RANDOM WALKS OF GEORGE POLYA

by Gerald L. Alexanderson

Contents include Polya's work in probability, analysis, comments on number theory, geometry, enumeration theorem, mathematical physics, mathematics education, and more. Hardcover, softcover also available.

Genres: Biography, Mathematics

Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Dianti Purba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bisakah buku ini di copy pdf?

[Jacob Vorstrup Goldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think one could expect more of a biography of George Polya, but I'll stick to four stars as Polya impressed, unsurprisingly, more than the book itself.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

While George Polya is credited with coining the phrase "random walk", his journey through life was anything but random. Extremely influential in many areas of mathematics, his book, "How to Solve It" alone would have made a career. Like so many mathematical heavyweights of this century, his nationality was Hungarian. Given the number of mathematicians and their collective prolific output, Hungary must lead the world in per capita production of mathematical papers. Polya's first papers were published in 1912 and his last in 1987.
The range of the work is just as impressive. Many concepts now considered standard mathematical fare were products of his genius. When reading this biography, you are struck by the features of human nature that he projects. Who else would talk about the list of the three nicest mathematicians that they ever met? Would anyone else dare to also talk about the three most unpleasant mathematicians that they ever encountered? His honesty when admitting that he was intimidated by John von Neumann show a level of humility that few people of his stature would ever acknowledge.
In an era when being a lackluster to pathetic teacher is considered a prerequisite for a position as a research mathematician it is extremely refreshing to read about his qualities as a teacher and his concern for the profession. He was an existence proof of the reality that it is possible to be both. His contributions to the field of teaching are as strong as those in any other area of his expertise.
Biographies of mathematicians sometimes degenerate into lists of life accomplishments emphasizing the major formulas and proofs of their lives. In others, the person comes across as a solid professional, but there seems to be little else to their life. In writing about Polya, the author is describing a person that you would no doubt find to be pleasant company.
One of those amazing Hungarian mathematical exports that graced the United States with their presence, George Polya was truly a credit to the professions of being a mathematician and a human. This is one of the most enjoyable biographies of a mathematician that I have ever read.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.

[Silvio Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only way I knew of Pólya before reading this book was having studied his Counting Theorem in Combinatorics. I'm not at all sorry that I decided to learn who he was. He worked on all sorts of different areas of mathematics, with an emphasis on applied problems during a historical period (the twentieth century) when they weren't the most favored by the mathematical community. His ideas about math teaching have had a huge influence, too. There are a few quirks, particularly an emphasis on influences from other famous mathematicians, anecdotes about them, and other ways of displaying kinship in the broad sense I learned in Anthropology, but they only interfere a little with the more important facts and might provide a little insight into modern mathematicians' culture. There are also essays telling a little about Pólya's mathematical innovations, and a few simple expository essays by Pólya himself illustrating his teaching methods.