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.
"An unexpectedly intimate look into a highly accomplished man, his colleagues and friends, the development of a new field of geometric analysis, and a glimpse into a truly uncommon mind."-Nina MacLaughlin, Boston Globe
"Engaging, eminently readable . . . For those with a taste for elegant and largely jargon-free explanations of mathematics, The Shape of a Life promises hours of rewarding reading."-Judith Goodstein, American Scientist
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 readers 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.
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.
"An unexpectedly intimate look into a highly accomplished man, his colleagues and friends, the development of a new field of geometric analysis, and a glimpse into a truly uncommon mind."-Nina MacLaughlin, Boston Globe
"Engaging, eminently readable . . . For those with a taste for elegant and largely jargon-free explanations of mathematics, The Shape of a Life promises hours of rewarding reading."-Judith Goodstein, American Scientist
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 readers 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.
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.
“The book is an unexpectedly intimate look into a highly
accomplished man, his colleagues and friends, the development of a
new field of geometric analysis, and a glimpse into a truly
uncommon mind.”—Nina MacLaughlin, Boston Globe
"For decades, mathematician Shing-Tung Yau—a winner of the 1982
Fields Medal—has been central to the cross-fertilization between
modern mathematics and physics. His work in geometry, for instance,
underlies much of string theory. This volume, co-authored with
science writer Steve Nadis, is an intimate account of Yau’s
life”—Barbara Kiser, Nature
“An eye-opening and insightful account. . . . Yau’s life story
is an inspiring example of the power of education.”—Dan Eady,
South China Morning Post
“A real story of a remarkable mathematician and of contemporary
mathematics, written with passion by one of the key players”—Peter
Giblin, The Mathematical Gazette
Finalist in the PROSE Awards mathematics category, sponsored
by the Association of American Publishers
“Yau and Nadis’s The Shape of a Life opens a window into
the fascinating mind and world of today’s equivalent of Apollonius
of Perga, ‘The Great Geometer’ of antiquity.”—Mario Livio, author
of Brilliant Blunders
"The interesting life of a remarkably influential modern
mathematician."—Juan Maldacena, Institute for Advanced Study
“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
"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
“The remarkable story of one of the world's most accomplished
mathematicians, Shing-Tung Yau, who has made profound contributions
in pure mathematics, general relativity, and string theory. Yau’s
personal journey—from escaping China as a youngster, leading a
gang outside Hong Kong, becoming captivated by mathematics, to
making breakthroughs that thrust him on the world stage—inspires us
all with humankind's irrepressible spirit of discovery.”—Brian
Greene, author of The Elegant Universe
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