear, why does she lace so painfully? Doesn't
she know wasp waists are all out of style? That they belong to the
early Victorian age and passed out with ringlets and high
foreheads?"
"She probably doesn't know," returned Miss Elliott. "I notice that
many of the girls up here still cling to the traditions of their
grandmothers in more than one direction. I have heard that one, at
least, died from the effects of tight lacing."
"Then they need a missionary as much as the heathen Chinee
does," observed Gwen as she entered the house.
She had gone out bareheaded but she tossed aside the golf-cape,
which was none too warm for out-door wear, and sat down by the
window. Miss Phenie, established in a comfortable rocking-chair,
was quite ready for a chat while she knitted a "sweaterette" as she
called it. Miss Phosie was in the kitchen getting supper, but Miss
Phenie felt that it was due to her position as elder sister to entertain
the guests rather than to give a hand to the evening's work. It was
always her attitude and one of which no one had ever heard Miss
Phosie complain. The most that she had ever done was to remark to
Almira Green: "It's very easy to be hospitable when you do the
entertaining and some one else does the work." But that was under
great provocation when the minister, the surveyor, the doctor and the
editor of The Zephyr had all arrived on the island in one day and all
had been entertained at Cap'n Ben's house because there seemed
nowhere else for them to go. On that occasion Miss Phenie, as
usual, had asserted her right to the position of hostess, and had left
Miss Phosie alone to wash the dishes as well as to get the dinner,
Ora having gone to Portland for the day.
"Well," said Almira Green to whom Miss Phosie's remark was made,
"there was Cap'n Ben to do the talking, and as they was all men I
don't see why Phenie was called upon to set with them all the time."
"I guess she thought she had to," Miss Phosie had returned with the
feeling that perhaps she had said too much.
To-day, however, there was not much reason for Miss Phenie's
presence in the kitchen, for, while Miss Phosie made the soda
biscuits Ora could be setting the table. The lobsters had been boiled
that morning, so there were only the fish and potatoes to fry, and the
preserves to be set on the table with the cake. Miss Phenie, in tight
fitting black alpaca, rocked comfortably and asked questions till
Gwen, by the window, saw Luther Williams pass. "Who is that, Miss
Phenie?" she asked. "That tall man with the serious face and the
kind eyes?"
"I guess you mean Mr. Williams. I presume he is taking his after
supper smoke. He boards with us, you know."
"Oh!" Gwen wondered why he had not appeared at the table. "Is he
a relative of yours?"
"None in the world, and we never heard that he had any. He gets a
daily paper and advertising letters sometimes, but I never knew him
to get any other mail. He's real well educated, and reads everything
he can lay his hands on, but he is a very quiet man. He never talks
much to anybody, but there ain't a kinder man living. If anybody's in
trouble he's the first on hand, and the first to put his hand in his
pocket."
"Is he a fisherman?"
"Yes. His pound is just off your point. He's been real lucky and it's
said he's right well off."
"Has he boarded with you long?"
"Ever since he came to the island; that's about twenty years now. He
came for a week's fishing, he said, and he's stayed ever since. I
never heard a word against Mr. Williams. Everybody likes him, and if
he is rather close-mouthed you don't hear him speak ill of anyone.