Seduction of Curves

A lavishly illustrated book that explores the language of curves that spans the human body, science, engineering, and artCurves are seductive. These smooth, organic lines and surfaces-like those of the human body-appeal to us in an instinctive, visceral way that straight lines or the perfect shapes of classical geometry never could. In this large-format book, lavishly illustrated in color throughout, Allan McRobie takes the reader on an alluring exploration of the beautiful curves that shape our world-from our bodies to Salvador Dali's paintings and the space-time fabric of the universe itself.The book focuses on seven curves-the fold, cusp, swallowtail, and butterfly, plus the hyperbolic, elliptical, and parabolic "umbilics"-and describes the surprising origins of their taxonomy in the catastrophe theory of mathematician Rene Thom. In an accessible discussion illustrated with many photographs of the human nude, McRobie introduces these curves and then describes their role in nature, science, engineering, architecture, art, and other areas. The reader learns how these curves play out in everything from the stability of oil rigs and the study of distant galaxies to rainbows, the patterns of light on pool floors, and even the shape of human genitals. The book also discusses the role of these curves in the work of such artists as David Hockney, Henry Moore, and Anish Kapoor, with particular attention given to the delicate sculptures of Naum Gabo and the final paintings of Dali, who said that Thom's theory "bewitched all of my atoms."A unique introduction to the language of beautiful curves, this book may change the way you see the world.

"One of Choice Reviews' Outstanding Academic Titles of 2018", "I have never encountered anything quite like [The Seduction of Curves], which I view as genuinely sui generis. . . . The (excellent) prose descriptions are accompanied by lots of illustrations, both photographs and drawings, quite a few of which are in color. . . . An unusual and eclectic book, and one that taught me a lot of things that I did not know before."---Mark Hunacek, MAA Reviews, "To illustrate this little-known branch of mathematics, [Allan McRobie] draws on the art of David Hockney, Henry Moore and Salvador Dalí, as well as Helena Weightman's superb photographs of mountains, mushrooms, reflections on water and naked bodies."---Matthew Reisz, Times Higher Education, "Stunning. . . . The balance is such that it should appeal both to art lovers and those with a real interest in the mathematical basis."---Brian Clegg, Popular Science, "Marvelous."---Adhemar Bultheel, European Mathematical Society

Allan McRobie is a Reader in the Engineering Department at the University of Cambridge, where he teaches stability theory and structural engineering. He previously worked as an engineer in Australia, designing bridges and towers.