Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them: A Journey to the Edge of Physics

What are the mysterious numbers that unlock the secrets of the universe?

In Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them, leading theoretical physicist and YouTube star Antonio Padilla takes us on an irreverent cosmic tour of nine of the most extraordinary numbers in physics. These include Graham's number, which is so large that if you thought about it in the wrong way, your head would collapse into a singularity; TREE(3), whose finite value could never be reached before the universe reset itself; and 10^{-120}, which measures the desperately unlikely balance of energy the universe needs to exist. . .

Leading us down the rabbit hole to the inner workings of reality, Padilla demonstrates how these unusual numbers are the key to unlocking such mind-bending phenomena as black holes, entropy and the problem of the cosmological constant, which shows that our two best ways of understanding the universe contradict one another. Combining cutting-edge science with an entertaining cosmic quest, Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them is an electrifying, head-twisting guide to the most fundamental truths of the universe.

Review:

An exceptional compilation of modern mathematics and its real-world applications... A fast-paced and dramatic telling of the history of mathematics that is ultimately concerned with convincing us why we should care... Perusing this book will leave readers with awe, enough fun facts for many cocktail parties, and a deep appreciation for mathematicians like Padilla who can explain how understanding a googolplex leads us to the existence of doppelgängers
Brianne Kane, Scientific American

An irreverent tour of extraordinary numbers in physics, big, small and bafflingly infinite. Be amazed as physicist and YouTube star Tony Padilla reveals the inner workings of reality
New Scientist

This delightful book purports to be about numbers, but is really a window onto the astonishing scope and scale of the universe in which we live. You will be amazed at the mind-bending ideas science has proposed in order to grasp reality, and be impressed that our minds are able to bend that far
Sean Carroll, author of SOMETHING DEEPLY HIDDEN

This is an extraordinary book. Tony Padilla has been able to weave a remarkable set of mathematical facts into a mesmerising story that kept me gripped throughout. He has an intensity and passion that I haven't seen for a long time in popular science
Pedro G. Ferreira, author of THE PERFECT THEORY

It was said of the famous Indian mathematician Ramanujan that he knew every number as his personal friend. If you'd like to get to know some of the most charismatic of these characters then Antonio Padilla has written a beautiful Who's Who of the world of numbers and their role in the make-up of our universe
Marcus du Sautoy, author of THINKING BETTER

About the Author:

Tony Padilla is a leading theoretical physicist and cosmologist at the University of Nottingham. In 2016, he and his team shared the Buchalter Cosmology Prize for their work on the cosmological constant. He is also a star of the Numberphile YouTube network, where his most popular videos include a discussion of Ramanujan's sum of all positive integers, which has been viewed more than eight million times.

• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.12 x 0.79 x 7.72 inches