My Brain is Open: Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos - Hardcover

Schechter, Bruce

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198504713 ISBN 13: 9780198504719

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1998

Synopsis

For over half a century, in the middle of the night, or in the morning, mathematicians in Budapest or Berkeley, Prague or Sydney, would be summoned by a knock at their front door. There on their doorstep they would find one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century - Paul Erdos, a small suitcase in one hand and a bag full of papers in the other, announcing, "My brain is open". Then with his host and other mathematicians assembled as needed, Erdos would begin another mathematical journey. Literally homeless, without even a bank account, Erdos would rely on his host to tend to his daily needs while he explored the realm of mathematics. Before long, fuelled by caffeine or Benzedrine, Erdos would exhaust his hosts. Brain still wide open, he would take off to mathematical conferences, or visit another colleague, logging hundreds of miles on his journeys. This text is an exploration of the world of mathematics in which Erdos moved, an exciting world vital to the technology of the 20th century but largely unknown to many.

About this title

Review

Physicist and science writer Bruce Schechter's biography of legendary Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdös is an engaging portrait, warm and intimate, bringing this strange, happy man to life. Schechter's focus is tighter and more traditionally biographical than Paul Hoffman's in The Man Who Loved Only Numbers. Here we get to see Erdös's brief childhood transform quickly into a carefree adolescence of solving difficult maths problems with his circle of brilliant friends--uniquely encouraged by a country that valued the contributions of mathematics in a way that has never been equalled. Fleeing the Holocaust, Erdös never settled down, instead travelling from place to place, showing up on the doorsteps of other mathematicians with his few possessions and an open mind. During his career, Erdös published more papers than any other mathematician in history. Most of the papers were collaborations:

For Erdös, the mathematics that consumed most of his waking hours was not a solitary pursuit but a social activity. One of the great mathematical discoveries of the twentieth century was the simple equation that two heads are better than one.... That radical transformation of how mathematics is created is the result of many factors, not the least of which was the infectious example set by Erdös.

Schechter spoke with many of Erdös's collaborators to complete this biography, which reveals the odd mathematician as charming, opinionated and completely dependent upon the kindness of others. Schechter not only tells his fascinating story, but introduces some intriguing mathematics problems (with easy-to-understand explanations) to show readers why Erdös loved the elegance of numbers more than anything else in the world. --Therese Littleton

Review

Michael Hopkins Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Bruce Schechter pulls back the curtain on the peculiar life of the world's most prolific mathematician....We feel so connected to this obsessed gentleman that we regret never having met him.

Paul Erdõs If numbers aren't beautiful, I don't know what is.

K.C. Cole author of The Universe and the Teacup: The Mathematics of Truth and Beauty With affection, insight, and humor, Bruce Schechter invites us into the wacky world of mathematical genius Paul Erdõs -- one of the strangest characters to inhabit the world of science. Schechter does an admirably agile job of interweaving real mathematics with the far side of human nature.

Russ Cardwell The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) My Brain Is Open is a lively romp through Erdõs' globe-trotting life and into the surreal, exclusive club of the world's great mathematicians.

Doug Wyatt Savannah Morning News Schechter, with insight, considerable affection, and high humor, admirably intertwines accounts of [Erdõs's] bizarre life with an appreciation of his remarkable achievements.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0198504713
• ISBN 13: 9780198504719
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224