Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-210) and index.

1. Contents
2. Acknowledgements
3. Vii
4. Introduction: natural laws
5. Viii
6. 1-nature as geometry
7. 1
8. The ancient sky
9. 3
10. Recording the stars to predict the future
11. 7
12. The astronomical calculations 12
13. 2-mathematics and science in ancient greece
14. 18
15. Ratios and the measure of the universe 19
16. A geometry of the universe
17. 25
18. Archimedes: fusing physics with mathematics 32
19. The law of the lever
20. 36
21. Archimedes' measurement of a circle 41
22. 3-a period of transition
23. 45
24. Nicholas oresme
25. 47
26. Nicolaus copernicus
27. 53
28. Johannes kepler
29. 59
30. Leonardo da vinci and the equation of continuity
31. 67
32. 4-new sciences
33. 73
34. Simon stevin
35. 75
36. Galileo galilei
37. 84
38. Fermat, descartes, and wallis 89
39. 5-mathematics and the law of conservation of momentum
40. 96
41. The laws of motion
42. 102
43. The discovery of neptune
44. 108
45. 6-mathematics and the law of conservation of mass
46. 113
47. 7-mathematics and the laws of thermodynamics
48. 123
49. Sadi carnot
50. 130
51. James prescott joule
52. 139
53. The first law of thermodynamics
54. 142
55. The second law of thermodynamics 147
56. 8-modern ideas about conservation laws
57. 158
58. Olga oleinik
59. 164
60. 9-natural laws and randomness
61. 170
62. Population genetics
63. 178
64. The limits of predictability
65. 187