Making Waves packs a great amount of information in relatively little space (48 pages, including an 11-by-17'' centerfold). Its pace is swift, but you'll enjoy it even if you are not mathematically sophisticated, because it is organized on different levels: the dialog of the movie is woven together with an expository text where the more difficult parts are clearly marked, so concepts can be assimilated at a rate based on the reader's individual background and interests.
It doesn't matter if you've never taken calculus or heard of topology before: you'll get something out of Making Waves, especially if you take time to digest the ``food for thought'' paragraphs, marked .
For the more mathematically adventurous, Making Waves includes an article by Bill Thurston, on how the method of corrugations can be applied to similar problems in any dimension.
Making Waves comes bundled with Outside In, but it can also be purchased separately (for classroom use, for example). You can order Making Waves from the publisher.
Comments to:
webmaster@geom.umn.edu
Created: May 8, 1995 ---
Last modified: Jun 14 1996
Copyright © 1995-1996 by
The Geometry Center
All rights reserved.