Professor Stewart's Hoard of Mathematical Treasures

Description

Ian Stewart, author of the bestselling Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities, presents a new and magical mix of games, puzzles, paradoxes, brainteasers, and riddles. He mingles these with forays into ancient and modern mathematical thought, appallingly hilarious mathematical jokes, and enquiries into the great mathematical challenges of the present and past. Amongst a host of arcane and astonishing facts about every kind of number from irrational or imaginary to complex or cuneiform, we find out: how to organise chaos; how matter balances anti-matter; how to turn a sphere inside out (without creasing it .); why you can't comb a hairy ball; how to calculate pi by observing the stars. And we get some tantalising glimpses of the maths of life and the universe. Mind-stretching, enlightening and endlessly amusing, Professor Stewart's new entertainment will stimulate, delight, and enthral.

Professor Ian Stewart is the author of many popular science books. He is the mathematics consultant for the New Scientist and a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick. He was awarded the Michael Faraday Medal for furthering the public understanding of science, and in 2001 became a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Pitched at the perfect difficulty level ... clearly and intelligently written ... Anyone with a slight geeky bent to them, whether they be adult or teenager, will find plenty to edify, tickle and tantalise them. It'd make a wonderful present ... I can't wait for the next volume. Highly recommended. * Bookbag * There are jokes, puns, hints on code-breaking and a dollop of the unexpected. You won't have learned any of this in school but if you have a mathematical bent and a logical mind you will soon be teasing out the answers. * Good Book Guide * An ideal present for anyone addicted to Sudoku-like puzzles and beginning to wonder what might lie beyond * Spectator * This is not pure maths. It is maths contaminated with whit, wisdom, and wonder. Ian really is unsurpassed as raconteur of the world of numbers. He guides us on a mind-boggling journey from the ultra trivial to the profound. -- Jeremy Webb * New Scientist * A perfect gift for a clever child * Daily Telegraph * As the professor darts randomly from 'digital cubes' to 'the hairy ball theorem' with boundless playful curiosity, even those with only a sluggish interest in maths will find something to amuse and amaze * Sunday Telegraph *