The full title of this book is "The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe," and it's by Roger Penrose, friend and colleague to the eminent Stephen Hawking.
I picked it up at the library and it looked so fascinating that I bought it with my birthday money. Um...impractical, yeah. Hehehe.
I started reading, and even chapter one has ideas out of my grasp. I prefer to "do" math rather than read, but this isn't just a math book. Rather, it is a complex description of the Universe's laws and theories about them, that we know now. So, maybe it's not so bad that I find some of this to be difficult reading.
Also, it seems to be a discussion of the construction of mathematical proofs, which I stink at. I can "do" proofs, but not construct Proofs. I have difficulty stating the obvious, which is my downfall in organic chemistry with mechanisms. I skip steps and others want to see Every. Single. Painstaking. Step. They make quite a meal of one.
I think it's rather haughty of me to not bend to this desire of others. It's me saying, "I don't need to see that step separately; it's obviously included." It's a lack of patience, as well. Don't you think?
I learned Calculus from the James Stewart book; the man left off many steps, and it was difficult for me to follow, a lot of times, since it had been 8 years since I took a math class. I can see how it would be helpful to include as many steps as possible to others reading my work.
I will rethink this.
Regi dG
Cross-posted to http://spiritedmenagerie.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment