Scan barcode
quigonchuy's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to the audiobook on this one, and that was a mistake. I needed to have been sitting down, taking notes, and trying to go through what the author was covering to be able to follow. This unfortunately felt like a review for a math course than a general audience book. I still liked it, I just wish I had read the physical copy instead of the audiobook so I could see the formulas, equations, and proofs to be able to follow rather than just the audio of them.
fernandometa's review against another edition
5.0
Beyond Infinity is a gem of a book. I agree that popular mathematics is a tougher subject than popular science, the closest cousin that I can think of. Eugenia Cheng does a great job of picking the right metaphors and analogies to explain mathematical concepts that could be intimidating. Her enthusiasm transpires in the book and it's contagious. I didn't need much of a convincing since I always liked math, but she made me rediscover the beauty of it.
She is down to earth, funny and insightful. She was able to find a narrative from page 1 to the end, to find a way to pause when necessary but at the same time keep you engaged.
She is down to earth, funny and insightful. She was able to find a narrative from page 1 to the end, to find a way to pause when necessary but at the same time keep you engaged.
blackoxford's review against another edition
5.0
Maths As Art Form
If you find it hard to tell your reals from your naturals or can’t remember why infinitely repeating decimals aren’t irrational, then this may be the book for you. A charming sortie into the poetry of mathematics, a guided tour of what they didn’t teach you in school: how numbers work and what it means to say that there are an infinite number of them. Cheng knows how to make a narrative with a beginning, middle and end, and with just the right touch of humour. Beyond Infinity is an enlightening, understandable, readable introduction to the abstract art of mathematics. You may or may not want to practice that art after reading it, but you will certainly have an appreciation for the excitement and beauty of mathematics that you didn’t have before.
If you find it hard to tell your reals from your naturals or can’t remember why infinitely repeating decimals aren’t irrational, then this may be the book for you. A charming sortie into the poetry of mathematics, a guided tour of what they didn’t teach you in school: how numbers work and what it means to say that there are an infinite number of them. Cheng knows how to make a narrative with a beginning, middle and end, and with just the right touch of humour. Beyond Infinity is an enlightening, understandable, readable introduction to the abstract art of mathematics. You may or may not want to practice that art after reading it, but you will certainly have an appreciation for the excitement and beauty of mathematics that you didn’t have before.
fipah's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars = I really liked it
This was succinct, entertaining, an absolute joy to read especially taking into consideration that maths is a hard topic to write a pop science book on. Eugenia Cheng keeps us wanting more - really, all I could hope for is for the book to be more demanding and to explain the harder parts of infinity in more detail or in a more mathematically rigid way, but that is not the book's purpose in the end. But I have to say despite having read this and having been shown that infinity is tricky and that some cookies may line up to form an infinite line yet for that they will still require only a finite amount of dough... I still feel like I did not really get it. Of course some may be due to the purpose of the book to only introduce the reader to this concept of inifity and to excite them, yet still I think the book could educate us a bit more. The overall feeling after having finished the book is "wow, that was interesting, but I can't really explain what the book taught me, I just remember it was interesting."
Anyway, a highly recommended read for science and maths layperson enthusiasts.
This was succinct, entertaining, an absolute joy to read especially taking into consideration that maths is a hard topic to write a pop science book on. Eugenia Cheng keeps us wanting more - really, all I could hope for is for the book to be more demanding and to explain the harder parts of infinity in more detail or in a more mathematically rigid way, but that is not the book's purpose in the end. But I have to say despite having read this and having been shown that infinity is tricky and that some cookies may line up to form an infinite line yet for that they will still require only a finite amount of dough... I still feel like I did not really get it. Of course some may be due to the purpose of the book to only introduce the reader to this concept of inifity and to excite them, yet still I think the book could educate us a bit more. The overall feeling after having finished the book is "wow, that was interesting, but I can't really explain what the book taught me, I just remember it was interesting."
Anyway, a highly recommended read for science and maths layperson enthusiasts.
katiejk's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
Lots of concept explained with suitable analogies. Only slight problem I had was that it was occasionally hard to transfer the analogies back to the numbers (if that makes sense). Not a huge amount of previoue knowledge needed, just have an open mind that's ready to frazzled.
ellipalmer's review against another edition
I hope to finish! My loan on the audiobook from the library ended. This is a slow listen because you have to be paying decent attention.