1089 and All That - A Journey into Mathematics - Hardcover

Acheson, David

3.97

435 ratings by Goodreads

9780198516231: 1089 and All That - A Journey into Mathematics

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198516231 ISBN 13: 9780198516231

Publisher: OUP Oxford, 2002

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This excellent book, written by the established author David Acheson, makes mathematics accessible to everyone. Providing an entertaining and witty overview of the subject, the text includes several fascinating puzzles, and is accompanied by numerous illustrations and sketches by world famous cartoonists. This unusual book is one of the most readable explanations of mathematics available.

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Review:

... attractively produced ... The author has an easy, light style which should appeal to most readers. (The Mathematical Gazette)

There are more fascinating things in the book that cannot be described here. So, here is the message to all potential readers of this type of mathematical writing: even though you have doubtless read everything by Keith Devlin, Simon Singh, Martin Gardner, Raymond Smullyan, Lewis Carroll and you-name-it, this wonderful work is yet another 'must' for your bookshelf! (EMS)

...pages filled with a contagious enthusiasm... It has been produced with great care: at more than one point, one notices how artfully figures were placed. For example, at least twice a surprising conclusion appears just as we turn the page... This book packs a lifetime of wisdom and delight into sixteen brief chapters. (MAA Online)

I was surprised to see how much substantial mathematics David Acheson has squeezed into this well-crafted litte book... Even mathematicians will find fresh perspectives on old themes in this playful and inventive book. (John Mighton, The Mathematical Intelligence)

... this wonderful work is yet another 'must' for your bookshelf!... Well-known topics are not missing in the book, [readers] will always find something new and interesting in this book... each reader, whether mathematician or keen layman, will be delighted. (European Mathematical Society Newsletter)

... parts of this book are extremely funny... [It is] an ideal stocking filler... an ideal present for friends and relatives who are not mathematicians, but have enough curiosity to spend a gentle afternoon trying to find out what mathematics is about... Buy this book. (London Mathematical Society Newsletter)

This is an excellent and entertaining little book... Every teenage mathematician and every school library should have a copy... a most entertaining read. (Symmetry Plus)

It's an adorable, lovable, inspiring little masterpiece! (MAA Online)

... easy, light style ... covers many classic 'gems' of mathematics with the aim of providing the reader with a feel and, where possible, a readable explanation of the more intriguing parts of the subject. (The Mathematical Gazette)

On the surface this book is another of those 'let's look at the funny things about numbers' books. But no, this one was far more than that. It treated subjects briefly but in depth and breadth, linked them together, didn't make assumptions about my mathematical understanding, but neither did it waste time looking into all the minutiae of the subject. Truly inspiring and a great read over a weekend. (Mathematics Teaching)

About the Author:

Professor David Acheson is Emeritus Fellow at Jesus College, Oxford. As well as 1089 and All That, his other previously published titles include Elementary Fluid Dynamics (OUP, 1990) and From Calculus to Chaos: An Introduction to Dynamics (OUP, 1997).

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