u003cbu003eFrom preeminent math personality and author of u003ciu003eThe Joy of x, u003c/iu003e a brilliant and endlessly appealing explanation of calculus--how it works and why it makes our lives immeasurably better. u003c/bu003e u003cpu003eWithout calculus, we wouldn't have cell phones, TV, GPS, or ultrasound. We wouldn't have unraveled DNA or discovered Neptune or figured out how to put 5,000 songs in your pocket.u003cpu003eThough many of us were scared away from this essential, engrossing subject in high school and college, Steven Strogatz's brilliantly creative, down-to-earth history shows that calculus is not about complexity; it's about simplicity. It harnesses an unreal number--infinity--to tackle real-world problems, breaking them down into easier ones and then reassembling the answers into solutions that feel miraculous.u003c/pu003eu003cpu003eu003ciu003eInfinite Powersu003c/iu003e recounts how calculus tantalized and thrilled its inventors, starting with its first glimmers in ancient Greece and bringing us right up to the discovery of gravitational waves (a phenomenon predicted by calculus). Strogatz reveals how this form of math rose to the challenges of each age: how to determine the area of a circle with only sand and a stick; how to explain why Mars goes "backwards" sometimes; how to make electricity with magnets; how to ensure your rocket doesn't miss the moon; how to turn the tide in the fight against AIDS.u003c/pu003eu003cpu003eAs Strogatz proves, calculus is truly the language of the universe. By unveiling the principles of that language, u003ciu003eInfinite Powersu003c/iu003e makes us marvel at the world anew. u003c/pu003e
