Bonus Content
The Math Book
Why is Archimedes’ spiral so special? What did Christian Goldbach assert about prime numbers that remains unproved? How large would the solution to the “exceptional Lie group E8” be if written out in full? Mathematics is surprisingly effective in describing the world around us, and we’re pleased to offer a book that celebrates this fact. In The Math Book, Clifford Pickover deftly highlights 250 milestones, insights and breakthroughs in the history of mathematics.
The book is organized chronologically according to when each particular milestone was achieved, ranging from 150 million B.C. (an era that marked the evolution of ants, some of which, it has been found, can “calculate” the precise distance from their nest to a food source), all the way to the year 2007, when the theoretical physicist Max Tegmark proposed his “mathematical universe” hypothesis, in which all conceivable mathematical structures exist physically.
Along the way, we encounter the Rhind Papyrus (an important record of ancient Egyptian mathematics), Fibonacci’s book Liber Abaci (which introduced his eponymous sequence, most vividly illustrated by the ever-growing numbers of rabbits starting with a single breeding pair), Benjamin Franklin’s magic squares (replete with amazing symmetries), and Parrondo’s paradox (a losing strategy that wins). Each entry is paired with a relevant image. For example, a discussion of the 13 Archimedean semi-regular polyhedra is joined by a striking illustration of them.
From the discovery of pi and calculus to the amazing prime-number generation skills of cicadas, from the invention of zero to the four-color theorem, The Math Book will open your eyes and mind to the beauty of numbers in a highly original way.
Hardcover: 528 pages
Publisher: Sterling Pub. Co. ( September 01, 2009 )
Item #: 82-9242
ISBN: 9781402757969
Product Dimensions: 7.312 x 8.437 x 0.0 inches
Product Weight: 51.0 ounces
Beautiful
February 20, 2010
A impressively concise and beautiful book. The author has the gift of explaining even difficult concepts in a very concise and clear manner. The illustrations are visually satisfying prompting even my wife who is not mathematical to admit that "this is a pretty book."
The authors gift for erudition makes me want to puruse his other writings.
One of the few math books that could be given to someone as a gift and would find its place on a coffee table in the living room or den.
Reviewer: J M
A real eye opener!
November 10, 2009
I found each page filled with a nugget of truth and an ingenious way of telling the story of that truth. A gem of a book. As insightful as it was hard to put down. Very well written and constructed. There was a natural flow to the book that made reading it enjoyable and educational.
Reviewer: Robert M
A really great
November 07, 2009
This book is a real treat to anyone who finds the history of mathematics fascinating. It is arranged in chronological order of the great and some little known discoveries in mathematics. Not only are the discoveries listed, but there are examples of them and references to other topics in the book which are relevant. The beautiful pictures and art work just add to the adventure of this very well written book.
Reviewer: Tim M
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