Top 9 Quotes by Steven Strogatz

One of the pleasures of looking at the world through mathematical eyes is that you can see certain patterns that would otherwise be hidden.

One of the pleasures of looking at the world through mathematical eyes is that you can see certain patterns that would otherwise be hidden.

Steven Strogatz

Eye, World, Patterns

Logic leaves us no choice. In that sense, math always involves both invention and discovery: we invent the concepts but discover their consequences. … in mathematics our freedom lies in the questions we ask – and in how we pursue them – but not in the answers awaiting us.

Steven Strogatz

Lying, Math, Discovery

Steven Strogatz (2012). “The Joy of x: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity”, p.9, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

In mathematics, our freedom lies in the questions we ask — and in how we pursue them — but not in the answers awaiting us.

Steven Strogatz

Lying, Answers, Mathematics

Steven Strogatz (2012). “The Joy of x: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity”, p.9, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Change is most sluggish at the extremes precisely because the derivative is zero there.

Steven Strogatz

Zero, Derivatives, Extremes

Steven Strogatz (2012). “The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Mathematics, from One to Infinity”, p.116, Atlantic Books Ltd

When you create something new, you're breaking tradition - which is an act of defiance.

Steven Strogatz

Tradition, Something New, Defiance

The frequencies of the notes in a scale—do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do—sound to us like they’re rising in equal steps. But objectively their vibrational frequencies are rising by equal multiples. We perceive pitch logarithmically.

Steven Strogatz

Sound, Rising, Steps

Steven Strogatz (2012). “The Joy of x: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity”, p.65, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

When you love a problem, its contours, obstacles and resistances are all just part of its character.

Steven Strogatz

Character, Resistance, Obstacles

"7 Creativity Tips From a Top Mathematician". Interview with Hilary Harkness, www.huffingtonpost.com. November 12, 2012.

Looking at numbers as groups of rocks may seem unusual, but actually it's as old as math itself. The word "calculate" reflects that legacy - it comes from the Latin word calculus, meaning a pebble used for counting. To enjoy working with numbers you don't have to be Einstein (German for "one stone"), but it might help to have rocks in your head.

Steven Strogatz

Latin, Math, Rocks

Steven Strogatz (2012). “The Joy of x: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity”, p.15, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt