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Rudy Rucker

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Mind Tools: The Five Levels of Mathematical Reality Reprint Edition

by Rudy Rucker (Author)

4.5 21 ratings

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This reader-friendly volume groups the patterns of mathematics into five archetypes: numbers, space, logic, infinity, and information. Rudy Rucker presents an accessible introduction to each of these important areas, reflecting intelligence gathered from the frontiers of mathematical thought. More than 100 drawings illuminate explorations of digital versus analog processes, logic as a computing tool, communication as information transmission, and other "mind tools."
"Mind Tools is an original and fascinating look at various aspects of mathematics that is sure to fascinate the nonmathematician." — Isaac Asimov
"A lighthearted romp through contemporary mathematics. . . . Mind Tools is a delight." — San Francisco Chronicle
"For those who gave up college mathematics for what seemed more liberal arts, Rudy Rucker's book, Mind Tools, is a dazzling refresher course. . . . He rekindles the wonder that can come from contemplating logarithms, exponential curves and transcendental numbers." — The New York Times Book Review
"One of Rucker's greatest assets is his ability to make complexities comprehensible to the general reader without lecturing." — The Washington Post
"Approaching all of mathematics, and everything else, by way of information theory, Dr. Rucker's latest and most exciting book opens vistas of dazzling beauty — scenes that blend order with chaos, reality with fantasy, that startle you with their depths of impenetrable mystery." — Martin Gardner

About the Author

Rudy Rucker is an American mathematician, computer scientist, philosopher, and author of 31 books of nonfiction, science fiction, and short stories. He is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Computer Science at San Jose State University.

ISBN-10

0486492281
ISBN-13

978-0486492285
Edition

Reprint
Publisher

Dover Publications
Publication date

November 21, 2013
Language

English
Dimensions

5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
Print length

336 pages
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dover Publications; Reprint edition (November 21, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0486492281
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0486492285
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,648,490 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,553 in Mathematics History
- #3,887 in Trade
- #8,620 in Mathematics (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 21 ratings

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Rudy Rucker

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Rudy Rucker has written forty books, both pop science. and SF novels in the cyberpunk and transreal styles. He received Philip K. Dick awards for for the novels in his "Ware Tetralogy". His "Complete Stories," and his nonfiction "The Fourth Dimension" are standouts. He worked as a professor of computer science in Silicon Valley for twenty years. He paints works relating to his tales. His latest novel "Juicy Ghosts" is about telepathy, immortality, and a new revolution. Rudy blogs at www.rudyrucker.com/blog

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Steven L Goldman

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2017

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All of Rucker's works are beautiful, funny and useful -- a master.

2 people found this helpful

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Fred Cheyunski

Mathematical Thought and Origins of Related Visualization Explained

Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2017

Rudy Rucker’s “Mind Tools” provides a very clear and step by step explanation of mathematical thought from basic concepts to their incorporation in computing. From the Introduction through the chapters the book covers the “five modes of thought” and proceeds accordingly. Namely, it addresses mathematics as (1) number, (2) space, (3) logic, (4) infinity and information.

I first learned about this book as a reference given related to data driven organization design (see my review of Rupert Morrison’s book with this title), graph database approaches to organizational modeling and the importance of visualization in human deliberations. Rucker’s explanation certainly does help one better understand the foundations for such activities and other uses of computers and visualization (for example see my review of David J Staley’s “Computers, Visualization, and History”).

Among my favorite parts included the author’s description of the analog and digital activities (right and left) aspects of the brain with the former providing the basis for recognizing and the latter manipulating the content of a scene in a photograph (page 9). Then, there is his discussion of the psychological roots of mathematical concepts including Carl Jung’s use of a tetrad or quarternity to examine brain processing and pattern (archetype) formation (pages 20-21). Figures with many simple number patterns (pages 52-62) offer ways of dealing with numbers. Rucker’s treatment of the different types of curves relates different means for working with space (e.g. see material on sine curves starting on page 142 or mention of life fractals like concept maps on page 180). The remarks on the limits of logic (such as on page 198) and the conceivability of patterns within information (page 300) are also revealing. Also, illuminating at different points and at the end of the book is the explanation of the mathematic foundation for computers and the ways graphical information are produced (for instance see page 307).

While the book is well laid out and proceeds systematically, it does take some attention and perseverance to begin to put it all together. Nevertheless, “Mind Tools” is worth the effort to further grasp mathematical thought, the analysis, and visualization it makes possible as well as their usefulness in our lives.

9 people found this helpful

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Terry Nusser

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2015

Verified Purchase

I LIKE THE MATHEMATICAL BASED DESCRIPTIONS. GREAT CHAPTER ON GOEDEL AND TURING.

2 people found this helpful

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michael dornan