Notices of the American Mathematical Society
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New and Noteworthy Titles on our Bookshelf
January 2025
A History of Women in Mathematics
Pen & Sword Books, 2023, 216 pp.
By Dale DeBakcsy
Cover is courtesy of Paul Wilkinson, Pen & Sword Books.
While there are many books featuring the lives of women in mathematics, DeBakcsy’s new book is a notable collection due to its readability, comprehensiveness, and humor. I enjoyed the writing style of this book so much, I was compelled to read parts of it out loud to my colleagues! It is also part of a larger series featuring women in science. DeBakcsy is the author of the “Women in Science” column at The Women in Science Archive website and host of a podcast with the same name. In this book, DeBakcsy makes a compelling case for why there are relatively so many women who have made significant contributions to mathematics, when compared to other STEM disciplines. Math does not often require travel or specialized equipment; this meant some women could pursue an intellectual path while staying at home. However, he notes this does not mean the field of mathematics has been equitable or fair toward women. The author includes but does not dwell on the struggles of these mathematicians; rather, he highlights their accomplishments and celebrates their contributions.
In an opening note, DeBakcsy explains that some mathematically-inclined women might have been picked for a volume in a different discipline (such as computer science or astronomy and space exploration). He emphasizes that this book should not be considered comprehensive and encourages the reader to reach out with suggestions of people to include in future volumes. As is, the book features over 100 women in mathematics from the past 2000 years from around the globe. Each chapter ends with suggested further reading, and the end of the book contains a nontechnical glossary of math terms that would likely inspire a high school student or undergraduate to investigate new topics. If you desire to learn more about the contributions of women in mathematics or have students who are interested, I highly recommend this engaging book.
The Primacy of Doubt
Oxford University Press, 2024, 320 pp.
By Tim Palmer
Cover is courtesy of Oxford Publishing Limited.
This column has recently involved quite a bit of physics, and I am pleased to see this side of applied mathematics make a strong showing on bookshelves. Palmer’s new book goes beyond physics and discusses how uncertainty and chaos are pervasive and structural to our world. While this book has very few equations, it does go into technical detail often. There is also quite a bit of abstract mathematics: the Sierpinski triangle, the Cantor set, and -adic numbers make an appearance.
The book is split into three parts. The first is “The Science of Uncertainty,” which starts with Poincaré and his discovery of chaos when working on the three orbiting bodies problem. An alternate title for this book is revealed: The Geometry of Chaos. I think this accurately defines the main themes of the book. Part II of the book is “Predicting Our Chaotic World,” which considers the unpredictable nature of the weather, climate change, pandemics, and the economy. The author emphasizes that what seems unlikely to us is much more understandable through the lens of chaos. The final part of the book, “Understanding the Chaotic Universe and Our Place In It,” is more speculative and very thought-provoking. His finale reveals how the geometry of chaos could be applied to the human experience of consciousness and free will. Instead of seeking to separate the signal from the noise, Palmer emphasizes one could use noise as a way to represent uncertainty. He argues that our brains are quite good at using noise, and he speculates it is part of what makes us creative and innovative. If you like thinking about the role of uncertainty and chaos, this book has a lot to offer you.