Sticky Post – Read this first. Categories and Links in Mathemafrica
The navigability of Mathemafrica isn't ideal, so I have created this post which might guide you to what you are looking for. Here are a number of different categories of post which you might like to take a look at: First year mathematics notes and resources (particularly for the University [...]
Do Plants Know Math: Unwinding the Story of Plant Spirals, from Leonardo da Vinci to Now, a Review
NB. I was sent this book as a review copy. From Princeton University Press Take a pinecone and look at it from above. You will find that there are two ways of following the spirals on the pinecone: From On the Origin of the Fibonacci Spiral by Scott and [...]
Thoughts on thesis structure
I have now graduated around 30 Master's and PhD students, and for most of them, I have discussed my thoughts on the structure of a thesis and its importance. I thought it was an opportune moment to save myself some time and write this down, so future students can read it [...]
So simple a beginning – How four physical principles shape our living world, by Raghuveer Parthasarathy – a review
NB. I was sent this book as a review copy. From Princeton University Press When a review on the back of a book says "Hands down the most beautiful book I've ever read." my skeptical antennae go into action. This was either going to be absolutely brilliant, or sorely [...]
The Einsteinian Revolution – The Historical Roots of his Breakthroughs, by Hanoch Gutfreund and Jürgen Renn – a review
NB. I was sent this book as a review copy. From Princeton University Press I started this book fearing that it would be just another tale of Einstein's brilliance, the singular and incredible leaps in imagination that he took as a lowly patent clerk and of the enormous impact of [...]
The Beauty of Falling: A Life in Pursuit of Gravity by Claudia de Rham – a review
NB. I was sent this book as a review copy. From Princeton University Press I've read many many books popularising aspects of theoretical physics. I've also read many autobiographies, talking about what it is like to be a theoretical physicist. However, this book combines the two more beautifully than I [...]
Datascience for Neuroimaging: An Introduction, by Ariel Rokem and Tal Yarkoni – A review
NB. I was sent this book as a review copy. From Princeton University Press I initially presumed that this book would begin with a relatively advanced level of coding knowledge before delving into neuroimaging. However, its broader scope makes it a far better and more thorough resource. In fact, coding [...]
When Animals Dream: The Hidden World of Animal Consciousness, by David M. Peña-Guzmán – A review
NB. I was sent this book as a review copy. From Princeton University Press The links between dreams, consciousness and memory are absolutely fascinating. I had imagined that the insight that we could get into animal dreaming was limited to dogs running in their sleep and waking themselves up by [...]
Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will, by Kevin Mitchell – a review
NB. I was sent this book as a review copy. From Princeton University Press There is much to like about this book. Kevin's discussions on evolution and neuroscience are detailed, clear, and insightful. His writing in general flows nicely and much of the book is definitely a useful text. However, [...]
“You are not expected to understand this”: How 26 lines of code changed the world, edited by Tori Bosch – a review.
NB. I was sent this book as a review copy. From Princeton University Press What a wonderful book! This book, made up of 26 chapters, is a look into the world of computer code, but more than that, about the interrelationship between people and code, from the good, the bad, [...]
The Self-Assembling Brain, by Peter Hiesinger – a review
NB. I was sent this book as a review copy. From Princeton University Press Science so often lives in silos, or perhaps more accurately silos of Babel. We sit in our offices, ignoring a great deal of what is happening down the corridor from us, let alone in the building [...]
