SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2017 ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE
Even small children know there are infinitely many whole numbers - start counting and you'll never reach the end. But there are also infinitely many decimal numbers between zero and one. Are these two types of infinity the same? Are they larger or smaller than each other? Can we even talk about 'larger' and 'smaller' when we talk about infinity? In Beyond Infinity, international maths sensation Eugenia Cheng reveals the inner workings of infinity.
What happens when a new guest arrives at your infinite hotel - but you already have an infinite number of guests? How does infinity give Zeno's tortoise the edge in a paradoxical foot-race with Achilles? And can we really make an infinite number of cookies from a finite amount of cookie dough?
Wielding an armoury of inventive, intuitive metaphor, Cheng draws beginners and enthusiasts alike into the heart of this mysterious, powerful concept to reveal fundamental truths about mathematics, all the way from the infinitely large down to the infinitely small.
Beyond Infinity
An expedition to the outer limits of the mathematical universe
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
March 9, 2017 -
Formats
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781782830818
- File size: 2924 KB
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781782830818
- File size: 2924 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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September 11, 2017
Cheng (How to Bake π), a scientist in residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and honorary fellow at Sheffield University, tackles some difficult concepts in this superb study of the mathematics of infinity. Beginning with the definition of infinity, Cheng moves through myriad mind-bending inquiries, including what the smallest infinity is, how to compare different infinities, whether you can subtract from infinity, and whether you can make an infinite number of cookies with a finite amount of dough. For each, she provides the mathematics behind the often counterintuitive answers. Cheng works hard at making these concepts accessible, employing menus and music playlists, among other things, to frame the challenging mathematical proofs. Acknowledging the difficulties the proofs present, Cheng wisely provides readers with reasonably accessible equations, useful graphics, and entertaining and straightforward explanations. Contemplating infinity is not trivial, even when following the lead of a writer as talented as Cheng, and readers will have to stop and wrestle with such recondite concepts as surjective and injective functions, harmonics, and factorials. Cheng’s enthusiasm for mathematics is infectious and readers curious about the mathematics of infinity will find her to be a worthy guide. Agent: George Lucas, Inkwell.
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