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 Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

and

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

Biography

Born in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, Nahin graduated from Brea Olinda High School in 1958, and thereafter received a B.S. from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1962, an

M.S. A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

from the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

in 1963, and a Ph.D. from the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California, United States. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, U ...

, in 1972, all in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

.Electrical and computer engineering expert offers annual Sampson Lecture
''

Bates College Bates College () is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian ...

News'' (March 23, 2011). Nahin thereafter taught at

Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College (HMC) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, focused on science and engineering. It is part of the Claremont Colleges, which share adjoining campus grounds and resources. The college enrolled 902 undergra ...

, the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

, and the

Naval Postgraduate School Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a Naval command with a graduate university mission, operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. The NPS mission is to provide "defense-focused graduate education, including clas ...

Monterey, California Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, California, Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a popu ...

. He retired in 2004 from his position as professor of

at the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...

, becoming a

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

. As an author, Nahin's publications include biographies of

Oliver Heaviside Oliver Heaviside ( ; 18 May 1850 – 3 February 1925) was an English mathematician and physicist who invented a new technique for solving differential equations (equivalent to the Laplace transform), independently developed vector calculus, an ...

George Boole George Boole ( ; 2 November 1815 – 8 December 1864) was a largely self-taught English mathematician, philosopher and logician, most of whose short career was spent as the first professor of mathematics at Queen's College, Cork in Ireland. H ...

, and

Claude Shannon Claude Elwood Shannon (April 30, 1916 – February 24, 2001) was an American mathematician, electrical engineer, computer scientist, cryptographer and inventor known as the "father of information theory" and the man who laid the foundations of th ...

, books on mathematical concepts such as

Euler's formula Euler's formula, named after Leonhard Euler, is a mathematical formula in complex analysis that establishes the fundamental relationship between the trigonometric functions and the complex exponential function. Euler's formula states that, for ...

, the

Riemann hypothesis In mathematics, the Riemann hypothesis is the conjecture that the Riemann zeta function has its zeros only at the negative even integers and complex numbers with real part . Many consider it to be the most important unsolved problem in pure ...

, and the

imaginary unit The imaginary unit or unit imaginary number () is a mathematical constant that is a solution to the quadratic equation Although there is no real number with this property, can be used to extend the real numbers to what are called complex num ...

, and a number of books on the physics and philosophical puzzles of

time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...

. 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 The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary edu ...

. In 1979, Nahin received the first Harry Rowe Mimno writing award, from the

IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is an American 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) public charity professional organization for electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and other related disciplines. The IEEE ...

Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society. He received the 2017 Chandler Davis Prize for Excellence in Expository Writing in Mathematics.

Works

''The Mathematical Radio: Inside the Magic of AM, FM, and Single-Sideband''
(2024)
''The Probability Integral: Its Origin, Its Importance, and Its Calculation''
(2023) *
''Hot Molecules, Cold Electrons: From the Mathematics of Heat to the Development of the Trans-Atlantic Telegraph''
(2020)
''Transients for Electrical Engineers: Elementary Switched-Circuit Analysis in the Time and Laplace Transform Domains (with a touch of MATLAB®)''
(2018)

(2018) * * ttps://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) * ''Inside Interesting Integrals'' (2014)
pbk edition

''Holy Sci-Fi!: Where Science Fiction and Religion Intersect''
(2014)
''Will You Be Alive in 10 Years?: And Numerous Other Curious Questions in Probability''
(2014) * ''The Logician and the Engineer: How George Boole and Claude Shannon Created the Information Age'' (2012)
2017 pbk edition

''When Least Is Best: How Mathematicians Discovered Many Clever Ways to Make Things as Small (or as Large) as Possible''
(2011);
''Number-Crunching: Taming Unruly Computational Problems from Mathematical Physics to Science Fiction''
(2011) * ''Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula: Cures Many Mathematical Ills'' (2011
2017 pbk edition
* ''Digital Dice: Computational Solutions to Practical Probability Problems'' (2008)
2013 pbk edition
* ''Time Travel: A Writer's Guide to the Real Science of Plausible Time Travel'' (1997)
2011 pbk edition

''Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt: And Other Intriguing Stories of Mathematical Physics''
(2009) * '' Chases and Escapes: The Mathematics of Pursuit and Evasion'' (2007; reprinted in paperback 2012)
''Time Machines: Time Travel in Physics, Metaphysics, and Science Fiction''
(2001)

2nd Edition (2001) * ''Duelling Idiots and Other Probability Puzzlers'' (2000)
2012 pbk edition
* ''An Imaginary Tale: The Story of'' (1998) * ''Oliver Heaviside: Sage in Solitude : The Life, Work, and Times of an Electrical Genius of the Victorian Age'' (1988)

Jed Buchwald Jed Zachary Buchwald is Doris and Henry Dreyfuss Professor of History at Caltech. He was previously director of the Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology at MIT. He won a MacArthur Fellowship in 1995 and was elected to the Am ...

(1991) ''

Centaurus Centaurus () is a bright constellation in the southern sky. One of the 88 modern constellations by area, largest constellations, Centaurus was included among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one ...

''. 2002 pbk edition

References

External links

Paul J. Nahin biography
at Amazon.com
Faculty-Authored Books
in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UNH.edu {{DEFAULTSORT:Nahin, Paul J. 1940 births Living people Engineers from California Mathematics popularizers Brea Olinda High School alumni Stanford University alumni California Institute of Technology alumni University of California, Irvine alumni American electrical engineers 20th-century American engineers 21st-century American engineers Harvey Mudd College faculty University of Virginia faculty Naval Postgraduate School faculty University of New Hampshire faculty