Footnote Physicist

          “[The universe] cannot be read until we have learnt the language and become familiar with the           characters in which it is written. It is written in mathematical language, and the letters are           triangles, circles and other geometrical figures, without which means it is humanly impossible           to comprehend a single world.”           – Galileo Galilei (1623) I           I want to put forth a word of caution about the present "Mathematics" chapter, as well as the following "Computation" chapter: they are the most technical in this book.  They represent a technical survey that runs that gamut from what you would have learned in K-12 school (though perhaps could better understand and appreciate as an adult), to some of what university undergraduates might learn.  As a result, I certainly don't expect most people to be able to keep up with everything in these sections, given no prior training.  I do not want this material to scar