Includes new chapters on current experiments to determine the true shape of the universe, written by a master expositor, leading researcher in the field, and MacArthur Fellow!
Maintaining the standard of excellence set by the previous edition, this lighthearted textbook surveys the basic geometry of two- and three-dimensional spaces-stretching students’ minds as they learn to visualize new possibilities for the shape of our universe.
Contains illustrated examples and engaging exercises that teach mind-expanding ideas in an intuitive and informal way!
Bridging the gap from geometry to the latest work in observational cosmology, the Second Edition of The Shape of Space
- offers three new chapters that apply topology to cosmology
- illustrates the connection between geometry and the behavior of the physical universe
- seeks patterns in the arrangement of galaxies
- explains how radiation remaining from the big bang may reveal the actual shape of the universe