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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
informative
relaxing
medium-paced
I was never a big math fan. Which is why books like "The Joy of X" are enjoyable intros to the math illiterate. From Algebra to Calculus, and from Pythagoras to Gilbert, the most basic aspects of each branch of mathematics is laid out for the layman.
He lost me at "I know your favourite subject was geometry"
I wish I had read this when I was in middle school! One of the best introductory books I have read on an academic subject, that created fascination and love for the subject!
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
I really enjoyed reading this book! The way the author portrays simple and complicated math topics is all seemingly on the same level. I found myself 'ah ha-ing' quite a bit. The first half anyone could enjoy, the ladder part of the book requires more of an interest in math itself. I want to put a copy on my book shelf.
This is an amazing book. The author takes you by the hand and starts the incredible journey he has created throughout the world of mathematics. I just loved it.
"In mathematics our freedom lies in the questions we ask -and in how we pursue them- but not in the answers awaiting us."
I wanted to like this book, I really did-for many reasons, not least of which because Strogatz is a professor at my alma mater. Unfortunately, the book never quite accomplished what it set out to do with me.
I have always done well in math, even if I never fully understood the intricacies of each topic. I believe in the beauty of mathematics. I have told my own students time and again that math is not about numbers, it's about ways of thinking, and I love that Strogatz believes it, understands it, and wants to show others the inherent beauty and elegance in math. I'm sad to say he just didn't reach me. Perhaps someone else might read this and say, "Aha! It clicked!" I'm just broken hearted it wasn't me because for the life of me I couldn't tell you where exactly he lost me. It seems like one of those subjects where it's so simple I SHOULD grasp it, but it eludes me. And it is with that that I went from lamenting not having taken his class at Cornell, to thanking God I didn't because I surely would have failed. I felt like Lucy and Ethel in the chocolate factory, wrapping candy as the conveyor belt progressively sped up and I ended up with a mouthful of numbers and formulas I couldn't quite digest.
I don't want to give up though. Maybe it isn't the book so much as I personally do better with incarnate educators? I might read this again with someone so we can discuss it as we go...
I wanted to like this book, I really did-for many reasons, not least of which because Strogatz is a professor at my alma mater. Unfortunately, the book never quite accomplished what it set out to do with me.
I have always done well in math, even if I never fully understood the intricacies of each topic. I believe in the beauty of mathematics. I have told my own students time and again that math is not about numbers, it's about ways of thinking, and I love that Strogatz believes it, understands it, and wants to show others the inherent beauty and elegance in math. I'm sad to say he just didn't reach me. Perhaps someone else might read this and say, "Aha! It clicked!" I'm just broken hearted it wasn't me because for the life of me I couldn't tell you where exactly he lost me. It seems like one of those subjects where it's so simple I SHOULD grasp it, but it eludes me. And it is with that that I went from lamenting not having taken his class at Cornell, to thanking God I didn't because I surely would have failed. I felt like Lucy and Ethel in the chocolate factory, wrapping candy as the conveyor belt progressively sped up and I ended up with a mouthful of numbers and formulas I couldn't quite digest.
I don't want to give up though. Maybe it isn't the book so much as I personally do better with incarnate educators? I might read this again with someone so we can discuss it as we go...
I'm familiar with many mathematical subjects, so I'm sure my opinion on this book differs from someone whose math education ends in high school, but I found the first (roughly) half of the book a little... unsatisfying. Strogatz starts off strong in every chapter, but then sort of half-explains everything (I guess that might be the only way to make it digestible?). There are a few paragraphs where he sort of teases that he'll explain something in detail, then cuts himself off and moves on to a (usually good and understandable) metaphor or comparison or anecdote. However, the back of the book is chock full to the brim with discussions, links and citations that if one is willing to do a little digging, are really interesting and informative (I did spend a good hour going down the Gibbs phenomenon rabbithole thanks to Strogatz's tips). My opinion is skewed in favor of the Fourier stuff, infinity, topology, etc, just because those are the last subjects I learned before graduating and dropping out of the math world, so I enjoyed the last chapter the most. I'd love to read a similar book focused on topics I found more complex and interesting, like... "Strogatz's Abstract Algebra for Dummies" or something like that.
Fun read. I'd say that it was immensely interesting, but I don't know that someone who doesn't have as much exposure to math, or an interest in the ideas that were being explained (i.e. topology and the number of ways you can rotate a mattress) would really enjoy this book. Of course, if someone were to pick this up and not realize they were going to be driven (very quickly) down a freeway of mathematical ideas, then that's their fault.
I think that Strogatz does a great job of explaining complex ideas in either visual or relatable terms. Some of the concepts didn't lend themselves to be very colorful, which kind of lost me on those topics (like the idea that there are many different 'shortest' avenues around a cylinder). However, that can hardly be the fault of the author. Overall, it was fun and definitely rekindled a lot of interest I had in these topics from school. If you have an interest in the large concepts that math can bring in, I'd say this is a very fun and very high level view on that broad topic of math.
I think that Strogatz does a great job of explaining complex ideas in either visual or relatable terms. Some of the concepts didn't lend themselves to be very colorful, which kind of lost me on those topics (like the idea that there are many different 'shortest' avenues around a cylinder). However, that can hardly be the fault of the author. Overall, it was fun and definitely rekindled a lot of interest I had in these topics from school. If you have an interest in the large concepts that math can bring in, I'd say this is a very fun and very high level view on that broad topic of math.