The 17 equations that changed the world, according to Ian Stewart
The top 3 according to 12 votes from people: The Pythagorean theorem · Calculus · The normal distribution. (Updated Jan 7, 2019.)
In his 2012 book, mathematician Ian Stewart tells the story of 17 equations, from Pythagoras to Black–Scholes, that transformed science, technology and even finance. Which one matters most?
Automatically translated (original in Français). See the original
Top 17
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1
The Pythagorean theorem
a² + b² = c², the basis of geometry and mapping.
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2
Calculus
Newton and Leibniz's derivative.
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3
The normal distribution
The bell curve of statistics.
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4
The second law of thermodynamics
Entropy only ever increases.
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5
E = mc²
Einstein's relativity and nuclear energy.
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6
The Black–Scholes equation
Pricing financial options, and its excesses.
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7
Logarithms
Turning multiplication into addition.
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8
The wave equation
Vibrations, sound and music.
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9
Newton's law of gravity
The force that makes the apple fall and the Moon go round.
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10
The square root of minus one
Complex numbers.
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11
Euler's formula for polyhedra
Vertices minus edges plus faces equals two.
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12
The Fourier transform
Breaking a signal into frequencies: from JPEG to MRI.
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13
The Navier–Stokes equations
The motion of fluids, from aircraft to weather.
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14
Maxwell's equations
Electromagnetism, radio and television.
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15
The Schrödinger equation
Quantum mechanics, from lasers to chips.
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16
Shannon's information theory
Measuring information: the basis of digital technology.
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17
Chaos theory
The logistic map and the butterfly effect.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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