“The Problems of Mathematics, by renowned mathematician Ian Stewart, has been retitled and rewritten. It is the ideal introduction to modern mathematics for math enthusiasts, non-technical readers, and math students. Three new chapters covering the most recent advancements in mathematics are included in this tough and entertaining book, including one on Kepler’s sphere-packing problem, for which a solution has finally been announced after a 380-year wait.
In addition to demonstrating that math can be described using common language, Stewart, a particularly skilled mathematician, and writer, also demonstrates that it can be incredibly entertaining. Accounts of conundrums like Fermat’s famous theorem, manifolds (a multidimensional version of mathematical origami), and the patterns in chaos will especially appeal to puzzle solvers. What reader wouldn’t want probability theory to be introduced by showing them how to increase their chances of winning the lottery?
According to From Here to Infinity, good mathematics has an air of economy and a hint of surprise. The same argument might be made for this educational, entertaining, and occasionally perplexing book.”
