The Joy of X : A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity (Hardcover)

from Eyejaybee

There is a widespread belief that people can either understand mathematics readily or simply have no idea about it at all - that there is no middle ground. This appealing book seeks to dispel that myth, and to show how much fun can be had with mathematics and even simple arithmetical puzzles. I c...

from arosoff

A fun, breezy, not too long survey of a variety of topics in mathematics. I forgot that at least some of this had appeared on the New York Times website, so I may actually have read some of this before. Despite not having studied math since 1995, I found it very easy to follow and would even have...

from datrappert

This is an enjoyable tour of math, clearly written with lots of detailed footnotes for anyone who wants to dig deeper. The author also provides links to some tremendously entertaining websites and YouTube videos that can keep you educated and entertained long after you finish reading.

from MartinBodek

The book is aptly named. It was a joy to revisit the math I was taught, but didn't understand, but really wanted to, and struggled. If textbooks would be replaced by books such as this, darnit, grades would go up, in my humble opinion. The author discusses the material with the reader, holds his ...

from sar96

Interesting, well written, non-fiction Math book showing us the history, connections and joys of math. I appreciated that the book The solitude of Prime Numbers was mentioned.