Rating: 
Summary: Too hard to separate fact from fiction
Review: First of all the formulas on the cover aren't even accurate. They're written like you would in grade school math class--even by the time you are in high school you wouldn't present them this way.I also find it untenable that he doesn't separate speculation from fact in the biographical research. Extrapolating their thoughts is one thing, but you have no place to draw the line between the information he has researched and what he imagines happened.
Rating: 
Summary: Reccomend highly
Review: Good book but in one analysis uses too much background material. For math lovers they should know that there is one error. Unless I'm missinterpeting the first motor analysis, it seems to me, as a teacher of physics, that a magnet will not rotate around a current carrying wire as described in the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Guillen's Five Equations Book
Review: I consider Guillen's selection of his five main equations in physical sciences to be ingenious. His book should be an inspiration to us all, including the young generation which will discover in the amazing story of Faraday that an "uneducated" inventive genius was able to change the world of physics and electricity forever and immeasurably. The story of the Bernoulli family is insightful for all scientists, including philosophers of science, and illustrates exceptionally well the importance of tolerance and not letting success go to one's head and spoil one's open mindedness. The numerous applications of the Bernoullis to different fields are inspiring. The chapter on entropy is fascinating and should be read by everyone, although Guillen might have remarked that entropy is far from settled - especially since there are many different kinds of entropy and different theories of entropy and their deeper analysis and comparison is still far from complete. Newton and Einstein are indispensable for all physical scientists, and probably for all scientists for that matter. There are still many interesting questions about both Newton and Einstein that should provide much material for study by historians, psychologists, philosophers of science, and even social scientists. For example, why did Newton really wait so long to publish? Why did Leibniz' publications impel him to publish his own work? Why was Einstein so opposed to quantum theory, and why did quantum theorists fail to establish a peaceful dialogue with Einstein? The questions go on and on. I might remark here that Clarke et. al in their recent volume on nonsmooth analysis have shown that equations become inequalities and subset relationships in the disconnected and discontinuous/sharply bending curve worlds, which makes understanding of equations even more important than ever, including their roles and origins and where they are and are not applicable.
Rating: 
Summary: Inadequate mathematics
Review: I give this book the lowest possible rating because it contains
very little in-depth mathematics, and when it does attempt to
explain what is going on, the results often are incorrect or
inadequate. (For some specific errors, see the review by the
person from Pleasant Hill, CA) The real problem is that if you don't already have a good grasp
of the mathematics being discussed, then it is unlikely you will
realize that you are reading errors and nonsense. So, here we have a math/science book that is full of factual
math and science errors. Are we supposed to now believe that
the author has something worthwhile to say about the "human
aspect" of the subject? One more thing: This guy puts PhD after his name. I suppose
that is supposed to give credibility to what he writes. Well,
I don't know what subject his degree is in, but it is definitely
not Math or Physics.
Rating:
Summary: "5 Equations" could use improvement
Review: I was dissapointed in "5 Equations." I read it because it was a selection that my book group had chosen. The book is basically a history of science book with a little math mixed in. I found many of the biographies lacking in depth and the "Veni, Vidi, Vici" format was sometimes confusing for me. The Newton and Bernuli sections were especially confusing because I found it difficult to always understand what generation the author was talking about unless I really went through and thought about it. That was quite frustrating. The only redeeming quality of the book is that even though the biographies lacked depth, they were able to provide a glimpse into the thinking of the scientific community.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointingly superficial
Review: I was very disappointed with this book. Very superficial, rather patronising and with too many references to his previous book. We didn't get to learn much of the science and the writing style, particularly the beginning Newton chapter, was very poor. He writes biography as if there was no uncertainty even 300 years after very minor things happened. Save your money and buy another science book
Rating:
Summary: Great history of science - but with a flaw
Review: It is difficult for me to review this book. "Five Equations That Changed The World" suffers from a racist, anti-German stereotype the author invokes in the chapter about Einstein that I simply cannot get out of my mind. Sadly, whenever I think of this book that ugly comment is all I will think about. Except for that comment I would have given it four stars. Aside from that, I rather liked "Five Equations That Changed The World" and would generally recommend it to the non-technical reader. Michael Guillen's choice of the five equations combines the obvious (Newton and Einstein) with the interesting, more obscure choices of Michael Faraday and Rudolph Clausius. I especially like the way author Guillen describes the scientific and philosophical worldview into which each of his five geniuses was born. This is critical - because this is not a book about five men; it is a book about five Earth-shattering ideas that changed the way science (and eventually society) looks at the universe. Extremely interesting is the chapter about Clausius and his formulation of the concept of entropy. Less interesting to me was the details of each man's life. The author attributes too much importance to incidents in the lives of his subjects that have little bearing on the ideas they developed. It is evident that author Guillen holds to a strongly Judeo-Christian religious point of view. It is important to note that Guillen's religious views appear to have something to do with his selection of subjects and intrudes often in his telling of their lives. The passionate Protestant religious convictions of Faraday and Clausius is something I did not realize. I also never knew that Einstein was an ardent Zionist. I highly recommend this book to a high school student who has to write an essay about Newton, Bernoulli, Faraday, Clausius, or Einstein. I also recommend it to adults with an interest in the historical evolution of the modern scientific worldview.
Rating:
Summary: Great history of science - but with a flaw
Review: It is difficult for me to review this book. "Five Equations That Changed The World" suffers from a racist, anti-German stereotype the author invokes in the chapter about Einstein that I simply cannot get out of my mind. Sadly, whenever I think of this book that ugly comment is all I will think about. Except for that comment I would have given it four stars. Aside from that, I rather liked "Five Equations That Changed The World" and would generally recommend it to the non-technical reader. Michael Guillen's choice of the five equations combines the obvious (Newton and Einstein) with the interesting, more obscure choices of Michael Faraday and Rudolph Clausius. I especially like the way author Guillen describes the scientific and philosophical worldview into which each of his five geniuses was born. This is critical - because this is not a book about five men; it is a book about five Earth-shattering ideas that changed the way science (and eventually society) looks at the universe. Extremely interesting is the chapter about Clausius and his formulation of the concept of entropy. Less interesting to me was the details of each man's life. The author attributes too much importance to incidents in the lives of his subjects that have little bearing on the ideas they developed. It is evident that author Guillen holds to a strongly Judeo-Christian religious point of view. It is important to note that Guillen's religious views appear to have something to do with his selection of subjects and intrudes often in his telling of their lives. The passionate Protestant religious convictions of Faraday and Clausius is something I did not realize. I also never knew that Einstein was an ardent Zionist. I highly recommend this book to a high school student who has to write an essay about Newton, Bernoulli, Faraday, Clausius, or Einstein. I also recommend it to adults with an interest in the historical evolution of the modern scientific worldview.
Rating:
Summary: A powerful story teller making the complicated simple.
Review: It's obvious from the start that Dr. Guillen purpose in writing the book was not to bog the reader down with mathematical minutia that is an all too common weakness when writing abstract notions such as these five equations. This utterly fascinating book is written in a style that can keep a readers attention regardless of their mathematical background. He masterfully weaves the human condition in a what-if scenario of these men who faced challenges with the present day beliefs of their time. We got to see the lives of men whose personalities seemed to be so distant from each other. We saw in Faraday, a profoundly humble man that did not change his demeanor throughout his life and a youthful Einstein so arrogant that he mocked his high school teacher outright. Aside from the usual first printings mistakes, the one that I find unforgivable is the perpetuating of the poor little Galileo against the big bad church. He falls short, when he maintains this analogy of the church and science being wedded by the Aristotelian and Biblical view of the earth. Truth was clearly sacrificed when he felt he needed to maintain this marriage notion at all costs, as he recounts the standoff between Galileo and the Church. What really happened is only too well documented for Dr. Guillen not to have made this error by ignorance. Once again, the Galileo Myth lives on. Being a math teacher, I would have hoped that he would have developed the profound power of Calculus a little more (even though I know he was dealing with the gravitational force formula). It is truly the poetry of mathematics. Understanding that this book is not intended for his fellow colleagues, Dr. Guillen takes a risk of making very high level abstract ideas and presenting them in a way that a person of average intelligence can understand.
Rating:
Summary: well written description of mathematicians
Review: Michael Guillen has chosen five famous mathematician to describe. The theme for discussing the particular person is that he discovered an equation that changed the world. Each deals with a result in Physics. One could argue that others could be added to the list but there is no question that these are certainly all contenders for the top five. Guillen is a science editor for ABC and is a professor of physics and methematics. This combination makes him well suited to choose the equations and to describe the results and the men behind them to a layman. The five equations and their authors are 1) F=GxMxm/d^2 Newton and the Law of Universal Gravitation, 2) P+rhox 1/2 nu^2 =CONSTANT, Daniel Bernoulli and the Law of Hydrodynamic Pressure, 3)DelXE=-dB/dt, Michael Faraday and the law of electromagnetic induction, 4) Delta S universe > 0, Rudoph Clausius and the second law of thermodynamics and 5) E=mxC^2, Einstein and the special theory of relativity. I am sure we all expected 1 and 5 and depending on your knowledge of physics, the others may or may not be a bit of a surprise. Guillen spends a lot of pages describing the nature of the equation, the character of the inventor and the impact of the results on society (sometimes centuries later). Newton's laws were instrumental in developing guidance and tracking systems for artificial satellites, space shuttles and other objects launched into space in the 20th Century. Our landing on the moon would not have been possible without Newton's laws. This makes for interesting reading for anyone interested in mathematics or science. A good book for teenagers to read to develop motivation to study math and science and to aspire for a career as a scientist.
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