How triangles revolutionized mapmaking

And more lessons from Ian Stewart's In Pursuit of the Unknown: 17 Equations That Changed the World

Geometry
(Image credit: (Thinkstock))

Equations are the lifeblood of mathematics, science, and technology. Without them, our world would not exist in its present form. However, equations have a reputation for being scary: Stephen Hawking's publishers told him that every equation would halve the sales of A Brief History of Time. [In Pursuit of the Unknown: 17 Equations That Changed the World]

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Shane Parrish is a Canadian writer, blogger, and coffee lover living in Ottawa, Ontario. He is known for his blog, Farnam Street, which features writing on decision making, culture, and other subjects.