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{{short description|American engineer and author (born 1940)}}
'''Paul J. Nahin''' (born November 26, 1940) is an American engineer and author who has written 18 books on topics in [[physics]] and [[mathematics]], including biographies of [[Oliver Heaviside]], [[George Boole]], and [[Claude Shannon]], books on mathematical concepts such as [[Euler's formula]] and the [[imaginary unit]], and a number of books on the physics and philosophical puzzles of [[time travel]].
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Paul J. Nahin
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1940|11|26}}
| birth_place = [[Berkeley, California]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| other_names =
| occupation = Professor, author
| years_active =
| spouse = {{marriage|Patricia A. Telepka|1962}}
| children =
| known_for = Books on physics and mathematics
| notable_works =
| alma_mater = {{ubl
|[[Stanford University]]
|{{nowrap|[[California Institute of Technology]]}}
|[[University of California, Irvine]]
}}
| awards = Harry Rowe Mimno Award (1979)<br>Chandler Davis Prize (2017)
}}
'''Paul J. Nahin''' (born November 26, 1940) is an American electrical engineer, author, and former college professor. He has written over 20 books on topics in [[physics]] and [[mathematics]].


==Biography==
Born in [[California]], he graduated from [[Brea Olinda High School]] in 1958, and thereafter received a [[Bachelor of Science|B.S.]] from [[Stanford University]] in 1962, an [[Master of Science|M.S.]] from the [[California Institute of Technology]] in 1963, and a [[Ph.D.]] from the [[University of California, Irvine]] in 1972.<ref name="Bates">[https://www.bates.edu/news/2011/03/23/sampson-nahin/ Electrical and computer engineering expert offers annual Sampson Lecture] ''[[Bates College]] News'' (March 23, 2011).</ref>
[[File:Science at Village Books - Flickr - brewbooks (1).jpg|thumb|right|A copy of Nahin's book ''The Logician and the Engineer'']]
Born in [[California]], Nahin graduated from [[Brea Olinda High School]] in 1958, and thereafter received a [[Bachelor of Science|B.S.]] from [[Stanford University]] in 1962, an [[Master of Science|M.S.]] from the [[California Institute of Technology]] in 1963, and a [[Ph.D.]] from the [[University of California, Irvine]], in 1972, all in [[electrical engineering]].<ref name="Bates">[https://www.bates.edu/news/2011/03/23/sampson-nahin/ Electrical and computer engineering expert offers annual Sampson Lecture] ''[[Bates College]] News'' (March 23, 2011).</ref>


He thereafter taught at [[Harvey Mudd College]], the University of Virginia, and the [[Naval Postgraduate School]] in [[Monterey, California]].<ref name="Bates"/>
Nahin thereafter taught at [[Harvey Mudd College]], the [[University of Virginia]], and the [[Naval Postgraduate School]] in [[Monterey, California]].<ref name="Bates"/> He retired in 2004 from his position as professor of [[electrical engineering]] at the [[University of New Hampshire]], becoming a [[professor emeritus]].<ref>{{cite book
| last = Nahin | first = Paul J.
| contribution = Acknowledgements
| date = December 2012
| doi = 10.1515/9781400842063.249
| pages = 249–250
| publisher = Princeton University Press
| title = Chases and Escapes: The Mathematics of Pursuit and Evasion}}</ref>


As an author, Nahin's publications include biographies of [[Oliver Heaviside]], [[George Boole]], and [[Claude Shannon]], books on mathematical concepts such as [[Euler's formula]], the [[Riemann hypothesis]], and the [[imaginary unit]], and a number of books on the physics and philosophical puzzles of [[time travel]]. His book ''[[Chases and Escapes]]'' has been rated as essential for inclusion in undergraduate mathematics libraries by The Basic Library List Committee of the [[Mathematical Association of America]].<ref name=satzer>{{citation | last = Satzer | first = William J. | date = June 2007 | journal = MAA Reviews | publisher = [[Mathematical Association of America]] | title = Review of ''Chases and Escapes'' | url = https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/chases-and-escapes-the-mathematics-of-pursuit-and-evasion}}</ref>
{{as of|2004}}, Nahin is an emeritus professor of [[electrical engineering]] at the [[University of New Hampshire]]. He received the 2017 Chandler Davis Prize for Excellence in Expository Writing in Mathematics and, in 1979, the first Harry Rowe Mimno writing award from the IEEE Areospace and Electronic Systems Society.

In 1979, Nahin received the first Harry Rowe Mimno writing award,<ref name="IEEE Mimno Award">{{cite web | title=Harry Rowe Mimno Award | website=IEEE AESS | date=2020-12-09 | url=https://ieee-aess.org/awards/harry-rowe-mimno-award#description | access-date=2022-11-25}}</ref> from the [[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers|IEEE]] Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society. He received the 2017 Chandler Davis Prize for Excellence in Expository Writing in Mathematics.<ref name="Chandler Davis prize">{{cite web | title=The Mathematical Intelligencer | website=Springer | url=https://www.springer.com/journal/283/updates/17226694 | access-date=2022-11-25}}</ref>


==Works==
==Works==
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=xHPMEAAAQBAJ ''The Mathematical Radio: Inside the Magic of AM, FM, and Single-Sideband''] (2024)
* ''In Praise of Simple Physics: The Science and Mathematics behind Everyday Questions'' (2016)
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=-i7WEAAAQBAJ ''The Probability Integral: Its Origin, Its Importance, and Its Calculation''] (2023)
* ''Inside Interesting Integrals'' (2014)
* {{cite book | title=In Pursuit of Zeta-3 : The World's Most Mysterious Unsolved Math Problem | date=2021 | isbn=978-0-691-22759-7 | oclc=1260168397 | publisher=Princeton University Press }}<ref name="Adhemar Bultheel">{{cite web | last=Bultheel | first=Adhemar | title=In Pursuit of Zeta-3 | website=Mathematical Association of America | url=https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/in-pursuit-of-zeta-3 | access-date=2022-11-25}}</ref>
* ''Holy Sci-Fi!: Where Science Fiction and Religion Intersect'' (2014)<ref>A. Bultheel (2014) [http://www.euro-math-soc.eu/review/holy-sci-fi-where-science-fiction-and-religion-intersect Review: ''Intersect''] from [[European Mathematical Society]].</ref>
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=QJawDwAAQBAJ ''Hot Molecules, Cold Electrons: From the Mathematics of Heat to the Development of the Trans-Atlantic Telegraph''] (2020)
* ''The Logician and the Engineer: How George Boole and Claude Shannon Created the Information Age'' (2012)
* [https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=7DNjDwAAQBAJ ''Transients for Electrical Engineers: Elementary Switched-Circuit Analysis in the Time and Laplace Transform Domains (with a touch of MATLAB®)''] (2018)
* ''When Least Is Best: How Mathematicians Discovered Many Clever Ways to Make Things as Small (or as Large) as Possible'' (2011)
* [https://books.google.com/books/about/How_to_Fall_Slower_Than_Gravity.html?id=8ApuDwAAQBAJ ''How to Fall Slower Than Gravity: And Other Everyday (and Not So Everyday) Uses of Mathematics and Physical Reasoning''] (2018)
* ''Number-Crunching: Taming Unruly Computational Problems from Mathematical Physics to Science Fiction'' (2011)
* {{cite book |title=Time Machine Tales: The Science Fiction Adventures and Philosophical Puzzles of Time Travel |publisher=Springer |date=2017 |isbn=978-3319488622}}
* ''Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula: Cures Many Mathematical Ills'' (2011)<ref>Henry Ricardo (2006) [http://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/dr-eulers-fabulous-formula-cures-many-mathematical-ills Review: ''Euler's Fabulous''] from [[Mathematical Association of America]].</ref>
* [https://books.google.com/books/about/In_Praise_of_Simple_Physics.html?id=FNghCwAAQBAJ ''In Praise of Simple Physics: The Science and Mathematics behind Everyday Questions''] (2016)
* ''Time Travel: A Writer's Guide to the Real Science of Plausible Time Travel'' (1997)
* ''Inside Interesting Integrals'' (2014); [https://books.google.com/books?id=H7ZeBAAAQBAJ pbk edition]
* ''Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt: And Other Intriguing Stories of Mathematical Physics'' (2009)
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=Hl64BAAAQBAJ ''Holy Sci-Fi!: Where Science Fiction and Religion Intersect''] (2014)<ref>A. Bultheel (2014) [http://www.euro-math-soc.eu/review/holy-sci-fi-where-science-fiction-and-religion-intersect Review: ''Intersect''] from [[European Mathematical Society]].</ref>
* ''[[Chases and Escapes|Chases and Escapes: The Mathematics of Pursuit and Evasion]]'' (2007; reprinted in paperback 2012)
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=ml2ymwEACAAJ ''Will You Be Alive in 10 Years?: And Numerous Other Curious Questions in Probability''] (2014)
* ''Time Machines: Time Travel in Physics, Metaphysics, and Science Fiction'' (2001)<ref>Danielle L. Parker (2006) [http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue181/nahin_rev.html Review:''Time Travel''] from Bewildering Stories.</ref>
* ''The Logician and the Engineer: How George Boole and Claude Shannon Created the Information Age'' (2012); [https://books.google.com/books?id=r3GYDwAAQBAJ 2017 pbk edition]
* ''The Science of Radio: With MATLAB and Electronics Workbench Demonstrations'', 2nd Edition (2001)
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=CxbjgOVemn4C ''When Least Is Best: How Mathematicians Discovered Many Clever Ways to Make Things as Small (or as Large) as Possible''] (2011);
* ''Duelling Idiots and Other Probability Puzzlers'' (2000)
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=pxz8G-KF3ZgC ''Number-Crunching: Taming Unruly Computational Problems from Mathematical Physics to Science Fiction''] (2011)
* ''An Imaginary Tale: The Story of {{sqrt|-1}}'' (1998)<ref>Ed Sandifer (1999) [http://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/an-imaginary-tale-the-story-of-sqrt-1 Review:''Imaginary Tale] from Mathematical Association of America.</ref>
* ''Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula: Cures Many Mathematical Ills'' (2011)<ref>Henry Ricardo (2006) [http://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/dr-eulers-fabulous-formula-cures-many-mathematical-ills Review: ''Euler's Fabulous''] from [[Mathematical Association of America]].</ref> [https://books.google.com/books?id=m3GYDwAAQBAJ 2017 pbk edition]
* ''Oliver Heaviside: Sage in Solitude : The Life, Work, and Times of an Electrical Genius of the Victorian Age'' (1988)<ref>Y.H. Ku (1989) ''[[Journal of the Franklin Institute]]'' 326:3.</ref><ref>Robert Rosenberg (1989) ''[[Isis (journal)|Isis]]''.</ref><ref>George E. Webb (1989) ''[[The Historian (journal)|The Historian]]''.</ref><ref>[[Jed Buchwald]] (1991) ''[[Centaurus (journal)|Centaurus]]''.</ref>
* ''Digital Dice: Computational Solutions to Practical Probability Problems'' (2008); [https://books.google.com/books?id=OrjlSR4nsecC 2013 pbk edition]
* ''Time Travel: A Writer's Guide to the Real Science of Plausible Time Travel'' (1997); [https://books.google.com/books?id=wrQXMgOIcqUC 2011 pbk edition]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=7zprjg16m0IC ''Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt: And Other Intriguing Stories of Mathematical Physics''] (2009)
* ''[[Chases and Escapes|Chases and Escapes: The Mathematics of Pursuit and Evasion]]'' (2007; reprinted in paperback 2012)<ref>Reviews of ''Chases and Escapes'':
*{{citation|last=Colyvan|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Colyvan|date=December 2007|journal=Australian Review of Public Affairs|title=The calculus of cat and mouse|url=https://www.australianreview.net/digest/2007/12/colyvan.html}}
*{{citation|last=Dartnell|first=Lewis|date=December 1, 2007|journal=Plus Magazine|title=Review|url=https://plus.maths.org/content/chases-and-escapes}}
*{{citation|last=Heuer|first=G. A.|journal=[[Mathematical Reviews]]|mr=2319182|title=none|year=2008}}
*{{citation|last=Mahanti|first=Prabhat Kumar|journal=[[zbMATH]]|title=none|zbl=1154.91006}}
*{{citation|last=Mullins|first=Justin|date=June 27, 2007|journal=[[New Scientist]]|title=The hunter and the hunted|volume=194|issue=2610|pages=50|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19426102-200-the-hunter-and-the-hunted/|doi=10.1016/S0262-4079(07)61656-X}}
*{{citation|last=Puharic|first=Douglas|date=December 2013 – January 2014|doi=10.5951/mathteacher.107.5.0394|issue=5|journal=[[The Mathematics Teacher]]|jstor=10.5951/mathteacher.107.5.0394|pages=395|title=none|volume=107}}
*{{citation|last=Satzer|first=William J.|date=June 2007|journal=MAA Reviews|publisher=[[Mathematical Association of America]]|title=Review|url=https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/chases-and-escapes-the-mathematics-of-pursuit-and-evasion}}
*{{citation|last=Sonnabend|first=Thomas|date=March 2008|issue=7|journal=[[The Mathematics Teacher]]|jstor=20876207|page=558|title=none|volume=101}}
*{{citation|last=Tabachnikov|first=Serge|authorlink=Sergei Tabachnikov|date=March 2009|doi=10.1007/s00283-009-9036-z|issue=2|journal=[[The Mathematical Intelligencer]]|pages=78–79|title=none|volume=31|s2cid=124934344}}</ref>
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=39KQY1FnSfkC ''Time Machines: Time Travel in Physics, Metaphysics, and Science Fiction''] (2001)<ref>Danielle L. Parker (2006) [http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue181/nahin_rev.html Review:''Time Travel''] from Bewildering Stories.</ref>
* [https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Science_of_Radio.html?id=V1GBW6UD4CcC ''The Science of Radio: With MATLAB and Electronics Workbench Demonstrations''], 2nd Edition (2001)
* ''Duelling Idiots and Other Probability Puzzlers'' (2000); [https://books.google.com/books?id=dj9sCW4SRWcC 2012 pbk edition]
* ''An Imaginary Tale: The Story of'' {{sqrt|-1}} (1998)<ref>Ed Sandifer (1999) [http://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/an-imaginary-tale-the-story-of-sqrt-1 Review:''Imaginary Tale] from Mathematical Association of America.</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Blank, Brian E.|authorlink=Brian Blank|title=Review of ''An imaginary tale: The story of √-1'' by Paul J. Nahin|volume=46|issue=10|pages=1233–1236|journal=Notices of the AMS|date=November 1999|url=https://www.ams.org/journals/notices/199910/rev-blank.pdf}}</ref>
* ''Oliver Heaviside: Sage in Solitude : The Life, Work, and Times of an Electrical Genius of the Victorian Age'' (1988)<ref>Y.H. Ku (1989) ''[[Journal of the Franklin Institute]]'' 326:3.</ref><ref>Robert Rosenberg (1989) ''[[Isis (journal)|Isis]]''.</ref><ref>George E. Webb (1989) ''[[The Historian (journal)|The Historian]]'', [https://search.proquest.com/openview/0b74556baef203fc70e4d1b34b29b5a4/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1817079 Review of ''Oliver Heaviside''].</ref><ref>[[Jed Buchwald]] (1991) ''[[Centaurus (journal)|Centaurus]]''. {{doi|10.1111/j.1600-0498.1985.tb00750.x}}</ref> [https://books.google.com/books?id=e9wEntQmA0IC 2002 pbk edition]


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
*[https://www.amazon.com/Paul-J.-Nahin/e/B001HCS1XI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 Paul J. Nahin biography] at ''[[Amazon.com]]''
*[https://www.amazon.com/Paul-J.-Nahin/e/B001HCS1XI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 Paul J. Nahin biography] at Amazon.com
*[https://ceps.unh.edu/electrical-computer-engineering/research/faculty-authored-books Faculty-Authored Books] in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UNH.edu


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:Engineers from California]]
[[Category:Engineers from California]]
[[Category:Mathematics popularizers]]
[[Category:Mathematics popularizers]]
[[Category:Brea Olinda High School alumni]]
[[Category:Stanford University alumni]]
[[Category:Stanford University alumni]]
[[Category:California Institute of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:California Institute of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:University of California, Irvine alumni]]
[[Category:University of California, Irvine alumni]]
[[Category:American electrical engineers]]

[[Category:20th-century American engineers]]

[[Category:21st-century American engineers]]
{{US-engineer-stub}}
[[Category:Harvey Mudd College faculty]]
[[Category:University of Virginia faculty]]
[[Category:Naval Postgraduate School faculty]]
[[Category:University of New Hampshire faculty]]

Latest revision as of 20:26, 27 June 2024

Paul J. Nahin
Born(1940-11-26)November 26, 1940
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Professor, author
Known forBooks on physics and mathematics
Spouse
Patricia A. Telepka
​
(m. 1962)​
AwardsHarry Rowe Mimno Award (1979)
Chandler Davis Prize (2017)

Paul J. Nahin (born November 26, 1940) is an American electrical engineer, author, and former college professor. He has written over 20 books on topics in physics and mathematics.

Biography

[edit]
A copy of Nahin's book The Logician and the Engineer

Born in California, Nahin graduated from Brea Olinda High School in 1958, and thereafter received a B.S. from Stanford University in 1962, an M.S. from the California Institute of Technology in 1963, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine, in 1972, all in electrical engineering.[1]

Nahin thereafter taught at Harvey Mudd College, the University of Virginia, and the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.[1] He retired in 2004 from his position as professor of electrical engineering at the University of New Hampshire, becoming a professor emeritus.[2]

As an author, Nahin's publications include biographies of Oliver Heaviside, George Boole, and Claude Shannon, books on mathematical concepts such as Euler's formula, the Riemann hypothesis, and the imaginary unit, and a number of books on the physics and philosophical puzzles of time travel. His book Chases and Escapes has been rated as essential for inclusion in undergraduate mathematics libraries by The Basic Library List Committee of the Mathematical Association of America.[3]

In 1979, Nahin received the first Harry Rowe Mimno writing award,[4] from the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society. He received the 2017 Chandler Davis Prize for Excellence in Expository Writing in Mathematics.[5]

Works

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Electrical and computer engineering expert offers annual Sampson Lecture Bates College News (March 23, 2011).
  2. ^ Nahin, Paul J. (December 2012). "Acknowledgements". Chases and Escapes: The Mathematics of Pursuit and Evasion. Princeton University Press. pp. 249–250. doi:10.1515/9781400842063.249.
  3. ^ Satzer, William J. (June 2007), "Review of Chases and Escapes", MAA Reviews, Mathematical Association of America
  4. ^ "Harry Rowe Mimno Award". IEEE AESS. December 9, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  5. ^ "The Mathematical Intelligencer". Springer. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  6. ^ Bultheel, Adhemar. "In Pursuit of Zeta-3". Mathematical Association of America. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  7. ^ A. Bultheel (2014) Review: Intersect from European Mathematical Society.
  8. ^ Henry Ricardo (2006) Review: Euler's Fabulous from Mathematical Association of America.
  9. ^ Reviews of Chases and Escapes:
  10. ^ Danielle L. Parker (2006) Review:Time Travel from Bewildering Stories.
  11. ^ Ed Sandifer (1999) Review:Imaginary Tale from Mathematical Association of America.
  12. ^ Blank, Brian E. (November 1999). "Review of An imaginary tale: The story of √-1 by Paul J. Nahin" (PDF). Notices of the AMS. 46 (10): 1233–1236.
  13. ^ Y.H. Ku (1989) Journal of the Franklin Institute 326:3.
  14. ^ Robert Rosenberg (1989) Isis.
  15. ^ George E. Webb (1989) The Historian, Review of Oliver Heaviside.
  16. ^ Jed Buchwald (1991) Centaurus. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0498.1985.tb00750.x
[edit]
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