Scan barcode
sarahjsnider's review against another edition
4.0
A lot of this went over my head, but it could not be more clearly written. I am still not a math-oriented person but I have a better idea of what advanced math is and how one might teach it better.
kayblecar's review
adventurous
fast-paced
5.0
I usually avoid recommending books until I finish them, but I found myself making an exception for this book! I think people who were intimidated out of math for asking "stupid" questions will get a lot out of this book. I also think parents trying to help their kids learn "new" math might find it a useful way to limber up their brains to understand math in a different way.
I do think some readers might find the proofs a bit meandering, which is less of a criticism and more of a thing to keep in mind that each explanation does come back together in the end!
I do think some readers might find the proofs a bit meandering, which is less of a criticism and more of a thing to keep in mind that each explanation does come back together in the end!
noel_b's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
This book was simultaneously a soothing balm for my "bad at math" soul and a fire for my "curious about the world" brain. It made me more interested and more excited about math, not by making it sound "less difficult" but by changing my perspective on why we find it difficult in the first place.
It also explained in very accessible terms all those dumbass questions that would get teachers to shut me down and made me feel stupid. Why is 1+2 the same as 2+1, why can't you divide by zero, why even bother with any of this in the first place?
The experience of reading this book is Dr. Cheng sitting next to you with a notebook and saying "those are not dumbass questions, you are right to ask them and here's how it works and why."
It also explained in very accessible terms all those dumbass questions that would get teachers to shut me down and made me feel stupid. Why is 1+2 the same as 2+1, why can't you divide by zero, why even bother with any of this in the first place?
The experience of reading this book is Dr. Cheng sitting next to you with a notebook and saying "those are not dumbass questions, you are right to ask them and here's how it works and why."
dawnli's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
a good introduction to mathematical reasoning that covers many topics and gives the reader a taste of what it's like to do abstract math. eugenia is sympathetic to the everyday person's perception of abstract mathematics and provides playful glimpses into academic math that inspires further reading.
i also believe that coming into this as someone who already holds a background in abstract mathematics greatly enhanced my reading experience, and i am unsure if someone with no mathematical training would agree. i am interested to recommend this book to my non mathematical friends to see what they think!
i also believe that coming into this as someone who already holds a background in abstract mathematics greatly enhanced my reading experience, and i am unsure if someone with no mathematical training would agree. i am interested to recommend this book to my non mathematical friends to see what they think!
carolinechristophersen's review against another edition
4.0
Heard Dr. Cheng talk on the Ologies podcast with my mom and she got me her book for Christmas (thanks mom!). Main takeaway will stick with me in how I think about questions (where and when something is true is more important that reducing it to if it is true or not). I love that I now understand why x^0 = 1! and I will confidently go forth knowing that my basic, whyy thoughh questions are endorsed by a Eugenia <3
tonyzale's review
4.0
“Is Math Real?” makes the case for the study of abstract math and demystifies it (as much as it can, anyway). It critiques the math education status quo and explicitly argues against the importance of real world applications as part of that process. The author argues for using math as a way to sharpen our intellectual “core muscles”; the point of learning trigonometry or algebra is not just to calculate angles and solve equations, but to build logical frameworks and work inside them. She laments a focus on producing correct answers quickly, at the expense of the open questioning process that is critical for mathematical research. She reinforces this by poking at declared truths, demonstrating situations where 1+1 doesn’t equal 2, or walking through the logic of why 1 is not a prime number. She points out the paradox of how an “obvious” truth often means something that is “so clearly true that I can’t explain it”. She discusses the value of rigorously proving something over merely observing a likely pattern.
The author’s style relies heavily on digressions, making analogies to cooking, social behavior, and cultural forces. She explicitly calls out the gatekeeping of traditional white European male control of academic math, and the way that diminishes other cultures' mathematical traditions. These asides can be jarring; one page you are stepping through a logical derivation and the next you are considering the extent to which medieval African mathematicians were erased from history. I don’t have one single opinion on these. Sometimes I found them interesting, other times distracting. They varied in depth and sometimes felt incomplete.They serve to reinforce the idea that math is not monolithic, but I don’t think they were always effective. They do make the book feel very human.
Math is not concrete, and “Is Math Real?” celebrates this as its great strength. I don’t know that this book will convince many math skeptics, but it may present a new perspective for them.
3.5 stars
The author’s style relies heavily on digressions, making analogies to cooking, social behavior, and cultural forces. She explicitly calls out the gatekeeping of traditional white European male control of academic math, and the way that diminishes other cultures' mathematical traditions. These asides can be jarring; one page you are stepping through a logical derivation and the next you are considering the extent to which medieval African mathematicians were erased from history. I don’t have one single opinion on these. Sometimes I found them interesting, other times distracting. They varied in depth and sometimes felt incomplete.They serve to reinforce the idea that math is not monolithic, but I don’t think they were always effective. They do make the book feel very human.
Math is not concrete, and “Is Math Real?” celebrates this as its great strength. I don’t know that this book will convince many math skeptics, but it may present a new perspective for them.
3.5 stars