Customer Reviews

The Mathematical Tourist: New and Updated Snapshots of Modern Mathematics

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Writing popular mathematics well is a very hard task. While some poetic license is allowed, the quality of the book is always dependent on how well the mathematics is explained. The good ones never write themselves into a corner, but always seem to be moving along the side of a Moebius strip, so that even the old appears new. This book, an update of the original published ten years ago, is self-referential in that regard.
If you have read any popular works in mathematics over the last decade, then many of the topics in this book will be familiar. However, Peterson writes so well that even that which should be routine becomes interesting once again. There is also new material covering recent advances such as the "proof" of Fermat's Last Theorem, using quantum computers to solve combinatorially explosive problems and multi-dimensional string theory. Written at a level accessible to the interested lay person, this book is a smooth journey through the labyrinth of current mathematical progress. ....

The journey begins.Attention Passengers!We first arrive at Numeralis..

What a way to start the journey to the world of Mathematics.You open the book and start reading it.True to the title he takes you to a guided tour into the world of Mathematics considering each pillar of Mathematics as a country on its own.
I have a read a four Volume series on the World of Mathematics by Newmann and I did wonder how beautifully the Mathematical areas with its own *Scenic beauty* has been described.But when I read this one,Yes ! I did get a feeling of having travelled to Mathematics World visited each place and had a good insight into each one.
Ivars Peterson starts the journey by first visiting the Number World.He names this as the "Prime pursuit" and then slowly into the *theory of mathematical spaces* -topology and minimal surfaces.Wait!I hear you asking if it is all about pure mathematics.Certainly not,then and there to make the passengers feel comfortable ,just like a real guide ,he introduces the usefulness of the concepts in the emperical world.Be it quantum computing-the century's scientific thirst or the age-old yet golden primes ,the journey is very smooth ,no harsh surprises what one would term as mathematics of the mathematicians.This one is for the layman..A cool and lucid entry and exit in the world of Mathematics.
After reading this book you will wonder,"have I visited so many *places* " but you will feel that you have learnt so many Mathematical stuffs,what this world is all about and mind you ,all these without even the slightest fatigue:)

A must read Popular Maths Book!

Let me start off by saying that this is not a work for the layman or the mentally lazy. It deals with several outstanding mathematical issues in so far as they relate to our understanding of the universe. The writing is erudite, refined and continually interesting. Subjects as far-ranging as knot theory (I didn't know it existed), fractals, prime numbers, multi-dimensions, shapes, hyperspace - it's all here with a large number of illustrations and drawings including several color plates of fractals produced by computer.

Get this updated edition even if you have the paperback 1988 edition. There are quite a few updated topics in this edition. While I still prefer the four volume Newmann classic, "World Of Mathematics", this book gives a fast but full overview of the subject.

Beginning with the world of numbers one is enchanted chapter by chapter into the labryinth. Some effort is required on the reader's part but that is rewarded in full measure. It is something to ponder the sheer beauty of ideas and proofs. Patterns and their "invention" surprisingly correspond to aspects of nature.

The presentation here is excellent. I found this book a great joy to read. While much that is presented here I have read before, the work still gives me further insight on things that I missed. This book is a gem.

This is a fantastic book. Often time we think about mathematics, we can only come up with numbers, counting,etc. Or if you heard more about math you might know some words like topology, chaos, fractal. But what are those? This book gives you a chance to know those new mathematics terminology. The book is divided into 8 chapters. Every chapter tells about different topic. In each chapter, first, it gives you a look about a normal thing like map, bubble, then it tells you about the mathematics in here. Then it introduces more on this math concept. The most great things about this book is that you can relate the mathematics and life or nature easily. And you will not think that mathematics are something theoretically but real. For example, the tiling problems in math can be a practical use of covering floor. Besides the regular polygon, mathematician are willing to find other shapes that is a little irregular which can also covering the floor. And surprisingly, they found out some patterns fit and had the same look as some diffraction pattern of spots of molecule. So, are you ready to buy this book? Do not hesitate!

Not every topic in here is appealing to me--for example, I loved the chaos, fractals, and prime number sections and skimmed the sections on higher dimensions and topology. But the point is that Peterson gives a skilled description of each area of mathematics. There are enough pictures / illustrations and intuitive explanations / examples for a layman, but also enough "real" mathematics to inform one who has a decent background in math. And of course, the additional resources listed for each chapter would allow one to more formally pursue a topic that captures one's interest.

Overall a very fun read. And Peterson's brief treatment of the clash of computers with mathematical theorems is thought-provoking.

I have NOT read the updated edition yet but the original was quite good; surely the updated only improves upon it.

The rival book to this one originally was Chaos: Making a New Science. The reason the Peterson book is better is that he covers more than Gleick who has limited his scope to fractals and chaos.
In this new expanded version he has added some updates about what has happened since 1988.
Ivars Peterson is one of the best mathematics popular writers alive today.
His map of Mathland is right out of a fantasy novel.
If you want to give your college student something that will help him grasp the problems of modern mathematics, this would be a very good starting book.

Peterson does a good job of covering many mathemaical concpts in a well-paced narrative. This is an enjoyable book to read, even for those who don't like math. The author wisely steers clear of lenghthy equations and problems, and takes the time to lead the reader through the concepts in a way that doesn't require a background in math. Anyone with an inquisitive mind would appreciate this book.