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The Universe and the Teacup: Mathematics of Truth and Beauty
 
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The Universe and the Teacup: Mathematics of Truth and Beauty (Paperback)

by K.C. Cole (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 234 pages
  • Publisher: Abacus; New edition edition (4 Mar 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0349111197
  • ISBN-13: 978-0349111193
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.6 x 1.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 513,992 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
"Pure mathematics," Albert Einstein once remarked, "is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas." In The Universe and the Teacup, Los Angeles Times science writer K. C. Cole discusses some of the ways this "poetry" can be used to look at science and other realms of experience.

Mathematics, Cole explains, enables us to "translate the complexity of the world into manageable patterns," whether we're trying to comprehend the risks of smoking or the usefulness of DNA matches in criminal investigations. Cole also looks at how mathematical principles apply inunexpected fields. Without relying on a single equation, Cole's gently humorous prose helps make mathematics unthreatening to laypeople, enabling them to better understand the world in which they live. --Amazon.com

Dava Sobel, author of LONGITUDE
'...stands blissfully apart from all the recent books that have tried to analyse, exploit or quell the epidemic fear of mathematics...'

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Customer Reviews

22 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.0 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A good book, marred by the author's obvious political agenda, 17 May 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Universe and the Teacup (Hardcover)
I found "The Universe and the Teacup" an enjoyable book, conveying to the average reader the meaning of math and science in our everyday lives. I was, however, disappointed that the author chose to stray from being a serious science writer and instead attempt to use math and science to justify her own political views. Cole takes shots at the Reagan administration, the NRA, and the Republican Party. No attempt for balance is offered by presenting examples from the left side of the political spectrum. She, at times, seems to miss the point of her book, devoting more time and space to the glass ceiling battled by female mathematicians and scientists than she devotes to their work itself.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars The Politics of Truth and Beauty, 19 April 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: The Universe and the Teacup (Hardcover)
Despite the title, not once in this book is an actual mathematical problem presented coherently. Instead, Cole drones on about the virtues of cooperation, the importance of minorities, and other left-wing philosophical themes. I'm a liberal and would tend to agree with her politically, but that ignores the central problem with this book: Cole's failure to make the distinction between mathematics itself and beliefs that just happen to be justified by statistics or quasi-mathematical reasoning.

Perhaps The Universe and the Teacup is best described as a meta-popularization, since virtually all of Cole's sources are themselves popularizations. She hypes such familiar staples of popular science writing as fuzzy logic, chaos and complexity theory ("all the rage these days" -- I thought that's what they said back in the 80's), and Godel's theorem (both "a shattering blow" AND "a staggering blow to our sense of certainty"), without showing that she understands any of these things on more than a superficial level. (I don't claim to be an expert on these topics, either, but then again I didn't write a book about them.)

For general readers interested in how mathematics relates to everyday life, I'd recommend John Allen Paulos "Innumeracy"; for a survey of modern mathematics, both "From Here To Infinity" by Ian Stewart and "Archimedes' Revenge" by Paul Hoffman succeed where "The Universe and the Teacup" fails.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars shallow, and the author's chip on her shoulder distracts., 2 Jan 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: The Universe and the Teacup: Mathematics of Truth and Beauty (Hardcover)
I seized on this book as another of my favourite genre - popular science. Whilst I struggled through to the end, I was disappointed by the shallowness of the discussions, and thoroughly distracted and put off by the author's [ ] political agenda - so much so I just had to write a review, for the first time ever.

KC Cole attempts to cover far too many subjects, which inevitably means that the surface of each can only be scratched. Tackling one or two in a great deal more detail would have produced a much more satisfying book.

I would (I hope) be amongst the last to object to anyone's own views on any subject. However, when they crop up in a book like this then the reader is entitled to their views. For instance "Physicists rely on Noether's theorem, even though many have no idea who Noether was or that she was a woman" (just one example from many). I venture to suggest that most physicists rely on all sorts of theorems whilst knowing nothing about the private circumstances of their creators.

I would recommend this book only to aspiring authors as an example of how not to write a book on science.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended
Had I relied on the reviews above I would have missed a thoroughly thoughtful and enjoyable book.

This book treats difficult concepts in mathematics and physics with admirable... Read more

Published on 22 Mar 2006 by i_pipia

4.0 out of 5 stars Maths made enjoyable
This book brings the amazing world of mathematics to life. If you never enjoyed maths at school, and I certainly didn't, this will change your point of view.
Published on 15 Jun 1999

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing; other books are better
I expected more from K.C. Cole; she's an excellent general science writer for the L.A. Times, but she comes up short in this book. Read more
Published on 19 April 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible
This is one of the most brilliant and fascinating books I have ever read. Run to the stores to buy this. It will keep you thinking for months.
Published on 18 April 1999

1.0 out of 5 stars Average at best.
This was somewhat dismal. I would find another title if I were you.
Published on 17 Mar 1999

2.0 out of 5 stars Shallow and uninformative
Having my expectations set by the published reviews, I was disappointed by The Universe and the Teacup. Read more
Published on 5 Jan 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Important Mathematical Applications for the Lay Reader
reviewed by Gerald Rising, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor, University at Buffalo

In modern society illiteracy, the inability to read and write, is universally... Read more

Published on 22 Aug 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars This book would benefit anyone.
I enjoyed reading the book because it made me to realize how many valuable lessons I can learn from the science of mathematics. Read more
Published on 29 Jul 1998

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and informative for the non-mathematician
I am surprised by the reactions to this book. She seems to have touched upon very sensitive spots in the American psyche, to the point where most reviewers seem to have lost any... Read more
Published on 8 Jun 1998

1.0 out of 5 stars Dumbed-down math as therapy for the masses
This book contains some good writing and poor mathematics, quite aside from one's political point of view. The critical reviewers of the book are substantively correct. Read more
Published on 11 May 1998

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