LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
Shortlisted for the Galaxy Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2010.
This is a richly entertaining and accessible book, in which 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. Packed with fascinating, eye-opening anecdotes, Alex's Adventures in Numberland is an exhilarating cocktail of history, reportage and mathematical proofs that will leave you awestruck and yet it makes the history and mystery of maths accesible to 'normal' people!
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Alex's Adventures in Numberland Synopsis
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.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781408809594 |
| Publication date: |
4th April 2011 |
| Author: |
Alex Bellos |
| Publisher: |
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
448 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Non-Fiction Books of the Month
|
| Recommendations: |
|
Press Reviews
Alex Bellos Press Reviews
'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
Author
About Alex Bellos
Alex Bellos is a reporter for the Observer and the Guardian in Rio de Janeiro.
Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life captures the romance and the passion of Brazil. 'Football is how the world sees Brazil and how Brazilians see themselves.' The art, the players, the myths, the legends, the teams, the history, the supporters, the heartbreaks — the book traces the past and the present of a game which symbolises the racial harmony, flamboyance, youth, innovation and skill of Latin America's largest country. It was shortlisted for the WH Smith Sports Book of the Year and was nominated for the 2004 British Book Awards.
Author photo © Michael Duerinckx
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