From the depths of the Amazon rainforest to a blackjack table in Las Vegas, author Alex Bellos brings the world of mathematics alive. Before I read this book, I was just one of the many people for whom math conjures up images of numbers and figures in textbooks.
“In addition to its association with fruit and promiscuous rodents, the Fibonacci sequence has many absorbing mathematical properties.”
No longer dull, Bellos explores the stories behind the mathematics, bringing each concept to life without getting bogged down in technical information.
Why is this on our bookshelf?
The people who seriously enjoy math are often called geeks, although everyone comes in contact with math.Thanks to Alex Bellos, now the masses can understand where those math geeks are coming from.
Rating (4 stars)
I picked up “Here’s Looking at Euclid” at first because its cosy reference to a famous line in the beloved film “Casablanca” offset my usual negative reaction to anything related to math. GeekyLibrary Crew member Jason is the numbers guy, not me.
Although I slowed down a bit during the algebra section, I did enjoy this book. It was just technical enough to satisfy, without alienating non-math readers. On the other hand, there was plenty of direction in case you wanted to know more.
Read this book:
To rekindle your association with math.
Don't Read this book:
If you approach math with a closed mind.
Once you're done, do this:
Try out your new knowledge at a blackjack table or crochet a hyperbolic plane.
