Description
Book SynopsisThe elegance in science is not always obvious, but it does play an important role. Here, Ian Glynn selects historical examples from a wide range of sciences to draw out the principle of elegance, highlighting the role of beauty and simplicity in science, and relating it to important philosophical issues related to inference to the best explanation.
Trade Review...there is a wealth of historical information packed in here. * Times Literary Supplement *
An erudite book...Well illustrated and full of historical anecdote and background, this is an elegant volume indeed. * Serge Daan, Nature *
Table of Contents1. The meaning of elegance ; 2. Celestial mechanics ; 3. Bringing the heavens down to Earth ; 4. So what is heat? ; 5. Elegance and electricity ; 6. Throwing light on light ; 7. How do nerves work? ; 8. Information handling in the brain ; 9. The genetic code: a hundred years of decoding ; 10. Epilogue: a cautionary tale
