The Spirit of Mathematics

David Acheson captures the joy and wonder of mathematics in this little book, full of delightful and curious examples presented in a gentle, friendly way, yet packing in a number of profound ideas. * Hannah Fry, broadcaster and lecturer, author of The Mathematics of Love and The Indisputable Existence of Santa Claus *A delight. * Brian Clegg, Popular Science *[A] compendium of intriguing ideas which would fascinate and compel a keen mathematician wanting to learn more, and provide hours of intrigue and jumping-off points for further investigation. * Katie Steckles, The Aperiodical *[A] neat little book…every teacher, or at least every department, should have a copy. * Grant Macleod, Mathematics in Schools *This book is both interesting and entertaining, and it should appeal to any numerate person who has a casual interest in puzzles or mathematics. * SF2 Concatenation *This short book encompasses an astonishing array of ideas and concepts, from number tricks and magic squares to infinite series and imaginary numbers. * MathSciNet *Given the author’s own specialisms (mainly fluid dynamics and astrophysics), it is good to see a substantial emphasis on the use of algebra in applied mathematics. There are stimulating chapters on passing trains, crossed ladders, rollercoaster dynamics and tuning a guitar. The book ends with some paradoxes involving infinite series and the AM-GM inequality. I can recommend it thoroughly. * Gerry Leversha, The Mathematical Gazette *

David Acheson is Emeritus Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, and was the University’s first winner of a National Teaching Fellowship in 2004. He was President of the Mathematical Association from 2010 to 2011, and now lectures widely on mathematics to young people and the general public. In 2013, Acheson was awarded an Honorary D.Sc. by the University of East Anglia for his outstanding work in the popularisation of mathematics. His books include 1089 and All That (OUP, 2002), The Calculus Story, (OUP, 2017), and The Wonder Book of Geometry, (OUP, 2020).