The Mathematical Mechanic

Everybody knows that mathematics is indispensable to physics—imagine where we'd be today if Einstein and Newton didn't have the math to back up their ideas. But how many people realise that physics can be used to produce many astonishing and strikingly elegant solutions in mathematics? Mark Levi shows how in this delightful book, treating readers to a host of entertaining problems and mind-bending puzzlers that will amuse and inspire their inner physicist.

Levi turns math and physics upside down, revealing how physics can simplify proofs and lead to quicker solutions and new theorems, and how physical solutions can illustrate why results are true in ways lengthy mathematical calculations never can. Did you know it's possible to derive the Pythagorean theorem by spinning a fish tank filled with water? Or that soap film holds the key to determining the cheapest container for a given volume? Or that the line of best fit for a data set can be found using a mechanical contraption made from a rod and springs?

Levi demonstrates how to use physical intuition to solve these and other fascinating math problems. More than half the problems can be tackled by anyone with precalculus and basic geometry, while the more challenging problems require some calculus. This one-of-a-kind book explains physics and math concepts where needed and includes an informative appendix of physical principles.

The Mathematical Mechanic will appeal to anyone interested in the little-known connections between mathematics and physics and how both endeavours relate to the world around us.

A pleasure to read... Newton himself would have been charmed by this book. — Steven G. Krantz, UMAP Journal

The Mathematical Mechanic documents novel ways of viewing physics as a method of understanding mathematics. Levi uses physical arguments as tools to conjecture about mathematical concepts before providing rigorous proofs... The Mathematical Mechanic is an excellent display of creative, interdisciplinary problem-solving strategies. The author has explained complex concepts with simplicity, yet the mathematics is accurate. — Mathematics Teacher

A most interesting book... Many of the ideas in it could be used as motivational or illustrative examples to support the teaching of non-specialists, especially physicists and engineers. In conclusion—a thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking read. — Nigel Steele, London Mathematical Society Newsletter