Wild About Math
For my job, I read a ton of stuff about math. On the other hand, I don’t do much recreational reading. These two things together make it surprising that I like to read math stuff for fun. Don’t imagine me sitting around reading obstruse proofs or trying to figure out puzzles. I’m not into that sort of thing. What I like are books that give me a sense of the beauty of how math is used and how it has developed over the years. The idea that math has progressed from counting coconuts on the ground to The Newton/Liebnitz Calculus amazes me, but I am also interested in the pathways and people who have shaped this progress.
Sol Lederman’s Wild About Math! Blog has a review of the book Here’s Looking at Euclid by Alex Bellos. It looks like an interesting book that shows how math connects to people around the world.
Reading the glowing reviews about how Bellos’ book provides insight into math from far-reaching locations around the world made me think back to when I was a coach with a group of about 150 American adolescents playing soccer in Europe. We arrived at a youth hostel in Bad Honnef, near Bonn, Germany. We had to figure out how to spread our kids and coaches out across the many rooms. The manager and I worked it all out together without me knowing any German or him knowing any English. The numbers were enough of a language for us to get it all worked out.
Math is a language that is as universal as art. I like books that help me appreciate its beauty and usefulness. If you are interested in reading accessible, interesting books about math, Wild About Math! is a good place to read reviews that can help you find a good read.
BTW: I love the title of Bellos’ book. Puns like that are a real treat.
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