“An unexpectedly intimate look into a highly accomplished man…the development of a new field of geometric analysis, and a glimpse into a truly uncommon mind.” Boston Globe
The Shape of a Life : One Mathematician’s Search for the Universe’s Hidden Geometry
07-30-19
12hrs 59min
Description
A Fields medalist recounts his lifelong transnational effort to uncover the geometric shape—the Calabi-Yau manifold—that may store the hidden dimensions of our universe.
Harvard geometer and Fields medalist Shing-Tung Yau has provided a mathematical foundation for string theory, offered new insights into black holes, and mathematically demonstrated the stability of our universe. In this autobiography, Yau reflects on his improbable journey to becoming one of the world’s most distinguished mathematicians. Beginning with an impoverished childhood in China and Hong Kong, Yau takes readers through his doctoral studies at Berkeley during the height of the Vietnam War protests, his Fields Medal–winning proof of the Calabi conjecture, his return to China, and his pioneering work in geometric analysis. This new branch of geometry, which Yau built up with his friends and colleagues, has paved the way for solutions to several important and previously intransigent problems. With complicated ideas explained for a broad audience, this book offers listeners not only insights into the life of an eminent mathematician, but also an accessible way to understand advanced and highly abstract concepts in mathematics and theoretical physics.
Praise
“An unexpectedly intimate look into a highly accomplished man…the development of a new field of geometric analysis, and a glimpse into a truly uncommon mind.” Boston Globe
“Fascinating, and an essential read for anyone interested in the history of modern mathematics.” Peter Woit, author of Not Even Wrong
“Inspires us all with humankind’s irrepressible spirit of discovery.” Brian Greene, author of The Elegant Universe
“Candid, deep, and truly inspiring, The Shape of a Life is studded with unexpected insights into Yau’s thinking. An extraordinary story about an extraordinary person.” Gish Jen, author of The Girl at the Baggage Claim: Explaining the East-West Culture Gap
“This book tells a fascinating story of a life lived between multiple cultures—China and the West, and mathematics and physics. Yau’s journey from poverty in Hong Kong to the top levels of the mathematics world was not a simple one.” Edward Witten, Institute for Advanced Study
Details
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Release Day | Jul 29, 2019 |
| Release Date | July 30, 2019 |
| Release Date Machine | 1564444800 |
| Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
| Provider | Blackstone Publishing |
| Categories | Biographies & Memoirs, Professionals & Academics, Science & Engineering, Science, Mathematics, Nonfiction - Adult, Nonfiction - All |
Author Bio
Shing-Tung Yau is the William Caspar Graustein Professor of Mathematics at Harvard University. He has been awarded a Fields Medal, a MacArthur Fellowship, a National Medal of Science, the Wolf Prize in Mathematics, the Crafoord Prize, the Veblen Prize, and other honors.
Steve Nadis is a science writer and contributing editor to Astronomy and Discover magazines.
Narrator Bio
Arthur Morey has won three AudioFile Magazine “Best Of” Awards, and his work has garnered numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and placed him as a finalist for two Audie Awards. He has acted in a number of productions, both off Broadway in New York and off Loop in Chicago. He graduated from Harvard and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. He has won awards for his fiction and drama, worked as an editor with several book publishers, and taught literature and writing at Northwestern University. His plays and songs have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Milan, where he has also performed.
Overview
A Fields medalist recounts his lifelong transnational effort to uncover the geometric shape—the Calabi-Yau manifold—that may store the hidden dimensions of our universe.
Harvard geometer and Fields medalist Shing-Tung Yau has provided a mathematical foundation for string theory, offered new insights into black holes, and mathematically demonstrated the stability of our universe. In this autobiography, Yau reflects on his improbable journey to becoming one of the world’s most distinguished mathematicians. Beginning with an impoverished childhood in China and Hong Kong, Yau takes readers through his doctoral studies at Berkeley during the height of the Vietnam War protests, his Fields Medal–winning proof of the Calabi conjecture, his return to China, and his pioneering work in geometric analysis. This new branch of geometry, which Yau built up with his friends and colleagues, has paved the way for solutions to several important and previously intransigent problems. With complicated ideas explained for a broad audience, this book offers listeners not only insights into the life of an eminent mathematician, but also an accessible way to understand advanced and highly abstract concepts in mathematics and theoretical physics.
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