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Alex's Adventures in Numberland [Kindle Edition]

Alex Bellos (Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (74 customer reviews) |

Digital List Price:	�7.71 What's this?
Print List Price:	�8.99
Kindle Price:	�3.79 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via *Amazon Whispernet*
You Save:	�5.20 (58%)
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Length: 448 pages
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Product Description

Review

'Alex's enthusiasm for mathematics shines from every page... deserves to become an instant classic' Ian Stewart, author of PROFESSOR STEWART'S CABINET OF MATHEMATICAL CURIOSITIES 'An unforgettable journey of intellectual discovery, a true transcultural Magical Mystery Tour' Apostolos Doxiadis, author of LOGICOMIX and UNCLE PETROS AND GOLDBACH'S CONJECTURE 'A truly marvellous survey of modern mathematics... a book that would have delighted Lewis Carroll' Martin Gardner, for more than 25 years author of the 'Mathematical Games' column in Scientific American

Review

'Original and highly entertaining' Sunday Times 'Will leave you hooked on numbers' Daily Telegraph 'A page turner about humanity's strange, never easy and, above all, never dull relationship with numbers' New Scientist 'Outstanding ... The style is laced with humour, but at all times, the star of the show is mathematics' Ian Stewart, Prospect

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Product details

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 4914 KB
Print Length: 448 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury (5 April 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.� r.l.
Language English
ASIN: B003QXMLXC
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (74 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #8,758 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #7 in Kindle Store > Books > Nonfiction > Science > Mathematics
- #35 in Books > Science & Nature > Mathematics > Popular Maths
- #95 in Books > Science & Nature > Popular Science > Maths

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Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

133 of 135 people found the following review helpful

I wished I had read this when I was in school ! 6 May 2010

By Don Pelayo TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE

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.

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36 of 37 people found the following review helpful

Great book let down by sloppy Kindle conversion 3 May 2011

By Chris Houston

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.

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36 of 37 people found the following review helpful

Unputdownable! 14 May 2010

By D. E. CAMERON

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!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Brilliant!

I've bought this book about ten times now as I think it's so good I keep lending it to people who show the remotest interest in maths. Read more

Published 4 days ago by Esmerelda

A different approach

This was my first Kindle purchase.
The content is different and very interesting, but it is not really suited to a Kindle as there are diagrams and illustrations which do not... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Mr. Keith I. Mentzel

Alex's Adventures in Numberland

This book is fascinating, entertaining and accessible.

I've read many mathematical books for the non-specialist, and this is easily the best. Read more

Published 1 month ago by The Rational Skeptic

Alex's walking in a number wonderland

I enjoyed this book immensely. The author starts at chapter nought as this number hadn't been invented until after the others, and takes us on a journey from the Amazon jungle to... Read more

Published 2 months ago by David Wilson

Excellent book!!!

I'd highly recommend this very entertaining book! It sheds a lot of light on the beauty of the world of math, that we either take for granted or shy away from. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Mr. Cs Travis

Well read maths

Playful and literary. Alex writes on a subject that he is passionate about and his enthusiasm is infections. Read more

Published 2 months ago by paul hensey

Good in parts

Having finished reading this book I have mixed feelings about it. Overall, for the price, it is quite a good read. Read more

Published 3 months ago by John Digswell

It all works out in the end!

Not being a whizz at maths at school, I felt that after 26 years, it was time to face my fear. I was surprised to find this book thoroughly riviting. I would recommend it. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Powners

Like Maths?

I bought this as a present for someone who enjoys maths and this book caught my eye. It was received with interest and found to be very interesting.

Published 3 months ago by quack

Alex's Adventures in Numberland

I bought this book but gave it away to my son Alex before I read it, and subsequently it was my first book on the Kindle. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Old Billy

Popular Highlights

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The better ones approximate number sense, it seems, the higher ones chance of getting good grades. &quote;

Highlighted by 23 Kindle users

We are so used to telling the time in base 60 that we never question it, even though it really is quite unexplained. &quote;

Highlighted by 21 Kindle users

With 39 decimal places, it is possible to compute the circumference of a circle surrounding the known universe to within an accuracy of a radius of a hydrogen atom. &quote;

Highlighted by 17 Kindle users

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