"The Math Book" could not have come at a better time. I say this because we are living in "The Information Age" and most Americans have access to a PC; therefore, we could very well be at the crossroads of our nation's destiny. But then, every instant is most likely the crossroads of any nation's destiny. What we say, think, and do affects every tick of the clock. Which is why I believe that "The Math Book" could not have come at a better time.
Among young Americans entering college, interest in mathematics, science, and engineering is declining at an alarming rate. This is not true of international students, especially among Asians. Millions upon millions of Chinese students have acquired a ferocious interest in math, science, and engineering. And some estimate that in the very near future 90 percent of all the scientists and engineers in the world will live and work in Asia. It is as if Western Civilization is passing the torch of its scientific genius to the East. And the East is more than willing to take that torch and run with it.
This is why "The Math Book" needs to be in the backpack of every high school student in America. And it should even be in the backpacks of their more precocious siblings in junior high. Moreover, all of them need to take it with them when they enter college so as not to lose their nerve when they enter that first calculus class -- which is usually more difficult than they anticipated.
What this book does so well is elevate numbers to the level of transcendental Splendor and makes them seem holy. But it does so gradually. Your Odyssey begins and you find yourself traveling down an ancient road whereupon you encounter the milestones that mark important mathematical breakthroughs. The milestones are chronologically arranged, and this is important because you soon discover that dice and the concept of random numbers have been around for 5000 years, but the use of knots occurred even earlier -- an astounding 100, 000 years ago -- give or take a few millenniums. You may wonder: What does this have to do with math? Well, read on and you will soon discover that knots are being used to create models of the very fabric of reality in today's world of computer assisted mathematics.
Speaking of the "fabric of reality", "The Math Book" performs a magic trick by taking you into an oracle of higher mathematical understanding by stimulating your Right and Left Brain simultaneously. You open the book and you see the text on the left and often a striking visual image on the right. Thus, a single page of succinct, well-written prose distills the essence of each mathematical milestone into "linear" thought, i.e., plain English and mathematical symbols. Then on the right is the eye-catching color illustration, some of which were rendered by Teja Krasek, an artistic associate of Cliff Pickover's, and these enable you to better contemplate the haunting Splendor of Numbers. In other cases, photographs and/or reproductions of famous prints as well as artistic renderings by various visual artists further illuminate your mind as you strive for cognition after reading Pickover's explanation of the topic at hand.
For instance, there is a photograph of a flaming zero on page 81 that is worth a thousand words. On page 125 you will see an example of Jos Ley's "gorgeous" fractal art after reading about Rafael Bombelli's imaginary numbers on page 124. (Imaginary numbers played a role in the production of Ley's startling work of fractal art in this case). And then on page 63 there is "Eratosthenes" by Polish artist Andreas Guskos, which is an excellent illustration for Cliff Pickover's commentary upon the Sieve of Eratosthenes on page 62. These and many other graphic designs may awaken what has been dormant in your psyche for a long time after you've read a few of Pickover's nuggets of wisdom. He's opened a vein of gold here. And before all is said and done he may turn out to be one of our better angels.
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now
Frequently bought together
$55.00
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Similar items that may ship from close to you
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Reviews with images
Poorly illustrated
Way too many low-resolution images and terrible illustrations which looked some something I could make using PowerPoint.. Since half the book is comprised of illustrations, this seems to me as a huge waste of paper. I included some examples, but it’s really all of the 250 or so pictures with one or two decent ones. A far cry from The Physics Book of the same series. Any highschool student with goodwill and Google could’ve sourced beautiful images in a week’s time or less for $15/hour. Lazy and sloppy.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2009
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2010
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2022
Top reviews from other countries
Priyajit Debnath
The key to know math's origin
Reviewed in India on October 19, 2019
Oliver Kolle
Anregendes Werk in schöner Aufmachung
Reviewed in Germany on April 18, 2014