In this richly entertaining and accessible book, Alex Bellos explodes the myth that maths is best left to the geeks. Covering subjects from adding to algebra, from set theory to statistics, and from logarithms to logical paradoxes, he explains how mathematical ideas underpin just about everything in our lives. Alex explains the surprising geometry of the 50p piece, and the strategy of how best to gamble it in a casino. He shines a light on the mathematical patterns in nature, and on the peculiar predictability of random behaviour. He eats a potato crisp whose revolutionary shape was unpalatable to the ancient Greeks, and he shows the deep connections between maths, religion and philosophy. Alex weaves a journey from primary school to university level maths, from ancient history to the computing frontline, and from St Louis, Missouri, to Braintree, Essex. He meets the world's fastest mental calculators in Germany, consults a numerologist in the US desert, meets a startlingly numerate chimpanzee in Japan, and seeks advice from a venerable Hindu sage in India. An unlikely but exhilarating cocktail of history, reportage and mathematical proofs, Alex's dispatches from 'Numberland' show the world of maths to be a much friendlier and more colourful place than you might have imagined.
Alex's Adventures in Numberland
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
In a charming, conversational prose style, and with diagrams to ease brain stress, he draws us into a forbidding world, often going into the history of famous bits of maths, including the origins of Tetris and Rubik's Cube.
The most immediately fascinating chapter is on the application of probability theory to gambling, with insights into slot machines, insurance, lotteries and a neat explanation of Pascal's wager on the existence of God. --Metro
What Bellos calls "the wow factor" of mathematics leaps out at the reader from every page ... The stories prove so engaging, the personalities so colorful, that readers may forget
they are mastering some powerful mathematical concepts. --Booklist
`A mathematical wonder that will leave you hooked on numbers' --Daily Telegraph
`Spectacularly successful introduction to the excitement and wonder of mathematics.' --Sunday Times
`He renders the world of numbers accessible and captivating' --Daily Express
`A truly marvellous survey of modern mathematics' --Martin Gardner, for more than 25 years author of the 'Mathematical Games' column in Scientific American
`An unforgettable journey of intellectual discovery'
--Apostolos Doxiadis, author of Logicomix and Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture
Starting with chapter zero, all twelve chapters are a fascinating exploration of the wonders of maths.
--City A.M Newspaper
Book Description
The Sunday Times bestseller
Shortlisted for the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Shortlisted for the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
141 of 143 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Mathematics gets a bad press in school and elsewhere, characterized as dry and difficult ,is one of the most hated topics in a student can read. But for Alex Bellos math can be inspiring and brilliantly creative and he proves it in this book that can be read easily by most non-geeks.
Mathematical thought is one of the great achievements of the human race, and arguably the foundation of all human progress. The world of mathematics is a remarkable place.
Exploring the mysteries of randomness, he explains why it is impossible for our iPods to randomly select songs. In probing the many intrigues of that most beloved of numbers, pi, he visits with two brothers so obsessed with the elusive number that they built a supercomputer in their Manhattan apartment to study it.
Bellos has traveled all around the globe and has plunged into history to uncover fascinating stories of mathematical achievement, from the breakthroughs of Euclid, the greatest mathematician of all time, to the creations of the Zen master of origami, one of the hottest areas of mathematical work today.From the Amazon forest he tells the story of a tribe there who can count only to five and reports on the latest findings about the math instinct and also the revelation that ants can actually count how many steps they've taken.In India he finds the brilliant mathematical insights of the Buddha and in Japan he visits the creator of Sudoku and explores the delights of mathematical games.
Whether writing about how algebra solved Swedish traffic problems, visiting the Mental Calculation World Cup to disclose the secrets of lightning calculation, or exploring the links between pineapples and beautiful teeth, Bellos is a wonderfully engaging guide who never fails to delight even as he edifies. Here's Looking at Euclid is a rare gem that brings the beauty of math to life.
Mathematical thought is one of the great achievements of the human race, and arguably the foundation of all human progress. The world of mathematics is a remarkable place.
Exploring the mysteries of randomness, he explains why it is impossible for our iPods to randomly select songs. In probing the many intrigues of that most beloved of numbers, pi, he visits with two brothers so obsessed with the elusive number that they built a supercomputer in their Manhattan apartment to study it.
Bellos has traveled all around the globe and has plunged into history to uncover fascinating stories of mathematical achievement, from the breakthroughs of Euclid, the greatest mathematician of all time, to the creations of the Zen master of origami, one of the hottest areas of mathematical work today.From the Amazon forest he tells the story of a tribe there who can count only to five and reports on the latest findings about the math instinct and also the revelation that ants can actually count how many steps they've taken.In India he finds the brilliant mathematical insights of the Buddha and in Japan he visits the creator of Sudoku and explores the delights of mathematical games.
Whether writing about how algebra solved Swedish traffic problems, visiting the Mental Calculation World Cup to disclose the secrets of lightning calculation, or exploring the links between pineapples and beautiful teeth, Bellos is a wonderfully engaging guide who never fails to delight even as he edifies. Here's Looking at Euclid is a rare gem that brings the beauty of math to life.
46 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
I've just finished reading the Kindle edition of this book and really enjoyed it, but just had to comment on the slap-dash approach to the reproductions of most of the maths and equations in it.
Wherever a fraction is used in text, it's set in a minuscule font that most of the time is impossible to read. Similarly many of the more esoteric characters used when discussing alternate number systems or concepts are represented by tiny grey smudges.
Where longer equations are reproduced, they are often typo-riddled, or inconsistently transcribed. Sometimes powers are raised above the line, other times they're just a standard numeral. At other times the typos go beyond simple typographic quirks to the point of making the equations just plain wrong. Amusingly, throughout the book it insists that the symbol for infinity is "8".
I highly recommend the book, but if you're at all interested in the numbers you'll probably enjoy a paper version more.
Wherever a fraction is used in text, it's set in a minuscule font that most of the time is impossible to read. Similarly many of the more esoteric characters used when discussing alternate number systems or concepts are represented by tiny grey smudges.
Where longer equations are reproduced, they are often typo-riddled, or inconsistently transcribed. Sometimes powers are raised above the line, other times they're just a standard numeral. At other times the typos go beyond simple typographic quirks to the point of making the equations just plain wrong. Amusingly, throughout the book it insists that the symbol for infinity is "8".
I highly recommend the book, but if you're at all interested in the numbers you'll probably enjoy a paper version more.
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As one who, many years ago, just scraped by on the minimum amount of maths needed to pursue a career in chemistry, I've always enjoyed reading user-friendly books on maths --- with strictly no exam at the end --- but this one is in a class of its own. Every page-turn brings new vistas of mathematical marvels.
For all that, among the most interesting parts were those which dealt with might be thought, by comparison, more prosaic subjects, namely, the history of maths, right from man's first efforts at counting.
I didn't want the book to end!
For all that, among the most interesting parts were those which dealt with might be thought, by comparison, more prosaic subjects, namely, the history of maths, right from man's first efforts at counting.
I didn't want the book to end!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 5 reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read - already bought more as presents
Interesting & easy read for those who love numbers - and more importantly, those who don't. Good for all age groups and maths levels
Published 11 days ago by Penny Doctor
3.0 out of 5 stars
Putting the numb into numbers
Personally, I don't ever remember claiming to be no good with numbers. It certainly wouldn't fill me with pride if I wasn't. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Steve Keen
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Truly Fantastic Read
I'm studying Maths and Further Maths at A-level (AQA) and bought this book to read over a half-term holiday. Read more
Published 1 month ago by SarahStancombe
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely brilliant!
It looks like it is a geeky book to get but it isn't! I love the information and what is provided in the book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Gurdip Uppal
5.0 out of 5 stars
alex's adventures in numberland
great book some amazing stuff inside will read it over and over again would recommend to anyone with an interest in numbers
Published 1 month ago by M. E. Piper
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
Bought for my daughter who is setting out as a maths teacher. I have the hardback copy and refer to it constantly. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ian Price
5.0 out of 5 stars
simply superb
I found this book an eye opener. This book illustrates the hidden power of mathematics, and people who have an aversion to mathematics and let's face it that is the overwhelming... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Prof.Del
3.0 out of 5 stars
dont know
i think it may be a good book but the text was so small i couldnt read it. as i said it may well be a good book but the text is tiny.
Published 2 months ago by mr samuel mccartin
5.0 out of 5 stars
A brilliant book
Having seen this book in a bookshop while on holiday, I decided to buy it when it was on offer. What an interesting and readable book. Read more
Published 3 months ago by susie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good book
Full of great anecdotes and fun facts.A great an fairly quick read an very easy to follow! Also I know the author!
Published 3 months ago by Joshua
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Search Customer Discussions
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
