The Art of Mathematics (Dover Books on Mathematics) [Paperback]

Jerry P. King (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Books on Mathematics | Publication Date: May 19, 2006

Clear, concise, and superbly written, this book reveals the beauty at the heart of mathematics, and it makes that beauty accessible to everyone. It illustrates the fundamental connection between aesthetics and mathematics by drawing analogies between axioms, applied mathematics, paintings, and symphonies. "Witty, trenchant, and provocative." — Mathematical Association of America.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Creative mathematicians seldom write for outsiders, but when they do, they usually do it well. Jerry King is no exception. His informal, nontechnical book, as its title implies, is organized around what Bertrand Russell called the 'supreme beauty' of mathematics--a beauty 'capable of a stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show.'"
NATURE
In this clear, concise, and superbly written volume, mathematics professor and poet Jerry P. King reveals the beauty that is at the heart of mathematics--and he makes that beauty accessible to all readers. Darting wittily from Euclid to Yeats, from Poincare to Rembrandt, from axioms to symphonies, THE ART OF MATHEMATICS explores the difference between real, rational, and complex numbers; analyzes the intellectual underpinnings of pure and applied mathematics; and reveals the fundamental connection between aesthetics and mathematics. King also sheds light on how mathematicians pursue their research and how our educational system perpetuates the damaging divisions between the "two cultures." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (May 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486450201
• ISBN-13: 978-0486450209
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #207,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful perspective!, October 17, 2002

By 

Lawrence J. King "the chronologist" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Mathematics (Paperback)

This is really a wonderful book. It's one of the reasons I went to grad school.

Dr. King really does a great job of explaining what math is really all about. His analogy to sculpture is perfect: If you want to appreciate a statue, you can't stand too close or too far away. Those in liberal arts are standing too far away from math to see it. Those in engineering and the sciences are standing too close -- they use pieces of math as tools but never see the beauty of mathematics.

And I must respectfully disagree with Dr. Greenberg -- the Appel-Haken proof of the four color theorem really is a travesty. It's not a question of being ugly: it's invisible. It's not a proof at all -- it's an "argument from authority" and hence is inductive, not deductive.

3.0 out of 5 stars Unfocused and Mistitled, December 12, 2011

By 

Samuel Gompers - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Mathematics (Dover Books on Mathematics) (Paperback)

I must be on a hot streak. Almost every book I've read lately is completely mistitled--a ploy by the pubishers that I find beyond annoying. This book has nothing to do with the 'art' of mathematics. The author tried in the beginning to alert the reader that this book was possibly anathema to mathematicians since it wasn't 'math' as they understand it; rather a book allegedly 'about math.' Whatever it is and whatever King set out to accomplish with it, he lost his way. The first third of the book seemed to be a roundabout description of the abstraction of numbers. That much was well-written and not terribly complicated. But then the trouble started. The last two-thirds of the book meander all over the place in an exceedingly poorly crafted and unfocused effort to explain....WHAT? King went from a vaguely technical book for the layman to a muddled concoction of memoir, diatribe, philosophical thesis, critique and on and on and on. It's a patchwork of opinion, criticism, and at times chronicle. A 'behind the scenes' account of academic immaturity and petty politics. And the 100 or so pages on aesthetics? Oh my god. What is this guy doing? He might have had an idea in his mind of what he wanted to say. Unfortunately whatever it was got lost....really LOST between his mind and mouth (or keyboard). The book really is a reflection on a couple of topics that obviously have been part and parcel of the author's career. He seems eager to distance himself from the 'riff-raff' of mathematicians, yet proves he is nothing but lost in the academic world he wants so much to scorn and rise above. King's style as a writer really isn't all that bad, but the book was simply entirely too unfocused and pieced together. In a way, you get a lot for your money here, with 2 separate books in one. Why this was published is a mystery because it sheds no light aesthetics or the politics of being a mathematics professor. And it sure as hell says nothing about art.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mathematician explains math beutifully to all., May 12, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Mathematics (Paperback)

I happend to pick this book up by chance and enjoyed every page. I agreed with everything the author had to say. I suggest this book to anyone with ANY interest in Math. It is best suited for those trying to understand why other people enjoy/understand Mathematics so much