Nature is lazy and will seek out the most efficient way to do something. It is the job of mathematics (or “maths” as the British say) to search for and recognize nature’s patterns and put them to use.

The Story of Math Collection consists of 5 DVDs containing 10 episodes produced as a documentary by the BBC. The episodes are narrated by British mathematician Marcus du Sautoy. Total run time is about 8 hours.

The first part of the collection, “The Story of Math” takes us (in four episodes) on a journey to examine how the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, and Greeks developed mathematical concepts, both as a philosophic exercise and for some practical reasons. After all, bureaucrats had to figure out the area of odd pieces of land in order to tax them. And, in order to easily count things and do calculations, one had to have an efficient system of numbers. The journey continues through China, India (where the very important concept of zero was developed), Arabia, and back to Europe. We see the development of algebra, geometry, trigonometry and calculus. The last episode explores celestial mechanics and the concept of infinity.

“The Story of Math” contains a bonus disc, “The Music of the Primes” (two episodes) which examines prime numbers (numbers divisible by only themselves and 1). Prime numbers seem to be related to many natural phenomena. Bernhard Riemann proposed a hypothesis that seems to explain the distribution of prime numbers but he could never prove it. The Clay Mathematics Institute still offers a $1 million prize to someone who can prove the Riemann hypothesis.

Most interesting to me was “The Code” (in four episodes) which explores patterns in nature and why certain numbers keep cropping up. These episodes deal with a variety of subjects such as Pi, the ratio of a circle’s diameter to it’s circumference, fractals in nature and in Jackson Pollack’s art, laws of motion, and some strange relationships.

For example, we find some musical chords pleasing because of the ratio of frequencies between notes. These same ratios are used in architectural design to make structures with proportions pleasing to the eye.

Cicadas are insects that hibernate for very long times. One species comes out every 13 years while another species comes out every 17 years (both prime numbers). Why? Possibly to avoid predators; the great swarm makes it impossible for predators to eat them all and most predators can’t wait around that long. Another reason is to avoid interbreeding. The 13-year cycle and 17- year cycle would coincide once every 221 years.

Why do the wax honeycombs of bees have hexagonal chambers? The hexagon is the most efficient shape and uses the least amount of wax. Economy of material is also why a basalt flow in Ireland, the Giant’s Causeway, cooled and contracted into hexagonal columns.

The collection takes you on a journey of the mind and on a travelogue around the world. It is entertaining and thought provoking.

The collection is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and from Acorn Media. http://acornonline.com/product.aspx?p=story-math  Parts of the collection are sold separately also.

The Mosaic Murder is a new mystery by Tucson writer Lonni Lees.

Synopsis by Borgo Press:

“The artists’ reception at the popular Mosaic Gallery in Tucson, Arizona is a great success, but the next morning, when the body of Armando, the owner’s husband, is discovered, things start turning ugly. Every artist becomes a suspect, and each of them has their own reason to want the man out of the picture. But who disliked him enough to want him dead? And who stole the Mexican artifacts and the sculpture of the goddess Gaia? Gallery owner Barbara Atwell is devastated at her young husband’s death, and turns to her friends, Adrian and Rocco, for support. An unseasonal Arizona heat wave keeps everyone’s nerves on edge as Police Detective Maggie Reardon juggles a disastrous personal life while trying to solve the crime. She even finds herself attracted to one of the suspects as she sifts through a long list of colorful, Bohemian characters to determine who had the ultimate motive for murder. But when she’s viciously attacked in her own home, she begins wondering whether she’ll survive long enough to find the culprit. The first of a great series of detective novels set in the sizzling Southwest!”

Review by Terry Butler, artist and writer:

“This is Lonni Lees’ third book and her second novel. I’ve had the pleasure of reading them all as well as her online and print stories, but I have to say this one is my flat-out favorite.

“Lonni lives in Tucson and writes her descriptions of the area and its harsh beauty, plants and weather with a sure hand. And the best thing about that is her exercise of self control, showing us that the right amount of atmosphere is just enough, leaving her room to draw the character of Detective Maggie Reardon in detail–flaws and strengths alike, just as in all human beings. Maggie is no superhero hard-boiled dudette in sexy clothes, but a smart, interesting woman whom we end up caring a great deal about.

“In fact all the characters in this book are well described and believable, even if some of them are a bit weird. But then, who are artists and gallery hangers-on if not umm, “unique” individuals? Its a great milieu for a mystery and Lonni keeps us guessing all the way.

“It’s great to see a new writer getting this much better with each outing, and word is that Lonni has another of Detective Reardon’s adventures in the pipeline. I’ll be waiting!”

This book has just been released and is available at Amazon   as a print book and Kindle. It will soon be available from other providers. Other books by Lonni include Deranged, a novel of horror and Crawlspace, an anthology of creepy short stories.

This spectacular photo-journal records the ten-year adventure of author L. Sue Baugh and traveling companion Lynn Marinelli, as they visit the sites of the oldest rocks on the planet. Sue and Lynn are not scientists, but writers and artists, who may see the earth through different eyes. They see the art in the rocks. Why did they make such a trip? “The book began as a creative project to document the world’s oldest rock and mineral sites.” These artists “sought to experience a landscape that echoed what ancient Earth might have been like…” “Far from finding a landscape empty of humankind, we discovered that our very beginnings lie hidden in the story of the oldest stones.”

The book contains stunning and beautiful photography. The photos, both landscapes and close-up details, are composed with the artist’s eye. The narratives are short and to-the-point, yet convey a sense of “deep time” and connection.

The journey begins in the Outback of Australia at Mt. Narryer north of Perth. There, granite and sandstones contain zircons over four billion years old. “Mt. Narryer turns blood red at sunrise, its rippled earth looking like waves frozen in time.”

At Akilia Island off the southwest coast of Greenland (see cover photo) they see the ancient banded gneiss that represents the oldest exposed rocks on the planet. Nearby rocks contain the oldest traces of life – 3.8 billion years old. They call this a land that Tolkien might have imagined.

In Blacktail Canyon, in the Grand Canyon of Arizona, a rafting trip shows them the 1.7 billion-year-old Vishnu Schist and allows them to ponder the billion year gap in time between the Vishnu and the overlying rocks.

Next is the Acasta River, north of Great Slave Lake in Canada’s Northwest Territory. There they see the 4-billion-year old Acasta gneiss, the oldest bedrock of North America. At Yellowknife on the Great Slave Lake, they see stromatolites, fossils of ancient cyanobacteria, 1.7 billion years old. These are hardy beasties as the travelers show in their visit to Shark Bay on the western coast of the Australian outback. There, the stromatolite-building cyanobacteria still live and build their mounds.

The book concludes with three chapters that show our connection to the ancient rocks. The oldest rocks contain the mineral apatite, a calcium-fluorine phosphate. This mineral occurs in our bones and teeth. Without it our bones would be rubbery. Mitochondria, the energy providers for each of our cells, are descendants of ancient cyanobacteria.

The last chapter is a summary. “The stones speak through the language of science as well as art, enhancing our sense of wonder about the knowledge they convey.”

Echoes of Earth is a large-format book (9″x11″) that is rich in imagery, both in its beautiful photographs as well as its narratives. There are many foldout pages so some photos span three pages. The book also contains some interesting “windows” in some pages that frame and blend into photos on preceding and following pages.

Baugh describes a sense of “deep time,” a connectedness to the Earth, or as the subtitle notes: “Finding ourselves in the origins of the Planet.” As a professional geologist, I can appreciate that feeling. Many times as I’ve tried to unravel ancient “cold case” mysteries, I, too, have felt that awe and connectedness.

The book is highly recommended.

Echoes of Earth is available from Amazon and from: www.wildstonearts.com.

Note: There are several books with the title “Echoes of Earth” so if you search be sure to include the author’s name.  The Amazon link provided takes you to the correct page.

See other Wryheat Book Reviews.