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Gaurav Suri
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A Certain Ambiguity: A Mathematical Novel Hardcover – July 22, 2007

by Gaurav Suri (Author), Hartosh Singh Bal (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 84 ratings
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While taking a class on infinity at Stanford in the late 1980s, Ravi Kapoor discovers that he is confronting the same mathematical and philosophical dilemmas that his mathematician grandfather had faced many decades earlier--and that had landed him in jail. Charged under an obscure blasphemy law in a small New Jersey town in 1919, Vijay Sahni is challenged by a skeptical judge to defend his belief that the certainty of mathematics can be extended to all human knowledge--including religion. Together, the two men discover the power--and the fallibility--of what has long been considered the pinnacle of human certainty, Euclidean geometry.

As grandfather and grandson struggle with the question of whether there can ever be absolute certainty in mathematics or life, they are forced to reconsider their fundamental beliefs and choices. Their stories hinge on their explorations of parallel developments in the study of geometry and infinity--and the mathematics throughout is as rigorous and fascinating as the narrative and characters are compelling and complex. Moving and enlightening, A Certain Ambiguity is a story about what it means to face the extent--and the limits--of human knowledge.

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  1. Print length
    296 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Princeton University Press
  4. Publication date
    July 22, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0691127093
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0691127095
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Winner of the 2007 Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in Mathematics, Association of American Publishers"

"Good stories need rich characters that we care about, not mathematical theorems, however fascinating. So a work of fiction subtitled A mathematical novel makes you fear that it may only expose the tremendous difficulty of blending science and logic with the emotion and dramatic tension required of good literature. Fortunately, in this case that fear is misplaced, because A Certain Ambiguity succeeds both as a compelling novel and as an intellectual tour through some startling mathematical ideas.... A Certain Ambiguity is a brilliant and unusual novel." ― New Scientist

"I loved this novel. I hope we see more 'mathematical novels' being published in the future."---Donald L. Vestal, MAA Review

"The writers have created a book that could fascinate those who have just a rudimentary knowledge of math." ― India Abroad

"In the delightful, yet deep tradition of Lewis Carroll, Martin Gardner, A.K. Dewdney, and Marco Abate comes A Certain Ambiguity by Gaurav Suri and Hartosh Singh Bal...There is no doubt that Suri and Bal have set a difficult goal for themselves and have succeeded in making difficult mathematical ideas accessible...[W]hat makes the work of Suri and Bal a fine example of this tradition is what makes any successful and more traditional novel work--rich and warm characterization, an interesting plot, and a conclusion that illustrates the equal proportions of ingredients of certainty, ambiguity, frustration, and joy in the proof of our human-ness."---Gurunandan R. Bhat, The Financial Express

"Suri and Bal's unconventional book praises the beauty of mathematics and the logical inevitability of its proofs. The book is also a discourse on the struggles between truth, faith, and reason. All this is woven into two weeks in the life of Ravi, an Indian student at Stanford University, and his accidental discovery that his grandfather was once convicted of blasphemy in a New Jersey town...Among the many books that aim to make mathematics more accessible to the nonmathematician, this is a remarkably pleasant and successful achievement."---J. Mayer, Choice

"The book sweeps up those who are sensitive to the intellectual adventure of mathematics. It accurately portrays the attraction and enjoyment that are to be found in the play of ideas. I recommend it highly to all those who have an interest in mathematics."---William Byars, SIAM Review

Review

"A Certain Ambiguity is an amazing narrative that glows with a vivid sense of the beauty and wonder of mathematics. The narrator is deeply troubled by the ancient question of whether the objects and theorems of mathematics have a reality independent of human minds. Mixing fiction with nonfiction, A Certain Ambiguity is a veritable history of mathematics disguised as a novel. Starting with the Pythagorean theorem, it moves through number theory and geometry to Cantor's alephs, non-Euclidean geometry, Gödel, and even relativity."―Martin Gardner

"This is a truly captivating thriller that will take you on a whirlwind tour to infinity―and beyond. But be warned: once you start reading, you won't be able to put it aside until finished! A masterly-told story that weaves together criminal law, ancient and modern history, a young man's quest to know his deceased grandfather-and some highly intriguing mathematics."―Eli Maor, author of e: the Story of a Number and The Pythagorean Theorem: A 4,000-Year History

"This rich and engaging novel follows the path that leads one young person to become a professional mathematician. By deftly blending the young man's story with mathematical ideas and historical developments in the subject, the authors succeed brilliantly in taking the reader on a tour of some of the major highlights in the philosophy of mathematics. If that were not enough, the book also examines, through the minds of its characters, the natures of faith (religious and other) and truth. I am strongly thinking of building a university non-majors math course around this novel."―Keith Devlin, Stanford University, author of The Math Gene

"A Certain Ambiguity is a remarkably good effort to work through some fundamental issues in the philosophy of mathematics in the context of a novel. Crucial to the success of such a venture is creating characters and a plot that are strong enough to hold a reader's interest. Suri and Bal succeed particularly well in the story of Vijay Sahni and Judge Taylor. This well-written book will, I believe, find readers not only among mathematicians, but in a wider audience that is intrigued by mathematical meaning."―Joan Richards, Brown University

"Suri and Bal convey the beauty and elegance―as well as the fascination―of basic mathematical concepts."―Alexander Paseau, University of Oxford

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press; First Edition (July 22, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 296 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691127093
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691127095
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 84 ratings

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Gaurav Suri

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
We don’t use a simple average to calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star. Our system gives more weight to certain factors—including how recent the review is and if the reviewer bought it on Amazon. Learn more
84 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Gabe Ryder
5.0 out of 5 stars A Quiet Classic
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2010
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I didn't know any mathematics before I read "A Certain Ambiguity." Yes, I'd taken Calculus in college, but I never quite saw its point, the way I saw the point of, say, literature. Novels made me think about life in a different way, and the better the novel the more profound the change it wrought.

So I was skeptical when I picked this book up. My son had it as a supplementary text in a college course and he had brought it home. I liked something about the cover and every time I walked by it I told myself to check it out. Finally I did. The first page grabbed me and then I read nothing else for the next two months! The book got "inside me" the way only the best novels have. It made me re-examine things and question assumptions I've always held.

In a quiet way the authors use mathematics to talk about our deepest beliefs and why they are beliefs in the first place. Strongly recommended.
5 people found this helpful
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C. Earnshaw
4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Cool Math
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2019
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An English professor who wants to learn to think more like a mathematician recommended this novel to me, and, as a math professor, I just ate it up - read it in less then 48 hours. I loved how the authors wove mathematical themes into a story involving relationships and life philosophy. The topics covered are some of my favorites: the nature of the infinite, non-Euclidean geometry, and mathematics foundations.

I don't know that the mathematical segments could have been written with any more brevity, as these topics are hard to get across briefly. They were well-explained, mostly through conversation, but I wondered if someone less "mathy" would want to stick with it. I like to think they would, as these are very interesting (to me) mathematical topics that people don't generally come across, and tying them into relationships and life views/philosophy brings them to life, I think.

As a math professor it would be my hope that such a novel might make math more appealing to those that are open to taking this on, but I do wonder if it's a bit much. It is a good story, well worth reading.
4 people found this helpful
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Alex Porras
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and smart. A true pleasure to read.
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2012
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I am a very science oriented reader and enjoy immensely when novels contain facts. This one is a fantastic story that handles marvelously mathematics and a coherent plot. I have even stopped in the middle of a page to test the mathematical theorems they mention (I know, not the usual reader - a bit geeky). I can only add that is refreshing to find this gems and even for not math avid readers, the story is very well written and engaging.

Highly recommended!
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A. MILLER
3.0 out of 5 stars Great book for casually introducing a lot of math--falls short eleswhere.
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2010
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The book is fantastic at introducing several of the most well known and intellectually stimulating theorems in mathematics. From the Pythagorean Theorem, to the infinitude of primes, to the Continuum Hypothesis, and even the logical equivalency of Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry. While I do feel that a person without any mathematics instruction at the undergraduate level would struggle to fully follow the proofs and specificities of the mathematics, such a person would still greatly benefit by reading this book, as there is likely not a better place to find all of these concepts introduced in such elementary and casual terms. This is where the book succeeds, however it falls short in other aspects.

From a literary standpoint, the book is certainly not spectacular. Far too often sentences start with "So..." and go on to explain the implications of the previous passage. It is a minor caveat, but the frequency with which "So..." is used just makes it obvious the writers are mathematicians and not fiction authors. There are also several fortuitous happenstances that are all too unbelievable. However, if you are willing to forgive the author's literary shortcomings, then the book is still a nice read.

The philosophical component of the book is indeed stimulating. It makes one think quite a lot about what absolute "certainty" means. I do, however, find the conclusions at the end of the book to be all but unsatisfying. Essentially, the book concludes by saying that mathematical logic is still the best way to "know" something, but we can never be entirely sure which axioms are certainly true. It says that everyone must decide which axioms they think are true based on a feeling of overall "connectedness" and deduce their beliefs from those axioms; as long as people are "connected", then everything will be great. I guess I was expecting more out of the ending of this book. To simply end on a relativistic worldview in which cold hard logic built upon axioms derived from a sense of "connectedness" does no justice to the complexities of the religious faith, romantic encounters, and mathematical implications found in the bulk of the book. I am not saying that developing a philosophy that adequately incorporates all these things is an easy task, but I am simply saying that the authors did not succeed in doing so. I find that the philosophical outlook propounded by the authors comes up short in synthesizing absolute certainty with human experiences such as love, friendship, faith.

Overall, the book did earn all the three stars that I am giving it. I would recommend this book to those who are interested in two people's take on the philosophy of mathematics, certainty, and faith and are not shy of some stimulating mathematics. However, do not expect this novel to give you a fully satisfactory conclusion about the relationship between all these things.
8 people found this helpful
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Jose Maria
5.0 out of 5 stars beatiful book
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2010
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I found this book, one of the most interesants I have ever read. It tells about a young kid from india that comes to study in a University of USA. In that big picture you learn about mathematics and philosophy in a casual and interesting way.
It can be read for any high school student, junior or senior. Or for any grown person. It is delighful.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

S. R. Sudarshan Iyengar
5.0 out of 5 stars Very under-rated
Reviewed in India on March 7, 2024
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Haven't read a popular science book on math with a tinch eof Indian-ness. A must read.
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Prof. Dr. Friedel Hossfeld
5.0 out of 5 stars More fiction of this character could successfully fight against stupid indifference
Reviewed in Germany on February 2, 2020
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Entertaining + enlightening!
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars I personally found the descriptions invigorating and quite profoundly stated ...
Reviewed in Canada on February 10, 2017
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I personally found the descriptions invigorating and quite profoundly stated in a manner filled with passion I only wish I had in math teachers. I found, however, near the end, that the beauty of the subject was seemingly being forced to fit a certain view on God and the universe. Nevertheless, a book worth reading.
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User
3.0 out of 5 stars A below average...or above average book ....there is a certain ambiguity about that
Reviewed in India on November 19, 2017
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A little mathematics sprinkled over a mediocre story...supposedly intelligent mathematics teacher comes off as mediocre in mathematics overall. A well published, Oxford educated (?) mathematician who has not heard of non Euclidian geometry and on top of it, this brings about an artificial and idiotic, but sadly important climax in the story. The mathematician is not smart enough to identify the fallacy and foolishness of a judge's creationist argument and he was supposed to have a well formed atheistic world view... Overall it was a pain to read on..
Still I am giving three stars because
1) it covers some interesting concepts in Maths
2) the author might have selected somewhat foolish characters so that any layman could follow the argument.but I feel a layman should be treated as an intelligent fellow who is not conversant with that particular subject..rather than a fool. It made a relatively long description for relatively simple concepts.
3) may be fearing American religionism, authors have created artificial blindspots in rationalist views and created artificial authenticity to creationism.....for me it was a big let down...felt like pushing an agenda
4) there is a chance that it is just me ......the narrative may suit some other reader....
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John F. Gray
4.0 out of 5 stars Most thoughtful and enjoyable read
Reviewed in Canada on July 3, 2013
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Never the mathematician, and chose not to read this as work of mathematics. It was a great way to think about thinking. It was also a very engaging story.
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