Keith Devlin and Jonathan Borwein, two well-known mathematicians with expertise in different mathematical specialties but with a common interest in experimentation in mathematics, have joined forces to create this introduction to experimental mathematics. They cover a variety of topics and examples to give the reader a good sense of the current state of play in the rapidly growing new field of experimental mathematics. The writing is clear and the explanations are enhanced by relevant historical facts and stories of mathematicians and their encounters with the field over time.
Preface, 1 What Is Experimental Mathematics?, 2 What Is the Quadrillionth Decimal Place of p?, 3 What Is That Number?, 4 The Most Important Function in Mathematics, 5 Evaluate the Following Integral, 6 Serendipity, 7 Calculating p, 8 The Computer Knows More Math Than You Do, 9 Take It to the Limit, 10 Danger! Always Exercise Caution When Using the Computer, 11 Stuff We Left Out (Until Now), Answers and Reflections, Final Thought, Additional Reading and References