Vocabulary from "Love and Math" (Excerpt) by Edward Frenkel

In "Love and Math", Math Professor Edward Frenkel endeavors to show readers without sophisticated mathematical backgrounds, or those who even have a fear of math, the beauty inherent in some of math's greatest discoveries. He focuses on things not taught in high school and presents complex data in a breezy, conversational tone filled with enthusiasm for his subject.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. intertwine
    spin, wind, or twist together
    A hidden parallel universe of beauty and elegance, intricately intertwined with ours.
  2. paradox
    a statement that contradicts itself
    Consider this paradox: On the one hand, mathematics is woven in the very fabric of our daily lives.
  3. algorithm
    a precise rule specifying how to solve some problem
    Every time we make an online purchase, send a text message, do a search on the Internet, or use a GPS device, mathematical formulas and algorithms are at play.
  4. daunt
    cause to lose courage
    On the other hand, most people are daunted by math.
  5. entrench
    fix firmly or securely
    It has become, in the words of poet Hans Magnus Enzensberger, “a blind spot in our culture – alien territory, in which only the elite, the initiated few have managed to entrench themselves.”
  6. vehemently
    in a forceful manner
    It’s rare, he says, that we “encounter a person who asserts vehemently that the mere thought of reading a novel, or looking at a picture, or seeing a movie causes him insufferable torment,” but “sensible, educated people” often say “with a remarkable blend of defiance and pride” that math is “pure torture” or a “nightmare” that “turns them off.”
  7. anomaly
    deviation from the normal or common order, form, or rule
    How is this anomaly possible?
  8. aesthetic
    characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste
    However, it’s not just the aesthetic beauty of math that’s captivating.
  9. paradigm
    a standard or typical example
    While this is an important mode of operation, math offers us a lot more: it enables us to make groundbreaking, paradigm-shifting leaps that we couldn’t make otherwise.
  10. relativity
    the theory that space and time are not absolute concepts
    But Einstein understood that this was the only way to generalize his special relativity theory to non-inertial systems, coupled with his insight that gravity and acceleration have the same effect.
  11. esoteric
    understandable only by an enlightened inner circle
    History shows that science and technology are transformed by mathematical ideas at an accelerated pace; even mathematical theories that are initially viewed as abstract and esoteric later become indispensable for applications.
  12. endowed
    provided or supplied or equipped with
    Charles Darwin, whose work at first did not rely on math, later wrote in his autobiography: “I have deeply regretted that I did not proceed far enough at least to understand something of the great leading principles of mathematics, for men thus endowed seem to have an extra sense.”
  13. prescient
    perceiving the significance of events before they occur
    I take it as prescient advice to the next generations to capitalize on mathematics’ immense potential.
  14. tantalizing
    arousing desire or expectation for something unattainable
    It’s a fascinating theory that weaves a web of tantalizing connections between mathematical fields that at first glance seem to be light years apart: algebra, geometry, number theory, analysis, and quantum physics.
  15. quantum
    the smallest discrete quantity of some physical property
    It’s a fascinating theory that weaves a web of tantalizing connections between mathematical fields that at first glance seem to be light years apart: algebra, geometry, number theory, analysis, and quantum physics.
  16. symmetry
    balance among the parts of something
    Launched in the late 1960s by Robert Langlands, the mathematician who currently occupies Albert Einstein’s office at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, the Langlands Program had its roots in a groundbreaking mathematical theory of symmetry.
  17. dogma
    a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
    It liberates us from dogmas and prejudice, nurtures the capacity for innovation.
  18. transcend
    go beyond the scope or limits of
    It thus provides tools that transcend the subject itself.
  19. arcane
    requiring secret or mysterious knowledge
    And recently there was another attempt to exploit this arcane formula as a backdoor on the U.S. economy.
  20. rigor
    excessive sternness
    Mathematics equals rigor plus intellectual integrity times reliance on facts.
  21. fallacy
    a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning
    There is a common fallacy that one has to study mathematics for years to appreciate it.
  22. innate
    present at birth but not necessarily hereditary
    Some even think that most people have an innate learning disability when it comes to math.
  23. rudimentary
    being in the earliest stages of development
    I disagree: most of us have heard of and have at least a rudimentary understanding of such concepts as the solar system, atoms and elementary particles, the double helix of DNA, and much more, without taking courses in physics and biology.
  24. regime
    the governing authority of a political unit
    I will also talk about my experience of growing up in the former Soviet Union, where mathematics became an outpost of freedom in the face of an oppressive regime.
Created on Wed Nov 20 19:44:30 EST 2013 (updated Wed Nov 20 19:57:58 EST 2013)

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