Opening another drawer in his Cabinet of Curiosities, renowned mathematics professor Ian Stewart presents a new medley of games, paradoxes, and riddles in Professor Stewart's Hoard of Mathematical Treasures . With wit and aplomb, Stewart mingles casual puzzles with grander forays into ancient and modern mathematical thought. Amongst a host of arcane and astonishing facts about every kind of number from irrational and imaginary to complex and cuneiform, we learn: - How to organize chaos - How matter balances anti-matter - How to turn a sphere inside out (without creasing it) - How to calculate pi by observing the stars - ...and why you can't comb a hairy ball. Along the way Stewart offers the reader tantalizing glimpses of the mathematics underlying life and the universe. Mind-stretching, enlightening, and endlessly amusing, Professor Stewart's Hoard of Mathematical Treasures will stimulate, delight, and enthrall.

About the Author
Ian Stewart is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick and Director of its Mathematics Awareness Centre. He is also a regular research visitor at the University of Houston, the Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications in Minneapolis, and the Santa Fe Institute. His writing has appeared in New Scientist, Discover, and Scientific American, among others. He lives in Warwick, England.


Book Information
ISBN 9780465017751
Author Ian Stewart
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Basic Books
Publisher Basic Books
Weight(grams) 346g
Dimensions(mm) 209mm * 142mm * 23mm