Is Maths Real?: How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics’ Deepest Truths

ISBN: 9781788169530
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Product Details

Publisher,Profile Books
Publication Date,
Format, Paperback
Weight, 262 g
No. of Pages, 336

One of the world's most creative mathematicians offers new ways to look at maths – focusing on questions, not answers

 

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.

A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2023

A NEW SCIENTIST BEST BOOK OF 2023

WINNER OF THE LA TIMES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023 BOOK PRIZE

 

About the Author

Eugenia Cheng is Scientist in Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Honorary Visiting Fellow at City, University of London. A concert pianist, she also speaks French and Cantonese, and is the author of The Art of Logic, How to Bake Pi and Beyond Infinity, the last of which was shortlisted for the 2017 Royal Society Science Book Prize.

 

Reviews

"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, author of Shape

"A brilliant rebuttal to those who see math as only about right answers, rather than about creative discovery. [Cheng] masterfully uncovers what's simply profound in the profoundly simple" —Francis Su, author of Mathematics for Human Flourishing

"Intriguing ... Celebrates the dizziness and disorientation engendered by childlike questions that hint at the deep mysteries beneath" —Anil Ananthaswamy, New Scientist

"Discover what it feels like to be a real mathematician... This is a human pursuit, depicted here from the inside" —Simon Ings, Telegraph

"An entertaining foray into the more philosophical realms of mathematics... for the budding mathematician in the house, to say nothing of lovers of puzzles and enigmas" ―Kirkus

 

Dimensions: 12.6 x 2.6 x 19.6 cm

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