Background
Ivars Peterson was born on December 4, 1948, in Canada.
1991
E.G. Sherburne, Jr., publisher, Science News; Patrick Young, Editor, Science News; Ivars Peterson; Jeremiah Lyons, W.H. Freeman at the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics Communications Award, 1991
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Ivars Peterson graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Columbia, Missouri, United States
In 1981 Ivars Peterson received a Master of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.
(The science writer Ivars Peterson conducts the reader thr...)
The science writer Ivars Peterson conducts the reader through the world of modern mathematics.
https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Tourist-Snapshots-Modern-Mathematics/dp/0716719533/?tag=2022091-20
1988
(Ivars Peterson has come up with another itinerary of Math...)
Ivars Peterson has come up with another itinerary of Mathland - where the habitat is mysterious and the inhabitants fascinating. He explores uncharted islands, introducing strange vibrations in the shadows of chaos, new twists in knot physics, and the straight side of circles. The tour is enjoyable to experienced travellers and first-time tourists alike. Peterson, a journalist with Science News, makes the arcane intelligible by interpreting mathematics into engaging prose.
https://www.amazon.com/Islands-Truth-Mathematical-Mystery-Cruise/dp/0716721481/?tag=2022091-20
1990
(A best-selling author shows how the model of the solar sy...)
A best-selling author shows how the model of the solar system has changed from Newton's mechanistic theory, predicting clocklike precision and infallibility, to modern chaos theory, which allows for the possibility a planet may one day leave its orbit.
https://www.amazon.com/Newtons-Clock-Chaos-Solar-System/dp/0716723964/?tag=2022091-20
1993
(More than ever, our society depends on the reliable - if ...)
More than ever, our society depends on the reliable - if not always correct - functioning of computers. Computers amplify not only our genius but our flaws, sometimes to intolerable extremes. Author Ivars Peterson traces the lurching history of software development and describes how misconceptions and mistakes have become an inextricable part of computer programs and systems. He creates fascinating and colorful profiles of the people who hunt down these elusive computer bugs and struggle to make an inherently fallible system less treacherous. He also offers dozens of detailed examples of how computer failures occur - some amusing, some annoying, others terrifying, even fatal. Each computer failure is a reminder that we all pay a price for sloppy thinking in software development, for making the rush to market a more important consideration than safety and reliability. No software can ever be guaranteed 100 percent bug-free, but if we analyze our past mistakes and rethink our approach to computers, we can defuse some ticking time bombs and create a more trustworthy next generation of computers.
https://www.amazon.com/Fatal-Defect-Chasing-Killer-Computer/dp/0812920236/?tag=2022091-20
1995
(Popular math author Ivars Peterson leads readers on an ex...)
Popular math author Ivars Peterson leads readers on an exciting foray into the wilds of randomness, introducing exciting new discoveries--from hidden rules governing games of chance to how the first molecules of life formed and how random numbers can protect sensitive information on the Internet. Along the way, he charts the ambiguous boundary between order and chaos, revealing the astonishing patterns so often hidden in apparent randomness as well as the startling randomness often embedded in apparent order.
https://www.amazon.com/Jungles-Randomness-Mathematical-Safari/dp/0471295876/?tag=2022091-20
1997
(There is a new amusement park in town. Come on in and fin...)
There is a new amusement park in town. Come on in and find out allthe exciting ways you can have fun with math in everyday life.Wander through the fractal forest, take a ride on the M?obius-striproller coaster, and get dizzy learning about how math makes theTilt-A-Whirl possible. The more activities you try, the more you lllearn how cool it can be to see the world through the eyes of amathematician. Once you ve sampled some of the interesting and unique projects inMath Trek, from untangling unknots to winning games with weird diceto figuring out secret codes, you ll see that every trip to theMathZone is an exciting adventure!
https://www.amazon.com/Math-Trek-Adventures-Zone/dp/0471315702/?tag=2022091-20
1999
(Take a wild and Wonderful Voyage Through the Universe of ...)
Take a wild and Wonderful Voyage Through the Universe of Mathematics! Just imagine how much fun it would be to explore the fourth dimension! Play baseball on an asteroid! Ride an alien bike with square wheels! Let Math Trek 2 take you on an intergalactic excursion as you master dizzying mathematical concepts on your home planet of Earth! While playing games and solving puzzles, you can explore mind-boggling mental mysteries and investigate hidden patterns in the universe. From strange number sequences and bizarre buckyballs to random walks, you'll be amazed at the mathematical concepts you'll soon comprehend. So let Math Trek 2 take you on a fantastic space odyssey where you can look for a pi in the sky, get stuck in galactic gridlock, and sail away to the planet of the shapes!
https://www.amazon.com/Math-Trek-Mathematical-Space-Odyssey/dp/0471315710/?tag=2022091-20
2000
(A visual journey to the intersection of math and imaginat...)
A visual journey to the intersection of math and imagination, guided by an award-winning author Mathematics is right brain work, art left brain, right? Not so. This intriguing book shows how intertwined the disciplines are. Portraying the work of many contemporary artists in media from metals to glass to snow, Fragments of Infinity draws us into the mysteries of one-sided surfaces, four-dimensional spaces, self-similar structures, and other bizarre or seemingly impossible features of modern mathematics as they are given visible expression. Featuring more than 250 beautiful illustrations and photographs of artworks ranging from sculptures both massive and minute to elaborate geometric tapestries and mosaics of startling complexity, this is an enthralling exploration of abstract shapes, space, and time made tangible.
https://www.amazon.com/Fragments-Infinity-Kaleidoscope-Math-Art-ebook/dp/B00E451AWO/?tag=2022091-20
2001
(Science News publishes a weekly column devoted to 'cool s...)
Science News publishes a weekly column devoted to 'cool stuff' from the world of mathematics. There have been over 250 articles under the title 'Ivars Peterson's Math Treks'. New developments and their applications, old puzzles revisited, famous problems and historic events have all featured. This column has been extremely popular for its brief, informal forays into some of the more unusual aspects of mathematics. Ivars Peterson has enhanced and updated a selection of articles for this book and further bibliographic details and web links are available online. The contents span a wide range of topics and there will be something here for anyone with an interest in mathematics.
https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Treks-Surreal-Numbers-Spectrum/dp/0883855372/?tag=2022091-20
2002
editor educator journalist author
Ivars Peterson was born on December 4, 1948, in Canada.
Ivars Peterson graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science degree. In 1981 he received a Master of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.
Ivars Peterson taught high school science and mathematics for eight years. In 1980, he left teaching to obtain a master's degree. For more than 25 years, he was a writer at Science News. He also served as editor of Science News for Kids and Science News Online and wrote the weekly online column "Ivars Peterson's MathTrek". Peterson was a director of Publications at the Mathematical Association of America in Washington, District of Columbia, from 2007 to 2014. During the spring semester of 2008, Ivars Peterson served as the Basler Chair of Excellence for the Integration of the Arts, Rhetoric, and Science at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, where he taught a course on "Communicating Mathematics." He lives in Washington, D.C., with his family.
(Take a wild and Wonderful Voyage Through the Universe of ...)
2000(Popular math author Ivars Peterson leads readers on an ex...)
1997(A best-selling author shows how the model of the solar sy...)
1993(A visual journey to the intersection of math and imaginat...)
2001(Ivars Peterson has come up with another itinerary of Math...)
1990(More than ever, our society depends on the reliable - if ...)
1995(The science writer Ivars Peterson conducts the reader thr...)
1988(Science News publishes a weekly column devoted to 'cool s...)
2002(There is a new amusement park in town. Come on in and fin...)
1999Ivars Peterson is married Nancy Henderson, a journalist. They have two children: Eric, Kenneth.