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Alex Through the Looking Glass: How Life Reflects Numbers, and Numbers Reflect Life by Alex Bellos
brobison's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book! Wonderful balance of history, humorous stories, and math explanations.
crtibbs's review against another edition
5.0
This is truly one of my favorite books that I've ever read. I felt a sense of childlike wonder so many times from this book. Highly recommended to anyone interested in math!
leemac027's review against another edition
4.0
A book that makes math exciting and fun? Yes!
Alex Bellos has combined humour, a sense of fun, curiosity and lots of history to take the reader on a journey across the centuries to discover the numbers behind almost everything in our lives.
Of course we have the high profile pi and Pythagoras but there are many hidden mathematical heroes to be uncovered. From the quirky French master Cedric Villani through to the glorious designs created from harmonographs, this book will have you intrigued and wondering why this stuff is not taught in the classroom.
Should you be a little nervous being confronted by formula and calculations, never fear for as Bellos himself says, if you feel a little overwhelmed, just skip to the next chapter where another adventure starts from the elementary level.
Alex Bellos has combined humour, a sense of fun, curiosity and lots of history to take the reader on a journey across the centuries to discover the numbers behind almost everything in our lives.
Of course we have the high profile pi and Pythagoras but there are many hidden mathematical heroes to be uncovered. From the quirky French master Cedric Villani through to the glorious designs created from harmonographs, this book will have you intrigued and wondering why this stuff is not taught in the classroom.
Should you be a little nervous being confronted by formula and calculations, never fear for as Bellos himself says, if you feel a little overwhelmed, just skip to the next chapter where another adventure starts from the elementary level.
benrogerswpg's review against another edition
3.0
You're bound to get idears if you go thinkin' about stuff math
Math is often seen as dry and boring, but Bellos manages to make it fun and entertaining.
The book is filled with interesting stories and fascinating examples that show how math is an integral part of our daily lives.
While not as whimsical as some similar math works - namely [b:Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension|23008136|Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension|Matt Parker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1408714608l/23008136._SY75_.jpg|42575054], [b:Math with Bad Drawings|36205393|Math with Bad Drawings|Ben Orlin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528328702l/36205393._SX50_.jpg|57835859], [b:Beyond Infinity: An Expedition to the Outer Limits of Mathematics|33916545|Beyond Infinity An Expedition to the Outer Limits of Mathematics|Eugenia Cheng|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484760860l/33916545._SY75_.jpg|54882431], or [b:Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them: A Cosmic Quest from Zero to Infinity|57693564|Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them A Cosmic Quest from Zero to Infinity|Antonio Padilla|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634034472l/57693564._SX50_.jpg|90371733] - Bellos's writing is still engaging and accessible to both math enthusiasts and novices.
Readers can explore everything from the history of numbers to the intricacies of geometry in a way that is both informative and enjoyable.
Overall, "The Grapes of Math" is a great addition to any math lover's library.
3.7/5
Math is often seen as dry and boring, but Bellos manages to make it fun and entertaining.
The book is filled with interesting stories and fascinating examples that show how math is an integral part of our daily lives.
While not as whimsical as some similar math works - namely [b:Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension|23008136|Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension|Matt Parker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1408714608l/23008136._SY75_.jpg|42575054], [b:Math with Bad Drawings|36205393|Math with Bad Drawings|Ben Orlin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528328702l/36205393._SX50_.jpg|57835859], [b:Beyond Infinity: An Expedition to the Outer Limits of Mathematics|33916545|Beyond Infinity An Expedition to the Outer Limits of Mathematics|Eugenia Cheng|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484760860l/33916545._SY75_.jpg|54882431], or [b:Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them: A Cosmic Quest from Zero to Infinity|57693564|Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them A Cosmic Quest from Zero to Infinity|Antonio Padilla|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634034472l/57693564._SX50_.jpg|90371733] - Bellos's writing is still engaging and accessible to both math enthusiasts and novices.
Readers can explore everything from the history of numbers to the intricacies of geometry in a way that is both informative and enjoyable.
Overall, "The Grapes of Math" is a great addition to any math lover's library.
3.7/5
sil3nos's review against another edition
4.0
This is the best math book I've read to date. But that is only because there was finally something in here that I didn't know of.
Many of the chapters weren't that interesting (although I found the small anecdotes really enjoyable), but the second and the last one were exceptional. I thought the book couldn't get more interesting than when Benford's Law was introduced, but the last chapter introduced a possible reason why our universe exists, so... I guess that was interesting.XD
Many of the chapters weren't that interesting (although I found the small anecdotes really enjoyable), but the second and the last one were exceptional. I thought the book couldn't get more interesting than when Benford's Law was introduced, but the last chapter introduced a possible reason why our universe exists, so... I guess that was interesting.XD