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Three interesting, recent books

arash_yavari's picture

Dear friends:

I’d like to bring to your attention three recently published books that I have read. The following are a few words about each book in the order that I read them.

1) “Vito Volterra” by A. Guerraggio and G. Paoloni
http://www.amazon.com/Vito-Volterra-Angelo-Guerraggio/dp/3642272622/ref=...

This is a book about the Italian mathematician Vito Volterra’s life and scientific accomplishments. Among other things, Volterra was the pioneer in studying defects in solids. He classified for the first time what we now call dislocations and disclinations a few decades before anybody knew they existed.

2) ”Henri Poincare” by F. Verhulst
http://www.amazon.com/Henri-Poincar%C3%A9-Impatient-Ferdinand-Verhulst/d...

Henri Poincare was one of the greatest thinkers of all time and this book is about his life and his scientific interests and accomplishments. Among many other things, he is the creator of Algebraic Topology (what he called Analysis Situs), which in simple words is about classification of objects and the different types of “holes” in them.

3) “Continuum Mechanics Through the Twentieth Century” by G.A. Maugin
http://www.amazon.com/Continuum-Mechanics-Through-Twentieth-Century/dp/9...

This book is perhaps the most interesting for this community. Prof. Maugin reviews the major developments in continuum mechanics in the twentieth century. The historical perspectives are quite interesting. You may not agree with all his opinions but still this is a beautifully written book and very informative. I strongly recommend it.

Regards,
Arash

Comments

Pradeep Sharma's picture

Arash,

This is good summer reading for mechanicians....I have actually read #3 on your list---the book by Gerard on the history of continuum mechanics. Your comments are spot on. It was very enjoyable to read even though I did not agree with everything. In particular, some major developments did not get much ink e.g. plasticity, finite elements etc. All that aside, I do recommend this book which is written with a very personable style. I am curious about the book on Volterra which I will try to go through.

 

mohammedlamine's picture

Thank you Arash, interesting topics.

Moussaoui

Zhigang Suo's picture

Dear Arash:  Thank you for the suggestions for the summer readings.  I have read the last one, and appreciate your comments.  I'll follow up on your suggestion of Poincare.  Here are a few more suggestions:

Isaac Newton, by James Cleick.  There must be many biographies of Newton.  This one is short and well wriiten.  The author is an excellent professional writer, not a scientist.  

The last man who knew everything:  Thomas Young.  This is a very easy reading.  I read it several years ago.  We all know about Young's modulus and Young's diffraction pattern.  But Young was a medical doctor, deciphered the Rosetta Stone, and discovered the mechanism of the accommodation of the eye.

The man who changed everything.  The life of James Clerk Maxwell.  Also a very easy reading.  I was hoping to learn how he discovered his equations, but ended learning about many of his other activities.

Degrees Kelvin.  Reading biographies of old masters always helps to bring life to old subjects.  In this case, Kelvin's involvements in many subjects make an interesting reading of the time and people.     

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