- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson (13 April 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0297645714
- ISBN-13: 978-0297645719
- Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 13.8 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 827,476 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Amazon.co.uk Review
For many, the mere word "mathematics" is enough to conjure up memories of incomprehension at school, and fear and loathing ever afterwards. Countless otherwise well-educated people see mathematics as the skeleton in their intellectual cupboard--the one key subject demanding a talent that they so obviously did not possess.
Or so it seems to anyone who has felt very much on the outside of the subject. British mathematician Keith Devlin is certainly on the inside--and in The Maths Gene he has wonderful news for everyone: we can all join him there. For Devlin argues that we all possess the ability to cope with mathematics, if only we recognise what's required. While a number of recent books, notably Stanislas Dehaene's The Number Sense, have focused on numerical ability, the scope of Devlin's book is much larger. He examines the evidence that we all possess, if not literally a gene, then at least an inherent ability not just for arithmetic but for real mathematics: algebra, calculus and the rest. Devlin even puts forward a Darwinian explanation for the origin of this ability, based on the idea that being able to handle abstract ideas and relationships confers key evolutionary advantages. Mathematics merely involves a relatively high level of abstraction--but one we can all cope with, if we work at it: "Doing mathematics is very much like running a marathon", says Devlin. "It does not require any special talent, and 'finishing' is largely a matter of wanting to succeed". In its wealth of wonderful examples supporting the central argument, The Maths Gene bears comparison with Steve Pinker's The Language Instinct and its plain common sense about this most misunderstood of subjects is truly inspirational. Thoroughly recommended for anyone seeking to rid their intellectual cupboard of the skeleton of mathematical "incompetence". --Robert Matthews
Product Description
The Maths Gene explains how the human mind came to - and continues to - perform mathematical reasoning. Where does this ability come from? Our prehistoric ancestors' brains were essentially the same as ours, so they must have had the same underlying ability. What purpose could it serve in 50,000bc? And what exactly goes on in our brains when we multiply 15 by 36 or prove Fermat's last theorem? The answer, according to Keith Devlin, lies within our genes and more specifically with the pattern-making abilities with which we are born. He uses this insight to reveal why some people feel that they 'can't do maths', while a select few excel at the subject and to suggest ways in which we can improve our mathematical skills. He also answers the following questions: o Are there things I can do to improve my mathematical skills? (YES) o Can new-born babies do mathematics? (YES) o Do mathematicians have a key secret that enables them to do mathematics with apparent ease? (YES) o Do Chinese and Japanese children have a built-in advantage over American and European children when it comes to learning mathematics? (YES)
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First Sentence
I hated mathematics when I was in elementary school. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
I hated mathematics when I was in elementary school. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting and convincing thesis, sloppy delivery,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Maths Gene: Why Everyone Has It, But Most People Don't Use It (Paperback)
Although Mr. Devlin makes a good case for his assertion that the development of pattern recognition and off-line thinking preceded the development of both a maths sense and language, being two different sides of the same coin, the book's power to convince is severely compromised by the sloppy nature of some of the examples cited in the book.No - the proof of an infinite number prime numbers does not hinge on the fact that the product of all prime numbers to some assumed largest prime, N+1, is a prime, but rather that it is either a prime, or a composite of primes that are ALL greater than the assumed largest prime P. No - Bird's wings did NOT evolve from heat-radiating "fins", but their isomorphic nature to other species' forelimbs makes their origin crystal clear. The book is littered with howlers such as a statement that gene replication is somehow responsible for the appearance of gender in human language syntax - no explanation or justification is given for this statement, and I doubt that a convincing one could be devised. Nonetheless, the main thesis of the book makes sense, and is delivered convincingly, but the book could have benefited greatly from a critical review before it was publicised.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting and enjoyable read.,
By the great amphibian "Ruthenphelphs" (Hampshire, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Maths Gene: Why Everyone Has It, But Most People Don't Use It (Paperback)
This is a generally intersting book, and I remember that at the time of reading it I was bascially hooked on it and kept picking it back up again. I can't really empathise with anyone that found the group theory explanation difficult because I thought that it was extremely easy, but then at the time of reading the book I was actually revising for an exam in group theory amongst other subjects in maths. There are some well explained concepts in this book, (and I am thinking mainly of the scientific ones, not necessarily the mathematical ones), and it is one of those books that is fascinated with the thought experiments that can ensue from pondering on theories of evolution. Evolution is always a fun concept to start brainstorming over. Here it is about the evolution of our language and mathematical ability, and there was a theory put forward that mathematics is more or less synonymous with language. I'm generally impressed with the book, and although I am not necessarily convinced of the central thesis, I thought that it was a very well written and interesting book. It is also exciting to read. To anyone that has a degree in maths or has read a lot of books on maths, quite a lot of the material will be recognisable as typical things to put in an introductory book. I would recommend this book though to anyone that knows nothing about maths really, (and when I say maths I mean real maths; what makes up the actual mathematical body that humans have developed; not the little arithmetical toys or tiny subsets of maths given in a very specific form in school or college), as it will probably clear up many fallaceous thoughts that you might have regarding mathematics and what mathematicians do. I remember that there was one theory in particular that I thought an more elgant answer would be more likely for. This was concerning the statistical indication that Chinese people develop better mathematical skills relative to age when young compared to English speaking students. It is supposed that this is because of the counting system in China being such that the equivalent of say 'eleven' in Chinese would be 'one one' and 'fifty seven' would be 'five seven'. This could make arithmetic a little easier I suppose, but I thought it more obvious that the reason Chinese students are better at maths than English speaking students for example, is that the Chinese language is a lot more complex to learn and the grammar is more difficult than English grammar, and hence the Chinese children will have developed the kind of quickness as these sort of thinking abilities needed for arithmetic a lot more fully than English speaking students, (such as American or English). Anyway, I would recommend this book for mathematicians if they are interested in evolution of language and of mathematics, and I would recommend it as a generally interesting non-fiction read. Its nice to hear fairly fresh theories such as the thesis of this book being proposed.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Explaining mathematics in an easy to understand way!,
By buffers2000@yahoo.com (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Maths Gene: Why Everyone Has It, But Most People Don't Use It (Paperback)
This superb book details how we aquire our mathematics skills. It looks back at our ancestors to see how mathematics came about. Keith Devlin tries to prove that we all have the capability to 'do' mathematics but some of us find it difficult to access this ability. He goes on to explain how babies and animals have basic number skills too. Keith Devlin has written this book in an easy to understand fashion. He explains concepts clearly and assimilates them to everyday activities and experiences. An excellent book for anyone studying mathematics or even those who are just interested in how we aquired our mathematical abilities!! I suggest that the only way to truly test this book is to read it for yourself. I am sure the concepts he explains will keep you fascinated!!
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