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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
I really loved reading this - it's funny and informative, covering each topic quickly but with enough detail to make you feel like you're being informed, not just being shown tricks with numbers. It has also turned me on to the work of Vi Hart who is now one of my favourite Youtubers
I have all the impersonal fondness for numbers and equations of a liberal arts college student reminiscing ye olden days, when I always did my math homework calmly and first. Books about math spark a weird excitement in me--I feel as though I'm being let in on a secret, that I can more clearly glimpse the stitches that make up the world. I love that math involves "both invention and discovery," equal parts descriptive logic and inexplicable phenomena. This was quite an enjoyable read, and each chapter is easy to understand, with helpful pictures and charts to keep things grounded. It truly is a tour of the discipline, and there were times I wished I could've explored more deeply. But! It has given me renewed appreciation for math overall, and perhaps the vigor I need to start slogging through GRE prep hah...
I shall end with some of my favorite concepts that the book explained well (and which I will enthusiastically place in my mind to be taken out in the appropriate social settings)
- The ingenuity of the Hindu-Arabic place-value number system
- The power of logarithms and relating multiples and steps and pitch
- The default formation of sinusoidal patterns in nature
- The hopefulness of twin primes in the remote reaches of the number line
- Möbius strips in all their mind-bending magnificence
I shall end with some of my favorite concepts that the book explained well (and which I will enthusiastically place in my mind to be taken out in the appropriate social settings)
- The ingenuity of the Hindu-Arabic place-value number system
- The power of logarithms and relating multiples and steps and pitch
- The default formation of sinusoidal patterns in nature
- The hopefulness of twin primes in the remote reaches of the number line
- Möbius strips in all their mind-bending magnificence
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
This book was an entertaining yet informative overview of the development of math, starting with what numbers are up to graduate-level ideas. But the kicker is that you don’t need to understand the math to understand and enjoy this book! Instead of focusing on the nitty-gritty of the mathematics, the author uses real world examples to explain why certain concepts are useful and how the subject sort of naturally evolved from its simplest definitions.
I’m 100% biased as someone who loves math and teaches it for a living, but I wholeheartedly believe this is a worthwhile read for just about anyone. I think the last few chapters might lose the casual reader, but for the most part I thought this was incredibly accessible.
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
fast-paced
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Math Concepts for Dummies in NYT guest column clothing. I learned a few things, yes, but can't count myself among those who walked away with a different assessment of their aptitude and interest in the topic than the one formed in high school. Do I wish I had more of a knack? Yes, but I knew that when I was 17.
informative
fast-paced
funny
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
informative
fast-paced