Wonders of Numbers: Adventures in Mathematics, Mind, and Meaning | 
| Author: Clifford A. Pickover
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 298852
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.1 x 1
ISBN: 0195157990
Dewey Decimal Number: 793
EAN: 9780195157994
ASIN: 0195157990
Publication Date: June 15, 2002
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Product Description
Who were the five strangest mathematicians in history? What are the ten most interesting numbers? Jam-packed with thought-provoking mathematical mysteries, puzzles, and games, Wonders of Numbers will enchant even the most left-brained of readers.
Hosted by the quirky Dr. Googol--who resides on a remote island and occasionally collaborates with Clifford Pickover--Wonders of Numbers focuses on creativity and the delight of discovery. Here is a potpourri of common and unusual number theory problems of varying difficulty--each presented in brief chapters that convey to readers the essence of the problem rather than its extraneous history. Peppered throughout with illustrations that clarify the problems, Wonders of Numbers also includes fascinating "math gossip." How would we use numbers to communicate with aliens? Check out Chapter 30. Did you know that there is a Numerical Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? You'll find it in Chapter 45.
From the beautiful formula of India's most famous mathematician to the Leviathan number so big it makes a trillion look small, Dr. Googol's witty and straightforward approach to numbers will entice students, educators, and scientists alike to pick up a pencil and work a problem.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 I love Mathematics September 27, 2005
2 out of 9 found this review helpful
I am still reading the book.
It is elementar, but very interesting.
 A delightful collection of mathematical puzzles July 14, 2005
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book contains a delightful collection of mathematical puzzles in the tradition of Martin Gardner. There are Klingon Paths, Hexagonal Cats, Messages from the Stars, and Doughnut Loops. If you liked the puzzles in Pickover's "Alien IQ Test", you will like the puzzles in this book.
The book is not all numbers. There are historical anecdotes and stories about mathematicians told by the author's alter-ego, Dr. Googol. Are all mathematicians insane? The answer is not clear. However, the author describes the five strangest. Did you know that Pythagoras believed that it was sinful to eat beans?
There are a number of interesting top ten lists. As one who thinks that the proper role of mathematics is to solve the problems of the physical world, I was happy to note that Dr. Googol chose equations of physics for six of the ten most important mathematical expressions, e.g. Gauss' law and Newton's law of gravitation. Dr. Googol must have some physicist friends.
This is just one in a series of wonderful books that Dr. Pickover has written. I also recommend "The Science of Aliens, or Time: A Traveler's Guide", and his new book "A Passion for Mathematics".
Mind blowing !! July 2, 2004
5 out of 9 found this review helpful
The book provides very valuable information about mathematics.The language is simple and any leyman can understand it well.The book also provides brain teasers to refresh your mind.And DEFINATELY this book will generate your interest in Mathematics.Thanks Clifford Pickover.
KB.
 More unusual mathematics from a master May 25, 2004
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Narrated by the outstanding and eccentric mathematician Dr. Francis Google, this book is a collection of unusual mathematics problems, from those involving very large numbers to those defined by applying operations. For example, the Leviathan number (10^666)! is used to demonstrate that it is not necessary to compute a number to learn some of the properties that it has. Sets of numbers such as apocalyptic numbers, those that involve 666, the number of the beast, appear several times. One of my favorites are the Schizophrenic numbers, defined by the formula f(n) = 10 * f(n-1)+n, f(0) = 0, which is a set of integers demonstrating a simple pattern. However, the action starts when the square roots of the numbers are taken. These roots exhibit an unusual, repeated pattern in their digits.
Some incidents of mathematical history that are interesting trivia are also used. The number 365, 365, 365, 365, 365, 365 is supposedly the largest number that was ever squared in the head of a human. Other segments were based on surveys, where people answered questions such as, "Which would have had the greatest impact on the world as we know it today: `If Albert Einstein had lived another twenty years with a clear mind?', `If mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan had lived another twenty years with a clear mind?", If Steven Hawking was not afflicted with Lou Gehrig's disease?'." A ranking of the top eight female mathematicians of all time, a listing of the five greatest scandals in mathematics history, the ten most important unsolved mathematical problems, the ten most influential mathematicians of all time, the ten most influential mathematicians alive today and the ten most difficult areas of mathematics to understand provide additional intellectual fodder.
Every time I read a Pickover book, the number of ideas used as the seeds to generate the text astounds me. He always seems able to come up with new twists on old problems and sometimes new problems that set your brain moving in circular motions as you try to comprehend the consequences of the statements and attempt to follow the logical consequences of the transformations. While some of the best books keep you reading from page to page without stopping, others cause you to read a little, process a lot and then read some more. That is what this book did to me, and I am sure that it will do the same to you.Published in the recreational mathematics e-mail newsletter, reprinted with permission.
 Zero Substance March 6, 2004
0 out of 7 found this review helpful
After reading this book (I do not bother reading even a half), many would be thrilled that they now has ten times of stuff about mathematics to talk about on a coffe table, but they should also realize that they know exactly as much mathematics as they had before.
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