The Joy of X – Steven Strogatz
In my real life I have a Maths degree (a double major; one in Pure Maths and one in Applied) and I like to read the occasional maths book – like this one. I’m always hoping to find a better way to teach my students.
Here is the blurb for this one …
Maths is everywhere, often where we least expect it. Award-winning professor Steven Strogatz acts as our guide as he takes us on a tour of numbers that – unbeknownst to the most of us – form a fascinating and integral part of our everyday lives. In The Joy of X, Strogatz explains the great ideas of maths – from negative numbers to calculus, fat tails to infinity – and shows how they connect to everything from popular culture and philosophy to current affairs and business practice. He is the maths teacher you never had and this book is perfect for the smart and curious, the expert and the beginner.
I really enjoyed this book it is split into six sections: Numbers, Relationships (I made everyone in the house try the bath filling question), Shapes, Change, Data and Frontiers. Each chapter is quite small and written in a very accessible style (there are Notes at the end for anyone who wants to delve further into the maths). I’ve also watched some of Vi Hart’s You Tube clips – like this one on the infinity elephants.
I would say this book is for people who are interested in Maths, but haven’t studied that much of it. It is an overview – entertaining and interesting and I hope it encourages people to further reading.
More reviews …
http://math-frolic.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/joy-to-world-of-math.html