Sum Stories
Equations and Their Origins
$98.90
- Hardcover
368 pages
- Release Date
13 July 2025
Summary
Can one prove that 1 + 1 = 2? How long is the coastline of Britain? Which US president proved Pythagoras’ theorem on right-angled triangles? Who originated the quadratic equation we learned at school? In how many ways can you tile your bathroom? Is there a formula for prime numbers? How often are two winning lottery numbers consecutive? Who was the witch of Agnesi? What is ‘the most important theorem in mathematics’? Who scratched mathematical equations on a Dublin bridge? What is a ‘space-fi…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780199607907 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0199607907 |
| Author: | Robin Wilson |
| Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
| Imprint: | Oxford University Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 368 |
| Release Date: | 13 July 2025 |
| Weight: | 542g |
| Dimensions: | 223mm x 144mm x 25mm |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
This book can be recommended for any (current or prospective) mathematics major, or for a faculty member interested in punching up a lecture or looking for a topic for a math talk. Indeed, the prospective audienceof this book extends beyond academia: anyone with an interest in mathematics might find it enjoyable reading. * Mark Hunacek, The Mathematical Gazette *Presented in a straightforward, intelligible, and entertaining manner, Sum Stories is written for general readers of all ages with an interest in mathematics and its historicaldevelopment. * MathSciNet *
About The Author
Robin Wilson
Robin Wilson is Emeritus Professor of Pure Mathematics at the Open University, Emeritus Professor of Geometry at Gresham College, London, and a former Fellow of Keble College, Oxford University. A former President of the British Society for the History of Mathematics, he has written and edited over 50 books on the history of mathematics (including Lewis Carroll in Numberland, 2009) and on graph theory and combinatorics (including Combinatorics: A Very Short Introduction, OUP 2016, and Four Colours Suffice, 2003). Involved with the popularization and communication of mathematics and its history, he has been awarded the Mathematical Association of America’s LesterFord Award and Pólya Prize for his ‘outstanding expository writing’.
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