On Growth and FormWhy do living things and physical phenomena take the form they do? D'Arcy Thompson's classic On Growth and Form looks at the way things grow and the shapes they take. Analysing biological processes in their mathematical and physical aspects, this historic work, first published in 1917, has also become renowned for the sheer poetry of its descriptions. A great scientist sensitive to the fascinations and beauty of the natural world tells of jumping fleas and slipper limpets; of buds and seeds; of bees' cells and rain drops; of the potter's thumb and the spider's web; of a film of soap and a bubble of oil; of a splash of a pebble in a pond. D'Arcy Thompson's writing, hailed as 'good literature as well as good science; a discourse on science as though it were a humanity', is now made available for a wider readership, with a foreword by one of today's great populisers of science, explaining the importance of the work for a new generation of readers. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - gbsallery - LibraryThingAccording to the biographical information, D'Arcy Thompson was offered his professorship in either classics, biology or maths, being equally advanced in all three fields. This book reflects that ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - yapete - LibraryThingThis is a great classic and a masterpiece of out-of-the-box thinking. I like it because it puts mathematic and physics back into biology, which has been completely dominated by genetics for the last ... Read full review
Contents
Introductory | 1 |
On Magnitude | 15 |
The Forms of Cells | 49 |
The Forms of Tissues or Cellaggregates | 88 |
On Spicules and Spicular Skeletons | 132 |
The Equiangular | 172 |
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Common terms and phrases
animal Arch axis beautiful becomes bees bending-moments biology body bone bourrelet bubble cantilever catenoid cells co-equal co-ordinates compared compression configuration corresponding curvature curve cylinder D'Arcy Thompson D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson deformation diagram direction drop edges equal equiangular spiral equilibrium figure film fish fluid Foraminifera geometrical girder gnomon gravity grow Growth and Form hexagonal horn illustrated increase instance leaf less linear dimensions lines liquid load logarithmic spiral magnitude manifest Maraldi mathematical matter mean curvature mechanical molecular Nature organism outline partition phenomena phenomenon physical forces plane Plateau precisely pressure principle problem Proc Protohippus protoplasm Radiolaria ratio recognise rhombic dodecahedron shape shell side similar simple skeleton skull soap-bubbles solid solid of revolution species sphere spherical spicules stress structure surface surface-tension surfaces of revolution symmetry tend tension things tion tissue transformation tusk unduloid varies various vertebrae vesicles walls weight whole
References to this book
Bibliographic information
| Title | On Growth and Form Cambridge paperbacks Canto (Cambridge University Press) Canto Series Canto edition Knjižnica Canto |
| Author | D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson |
| Editor | John Tyler Bonner |
| Edition | abridged, illustrated, reprint |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, 1992 |
| ISBN | 0521437768, 9780521437769 |
| Length | 345 pages |
| Subjects | › › Science / Life Sciences / Cell Biology Science / Life Sciences / Developmental Biology Science / Reference |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |