Series on Knots and Everything - Vol. 31
MINDSTEPS TO THE COSMOS
by Gerald S Hawkins (Former Chairman, Astronomy Department, Boston University, USA)
Mindsteps to the Cosmos shows how modern global civilization depends on giant leaps of understanding that have been made in the past. Science and technology have been inspired and formulated by the sky — the cosmos in which we live. Human development could not have taken place on a cloud-shrouded planet. Mathematics was invented to track the movements of the sun, moon and stars even though back then these were thought to be gods. The space program has taken us beyond the earth, and satellite systems are exploring to the ends of the visible universe. This book provides the reader with algorithms to construct personal computer programs for finding the position of the moon and planets, and for calculating dates through historic periods in the Egyptian as well as the old and new style calendars.
Contents:
- Up from Zero
- Mindstep 1
- The First Story
- The Morning Star
-
Stonehenge: A Clue
- Pyramids and a Waning Princess
- Mindstep 2
- In the East
- Mindstep 3
- Upside-Down Cosmos
- Stars and Galaxies
- The Pod Door Opens — Mindstep 4
- Mindstep 4 — Far from Home
- Future Mindsteps
Readership: Undergraduates in software engineering/programming, astrophysics,
astronomy, cosmology, and the history of science, as well as general readers.
"This book is obviously interdisciplinary and will be easily read by anthropologists, archaeologists and all who want to get in touch not only with astronomy, but also with the emotional aspect of human, not only scientific research ... I strongly recommend this book to every person, even non-researchers, who are interested in the 'adventure of the mind'."
| 356pp |
Pub. date: Sept 2002 |
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