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Wonders of Numbers: Adventures in Math, Mind, and Meaning First Edition

by Clifford A. Pickover (Author)

4.1 9 ratings

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If we actually received messages from the stars, what would we do with them? Who were the five strangest mathematicians in history? What are the ten most interesting numbers? Who is the Number King? Jam-packed with thought-provoking mathematical mysteries, puzzles, and games--as well as the answers to all of the above questions--Wonders of Numbers will enchant even the most left-brained of readers.
Hosted by the quirky Dr. Googol--who resides on an island in Sri Lanka and occasionally collaborates with Clifford Pickover--Wonders of Numbers focuses on creativity and the delight of discovery. Here is a potpourri of common and unusual number theory problems of varying difficulty--each presented in brief chapters that convey to readers the essence of the problem rather than the extraneous, convoluted history of it. Want to know about undulating numbers? Turn to Chapter 53 and in just a few pages you'll have a quick challenge. Interested in Fibonacci numbers? Turn to Chapter 74 for the same. Peppered throughout with illustrations that clarify many of the problems, Wonders of Numbers also includes fascinating "math gossip." How would we use numbers to communicate with aliens? Check out Chapter 31. What are the five saddest mathematical scandals? You'll find them in Chapter 35. Did you know that there is a Numerical Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? There is, and it's in Chapter 46.
Indeed, each chapter in Wonders of Numbers is a paradox and a mystery. From the beautiful formula of India's most famous mathematician to the Leviathan number so big it makes a trillion look small, Dr. Googol's witty, disarming, and straightforward approach to numbers will entice students, educators, and scientists alike to pick up a pencil and work a problem.

Book Description

A unique and lighthearted book filled with recreational math problems, mysteries, and fascinating facts

From the Author

Who are the eight most influential female mathematicians? Why aren't Roman numerals used anymore? Why was the first woman mathematician brutally murdered? What were the Unabomber's ten most mathematical technical papers?

Prepare yourself for a shattering odyssey as Wonders of Numbers unlocks the doors of your imagination. The thought-provoking mysteries, puzzles, and problems range from the most beautiful formula of Ramanujan (India's most famous mathematician) to the Leviathan number, a number so big that it makes a trillion pale in comparison. The mysterious puzzles and games should cause even the most left-brained readers to fall in love with numbers. The quirky and exclusive surveys on mathematicians' lives, scandals, and passions will entertain people at all levels of mathematical sophistication.

Grab a pencil. Relax. Then take off on a mind-boggling journey to the ultimate frontier of math, mind, and meaning, as Dr. Clifford Pickover and legendary, eccentric mathematician Dr. Francis Googol explore some of the oddest and quirkiest highways and byways of the numerically obsessed. With numerous illustrations and appendices pointing to computer explorations, this is an original, fun-filled, and thoroughly unique introduction to numbers and their role in creativity, computers, games, practical research, and absurd adventures that teeter on the edge of logic and insanity.

From the Inside Flap

"The prolific Clifford Pickover has written another marvelous book. Through conversations between whimsical Dr. Googol and his pupil Monica, you can test your wits on an incredible variety of unusual mathematical puzzles and games. Along the way there are fascinating historical facts and math gossip to enjoy. You can't help absorbing a great deal of important math as you pick your way through Pickover's delightful pick of fresh, little-known gems of recreational mathematics."
-- Martin Gardner

"Pickover dazzles us once more with his book Wonders of Numbers. This big book of mathematical ideas provides hours, days, months if not years of entertaining numbers, puzzles, problems and novelties to explore. The book runs the gamut with such things as X-File numbers, Mozart numbers, Katydid sequences, and on and on. There's something for everyone's interest."

-- Theoni Pappas, author of The Joy of Mathematics

About the Author

Clifford A. Pickover is Research Staff Member at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center. An associate editor of several journals, prolific inventor, and puzzle columnist for magazines such as Discover, Pickover is the author of many best-selling books on popular science topics. He lives in Yorktown Heights, New York.

ISBN-10

9780195133424
ISBN-13

978-0195133424
Edition

First Edition
Publisher

Oxford University Press
Publication date

December 15, 2000
Language

English
Dimensions

6.25 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
Print length

416 pages
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0195133420
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; First Edition (December 15, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780195133424
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195133424
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.65 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,037,341 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #796 in Number Theory (Books)
- #1,553 in Math Games
- #10,233 in Mathematics (Books)

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4.1 9 ratings

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Clifford A. Pickover

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From my publisher:

Clifford A. Pickover received his Ph.D. from Yale University and is the author of over 30 books on such topics as computers and creativity, art, mathematics, black holes, religion, human behavior and intelligence, time travel, alien life, and science fiction.

Pickover is a prolific inventor with dozens of patents, is the associate editor for several journals, the author of colorful puzzle calendars, and puzzle contributor to magazines geared to children and adults.

WIRED magazine writes, "Bucky Fuller thought big, Arthur C. Clarke thinks big, but Cliff Pickover outdoes them both." According to The Los Angeles Times, "Pickover has published nearly a book a year in which he stretches the limits of computers, art and thought."

The Christian Science Monitor writes, "Pickover inspires a new generation of da Vincis to build unknown flying machines and create new Mona Lisas." Pickover's computer graphics have been featured on the cover of many popular magazines and on TV shows.

His web site, Pickover.Com, has received millions of visits. His Blog RealityCarnival.Com is one of his most popular sites.

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Lynne Kelly

A gem for teachers

Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2001

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Pickover's latest book is wonderful! I specialise in teaching very able mathematics students and have used Clifford A. Pickover's books and web site with great success. The students really respond to his sense of humour.
Wonders of Numbers is exactly the sort of material which stimulates the bright kids (and their teachers!), and gets them thinking in depth long after the class has finished. It takes them beyond the idea of just "getting sums right" to the concept that mathematics is a glorious plaything.
Many of the chapters include computer related themes (fractals, programming) so students can see that mathematics is an evolving subject, not something which was all discovered long ago.
The constant inclusion of interesting people, the humour in the writing, the validity of the topics mathematically, the strange sidelines and the general sense of fun, ensures I have another gem to extend the students beyond the regular curriculum. The chapters are just the right size to initiate a topic and motivate the students to pursue it. It is lovely to have material to use which doesn't just lead to a correct answer and end to the problem, but leads them to take it further and further.
Wonderful!

13 people found this helpful

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David E. Molnar

Doesn't do it for me.

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2001

Pickover always chooses interesting topics to write about, as described elsewhere on this page, but here there are just too many. When he lets himself spend five pages on a topic ("Cards, Frogs, and Fractal Sequences"), it is fascinating. With more care, this could have been a strong Gardner-like book of 14 chapters. Instead, we have the recycled correspondence of "Dr. Googol" along with short descriptions of games nobody plays with notes like "Mathematicians and philosophers will no doubt spend many years pondering a range of questions...". I won't. I found this type of pronouncement a turn-off, even when it was "Dr. Googol" making it rather than Pickover.
To cram in 123 topics, Pickover is forced to give us links to software available on the web (perhaps this would be more appealing to readers whose tastes run more towards problem solving and exploring on the computer rather than with pencil and paper) or to other books and papers. This isn't a book; it's a website. OK, maybe that's a bit harsh. It's a website you can take into the bathroom with you.

13 people found this helpful

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Utterly fascinating, stimulating, and FUN

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2002

You don't need to be an advanced mathematician to enjoy and benefit from this book. I think the ideal reader is someone who is interested in numbers and likes to think about things in logical and interesting ways.
While I found this book a lot of fun (even at my age), I think it would be ideal for a high-school student who had developed some facility with numbers and was busy developing their thinking patterns. This book would help them learn to think in new ways and probably give them some new paths to explore.
It isn't just interesting problems, although there are many very interesting things to solve. There are fascinating lists and explanations that can spur continued investigation and even provoke development through disagreement!
The "answers" in the back provide explanations that are also written as a springboard for further investigation.
Good stuff! Four stars only because it is so specialized. But if you like this topic it is a five star book.

3 people found this helpful

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Dennis W. Gordon

A Wonderful Book

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2001

Now here is a fine weekend escape - a delightful book to be read with one's feet up and an ice cold beverage all the while contemplating the wonders of numbers. Mostly about the integers, there are such mathematical adventures as 2, 3, and 4 dimensional magic squares, numbers so huge they require special notation and easily dwarf the number of atoms in the known universe, fractal number sequences, Mozart numbers, and lots of other fun things in the 125 chapters. My favorite numbers are the Schizophrenic numbers (Chapter 93) which when evaluated to 500 digits reveal patterns of seemingly random digits alternating with chains of repetitions of identical digits. The book is especially entertaining for the connections shown between some of these numbers and music, art, science, and other areas of mathematics.
For additional enjoyment the Further Exploring section offers additional background including references to books and web sites and also some challenges to readers - a few of which even include a cash prize. And, best of all Wonders of Numbers is written in plain English and accompanied by splendid graphics, lively anecdotes, and a generous supply of epigraphs. A fun way to while away a weekend.

19 people found this helpful

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Mike

Excellent, Broad, Fun, Challenging, Thought Provoking

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2000

This latest book of Pickover's never ceases to amaze me. There are 100s of puzzles, some playful, some very deep. The numerous illustrations make this book a delight. My favorite chapters were those on how to create caverns using simple rules, Faberge egg synthesis, Gaussian frothlike bubbles produce by fractals, and Spidery Math. I also liked some of the unusual surveys. Something for everyone! The range of problems is so extraordinary that I think even middle school students would like many parts of this book -- yet the book will also appeal to seasoned mathematicians and grad students. The publisher has some of the computer code on a web page, but you don't need a computer to have fun with this book.

The book has a walloping 125 short chapters divided into 4 main sections titled: 1) "Fun Puzzles and Quick Thoughts," 2) "Quirky Questions, Lists, and Surveys," 3) "Fiendishly Difficult Digital Delights," and 4) "The Peruvian Collection." Sample chapter titles: "Attack of the Amateurs" (describes how amateurs have made progress in math), "The Fractal Society" (games played on fractal playing boards), "Einstein, Ramanujan, Hawking" (some thought-provoking questions), "A Ranking of the Five Saddest Mathematical Scandals" (hard to guess), "The Spring of Khosrow Carpet" (recipes for creating Persian carpets), "Schizophrenic Numbers" (weird stuff!), and "The Emerald Gambit" (fun puzzle).

Buy the book and feed your head (or your kid's head).

5 people found this helpful

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