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Il Meraviglioso Mondo Dei Numeri (2011)

by Alex Bellos(Favorite Author)

4.03 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

8806195891 (ISBN13: 9788806195892)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Einaudi

review 1: This is the last of the books I was given for Xmas 2011, and was the one I expected to be the most challenging. Indeed it was, but I got on much better after downloading the Kindle version where it was easier to read the text. From the earliest days of counting through to the world of hyperbolic planes, Bellos takes us on an eclectic walk through the history of mathematics, with anecdotes about the mathematicians of the past, and about those he met while researching for the book. He leads us through Euclidian geometry, Newtonian maths, Einstein and many others. I particularly liked the chapter on probability which explains how to win at roulette, but had to skip bits of the chapter about infinity. On the whole, I'm glad I read it, but I'm equally glad I've finished it! 5/1... more0 (March 2013)
review 2: Best book about platykurtic & leptokuric distributions and hyperbolic geometry I've read in a long time! But seriously, I LOVED this book. A lot of the math and concepts, I already knew from my brief engineering (school) days, but had forgotten and was so excited to be reminded to share with my 4th grader who is a math team competitor. He saw how excited I got over the book and wants to read it. It's written for adults, but I believe most people can understand enough of the mathematical concepts mentioned, enough to fully understand and enjoy this book. I really enjoyed learning the history of numbers and how different cultures approach math differently. It starts with the history of math but also explains the way different cultures today teach their children. There's a chapter about puzzles- history of math puzzles from Sudoku to the Rubik's Cube and beyond. My child is a big fan of The Cube so he got a big kick out of many facts I relayed to him. He already knew about the fastest solvers name and time and that some solve it blindfolded BUT now he knows there is a guy who solves the cube on roller coasters and one who solves with his FEET in 27 seconds! The only thing I would change about this book is, the last chapter deals with infinity and I was surprised the concept of some shapes having finite surface area yet infinite volume, didn't come up. This has always been the most fascinating mathematical concept for me. And, this book SHOULD have at least once mentioned, "FlatLand" by Edwin Abbott. But, before I complain, I should probably read Bellos' "Grapes of Math."This is a great book for anyone interested in history, fascinated by math or entertained by learning little known facts! less

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