Is Maths Real?: How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics’ Deepest Truths
Jun 2023 · Profile Books
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336
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About this ebook
A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2023
A NEW SCIENTIST BEST BOOK OF 2023
WINNER OF THE LA TIMES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023 BOOK PRIZE
'A generous tour of mathematics for anyone whose instincts tend less towards "Just tell me the answer" and more towards "Wait, but why?"' JORDAN ELLENBERG
To many, maths feels like an unmapped wilderness. Between abstract concepts like imaginary numbers and infinity, it can sometimes feel like a lot of maths is just made up. Why, for example, is 1 not a prime? Why do two negatives cancel each other out? Where does trigonometry come from? Is maths even real?
Abstract mathematician Eugenia Cheng shows that curiosity is the best teacher. Is Maths Real? takes us on a scintillating tour of the simple questions that provoke mathematics' deepest insights.
'Intriguing...celebrates the dizziness and disorientation engendered by childlike questions that hint at the deep mysteries beneath'
NEW SCIENTIST
'Masterfully uncovers what's simply profound in the profoundly simple'
FRANCIS SU
'Discover what it feels like to be a real mathematician'
DAILY TELEGRAPH
A NEW SCIENTIST BEST BOOK OF 2023
WINNER OF THE LA TIMES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023 BOOK PRIZE
'A generous tour of mathematics for anyone whose instincts tend less towards "Just tell me the answer" and more towards "Wait, but why?"' JORDAN ELLENBERG
To many, maths feels like an unmapped wilderness. Between abstract concepts like imaginary numbers and infinity, it can sometimes feel like a lot of maths is just made up. Why, for example, is 1 not a prime? Why do two negatives cancel each other out? Where does trigonometry come from? Is maths even real?
Abstract mathematician Eugenia Cheng shows that curiosity is the best teacher. Is Maths Real? takes us on a scintillating tour of the simple questions that provoke mathematics' deepest insights.
'Intriguing...celebrates the dizziness and disorientation engendered by childlike questions that hint at the deep mysteries beneath'
NEW SCIENTIST
'Masterfully uncovers what's simply profound in the profoundly simple'
FRANCIS SU
'Discover what it feels like to be a real mathematician'
DAILY TELEGRAPH
About the author
Eugenia Cheng is Scientist in Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Honorary Visiting Fellow of Pure Mathematics at City, University of London. A Cambridge graduate, she previously taught at the Universities of Cambridge, Chicago and Nice. She is also a concert pianist, fluent in French, and the author of several Profile bestsellers, including How to Bake Pi and x + y. In 2024, Is Maths Real? won the LA Times Science & Technology Book Prize.
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