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Mathematics and the Imagination [Hardcover]

Edward Kasner (Author), James Newman (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Anyone who gambles, plays cards, loves puzzles, or simply seeks an intellectual challenge will love this amusing and thought-provoking book. With wit and clarity, the authors deftly progress from simple arithmetic to calculus and non-Euclidean geometry. Their subjects: assorted geometries—plane and fancy; famous puzzles that made mathematical history; tantalizing paradoxes; and more. "Charming and exciting"—Saturday Review of Literature. 169 text figures.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

  • Hardcover
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 15, 1974)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0671208543
  • ISBN-13: 978-0671208547
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,863,185 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

Edward Kasner
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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat dated but still well worth reading, June 12, 2001
By Charles Ashbacher "(cashbacher@yahoo.com)" (Marion, Iowa United States(cashbacher@yahoo.com)) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   
This review is from: Mathematics and the Imagination (Paperback)
Originally published in 1940, the material in this book is beginning to show a little age. However, the quality of the writing renders those defects to near irrelevancy. Popular descriptions of mathematics are differentiated by the quality of the writing rather than the distinctiveness of the mathematics, and this one shines.
I like this book, starting with the title. It takes an enormous amount of imagination to do mathematics, something unappreciated by the public. It is easy to understand the use of linear segments to approximate the length of a curve. However, it requires an enormous leap of abstraction to believe that if they are made of zero length and then summed up, the result is the true length. Calculus students dutifully record and apply this, but in most cases don't appreciate the significance of the idea. In nearly all cases of major mathematical advancement, a fundamental change in thought processes was necessary. Those changes require imagination and the advances explained in this book are well documented and described.
Mathematicians are containers of some of the greatest concentrations of imagination that humans possess. Their leaps of abstraction often include descriptions of objects that cannot be visualized. Kasner and Newman capture this essential ingredient, serving it up in palatable portions.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Indulge your enjoyment of mathematics and expand your mind, November 4, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Mathematics and the Imagination (Tempus) (Paperback)
My school teacher gave me this book to read when I was 13 years old, based on the interest I showed in Mathematics that went beyond the curriculum at school. In many ways it was way beyond my comprehension at the time, but little did I know that it would have such a lasting effect on me. Reading about concepts of infinity, that you could only describe to a fellow teenager as "different sizes of infinity", I realized that there really is a philosophy of mathematics that transcends all other subjects and that there is also an art to working with the subject. I can't recommend this book enough, and I never did give it back to my teacher!
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Oldie but Goodie, April 12, 2000
This review is from: Mathematics and the Imagination (Tempus) (Paperback)
Having had this book around the house for ages, I picked it up and to my surprise within a few minutes really understood (not just enough to use, but actually understood) what logarithms really are, where they come from. The chapter on e, pi, and i is another great one to get the story behind the story, as it were. For me the book could better have continued in this vein of explaining concepts we've seen before but never really grasped intuitively, and perhaps because I'm not terribly interested in mathematical games I found that segment less fun. But in fairness, they've done a good job getting away from textbook math and into some interesting themes. I don't know if it's all still valid, as it is so old--references to Fermat's last theorem are at least outdated!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars mathematical must read
this book is more than 50 years old, but it still provides valuable insight for any math-oriented high school student and especially so for those students who plan for careers in... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Richard Brice

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and educational for the few
This book is for very few as it is not for the following group of readers:
a) only peripherally interested in math;
b) interested in math but wanting to learn more in... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Gaetan Lion

5.0 out of 5 stars Philosophy of Mathematices
The book provides a logical and entertaining explanation of the principals of mathematics and their development.
Published 12 months ago by Kirk 19707

5.0 out of 5 stars gift
Book given to Grandson, a junior in high school who has a passion for Mathematics and how it can be applied. He reports he is very pleased to have it.
Published 12 months ago by Frances F. Sabin

5.0 out of 5 stars Math Puzzles That Challenges the Brain
I am thoroughly enjoying the challenges to my brain that I am finding in this book. it was well worth the price I paid
Published on November 9, 2006 by Kenneth N. Steward

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable
If you like mathematics and how numbers and formulas work, it's worth having a look.
Published on November 6, 2006 by M. Franzel

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for high schoolers with interest
My only complaint is its lack of rigor and the fact that it is getting rather out-of-date; besides that, this is the sort of book that everyone interested in math should read... Read more
Published on December 5, 2003 by DW

5.0 out of 5 stars Mathematics and the Imagination
This book came to me by chance.Instantly got my attention.It is written in such a way,that makes interesant to travel through different chapters. Read more
Published on June 10, 2001 by Hugo Campanelli

5.0 out of 5 stars was the favorite book in J.Borges library, best book I have
I have learned more " thinking "than with any other book, it shoul be a must
Published on November 21, 1998

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