From One to Infinity - The Joy of x - A Guided Tour of Math

The book contains short chapters, each a fascinating and witty piece explaining a particular aspect of mathematics and why it is important in "real life." It is appealing even to math-phobes and should be recommended by teachers to their students.

A book written for those who once believed that math was fun and mysterious but have forgotten why. Written in a spritely style, Strogatz meditations on math remind us why learning is fun and math is a game worth playing for pleasure.

This is an easy to read book filled with stories that illustrate mathematical properties of things in a different, often geometrical light. Many of these ideas stick better when shown geometrically. Overall, an interesting read.

I am a high-school junior and I read this book during my sophomore year. I blew through the first 100 pages in less than an hour due to my extreme love for the mathematical beautify presented in such a clever and fun manner! I just can't say how much i enjoyed reading this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but there were parts that I had wished had further examples/explanations. The author did a great job highlighting difficult concepts and explaining them in a simple fashion. I just wish that the chapters were a lot me longer and went into greater depth regarding the math concepts.

Great overview of mathematics from Kindergarden to waaaaaay beyond - into higher math. Written in a personal easy to read style with everyday applications and anecdotes. Word problems were particularly entertaining. The answers are included in a later chapter.

Where was this teacher when I was in college? (hadn't been born then, but who's counting?) From the first, Storgatz brings light to the puzzling math lingo and concepts. Truly an UNBORING math book.

If you are a math lover then this is your book. I have read a lot of math books but this one is easy to read and ease to understand, the math is explained in ways that you can connect to it. I like it!

A really informative and yes entertaining overview. If more teachers would take this approach more of our students would
again excel in math when compared to students in other countries because they would become more engaged in the subject
matter.

This book goes through the mathematical principles and talks about it's application and sometime it's history in a fun way.why we need differentiation/integral calculus or geometry. For a mathematical enthusiast, this sure to give goose bumps :)

It's not a comprehensive math "school-book" but a very good tool to help de-mystify some difficult questions. It will help in dissolving the "math-ghost" a lot of young and old people are haunted by. //Lars

One review I read commented that this was old hat and nothing new. I have always enjoyed math, but much of this is beyond my education. It was fun for the most part, so I'm glad I bought it, but I am embarrassed about how much didn't make sense to me. If your Math skills don't reach beyond Basic Calculus, think twice before risking ego deflation.

I enjoyed relooking at some of the different divisions of Mathematics that I studied 55 years ago, gaining a more recent understanding of their use. Also reading about some Mathematics that I did not study.

This is an interesting book, but I can't see anyone liking it except individuals who like mathematics. Since I was a math major in college, the topics were meaningful to me, but, if you aren't intrigued by math, this book will probably not be interesting to you.

Exciting topics and examples from the world of mathematics are well chosen and well explained so that it is not discouraging for those who have skipped many of their math school lessons and in the same time is not boring for the others. Nice book for those who love math and just want to dwell with it for fun and pleasure as well as for those who know nearly nothing about it but would be curious to learn.

Exciting topics and examples from the world of mathematics are well chosen and well explained so that it is not discouraging for those who have skipped many of their math school lessons and in the same time is not boring for the others. Nice book for those who love math and just want to dwell with it for fun and pleasure as well as for those who know nearly nothing about it but would be curious to learn.

But I was hoping for the author to delve a little more into the question of how math is connected to the real world. Sort of a philosophical approach, but all in all the book is very good, if not a little short.

Enjoy!

One of my former AP Calculus students recommended this book to me. Writing books about math for the layman is tough: I myself found that the explanations of topics with which I am familiar often struck me as a sort of "math lite" and missed the essential point by toptoeing around (or not even attempting) the equations - but the topics with which I do not already have a working knowledge were still impenetrable. That said, the author's prose is bright and witty, and some of his examples quite interesting.

Fun and interesting book but was hoping for more math but that could be my math skills deteriorating in my latter years. Persons with relatively strong math skills would find it enjoyable since it reviews math in broad strokes with its corresponding history.

In the introduction Strogatz discusses that what he is trying to do is start with 1+1=2 and go from there as far as he can. But he doesn't do that, and really that is what the title implies. Worse though, between one and infinity are a lot of steps and as the last chapter starts to explain some infinities are larger than others. But, then the explanation never really gets there and Set theory is left out in the cold.

So, to me that leaves at least one really important and fundamental topic unattended and, although my argument runs that there is always one more topic that could be dealt with, I'll accept that really the goal could not be attained. Still, what is this books greatest downfall is that it is engaging, readable, interesting and good. Not because these are bad things, but because you are left wanting more. And while it is unfair to say a book is poor because it is good, the issue here is that what little there is (~250 pages) is great (90% let's say), but there is so much missing.

Really the book never leaves junior math behind. Yes there is calculus and imaginary numbers, but the depth to which this is explained remains fairly theoretical and never descends into math, so much as what and why. Then again who would want to have to work out the math. But I really wanted there to be some hint of things to come. Yes great I remember a lot of math from high school, but we covered more ground. Fine the book is short and high school was 12 years, but then there are no exercises in here. And what is missing, is really two things:

Firstly, an ending. Irrespective of any topics that might also be included, what this book lacks is a conclusion. The last chapter ends not with a sensation of topic covered as with a "the bells rung, everyone is running out the door". It feels mid sentence and with the previous chapters it is clear a much better job on this topic could have been done. It is abrupt and shocking.

Secondly, even if we accept this book is to remind adults of math, maybe provide some insights missed in school and give a common basis for parents to help their children (provided one can convince the other that school might not give them the full picture), there is so much here that kids would want to know. And again, yes any book on math can be bigger, but that's not what I mean. What I mean is, why is there no mention of some of the math that still remains unproven. Some examples, why it perplexes and what hopes there are for solving it.

Another thing in this vein missing, would be meta mathematics. The writing is so clear and precise I think Strogatz could pull it off. Not discuss any of the believes about mathematics that exist (ie it is the same everywhere or no it isn't) but where these discussions come from and what influence they have.

Bottom line, this is a great book. It is well written, covers a surprising amount of ground really well (as in the variety of topics is consistently well explained), and it is really easy to understand. But because if this greatness the abrupt end and limited range of content really drag it down. As a reader you can sense the potential, but then it's over. There are links to further readings but there is just so much left that could be covered, that at 250 pages one feels disappointed.

Imagine served a mouth watering meringue pie only to find it's more foam than pie. That was my experience with "The Joy of X." Strogatz writes well, and starts off each chapter well, but ends the topic right where when bite into the good stuff. Martin Gardener this isn't - Gardiner came to mind in the section on e. Nor is this Asimov.

The end result is unsatisfying. Such as the chapter of logarithms, where he never touched on the marvelous way you can multiply numbers by adding, and how this principle was used in the venerable slide rule, or how working with exponents is one way scientific notation simplifies calculations. A lost opportunity

If you just want a light snack that's little more than a taste, you might like this book. But if you want something with a bit more substance, it's best to look elsewhere.

The "Joy of X" started off with some interesting ways of looking at numbers but trailed off towards the end of the book leaving me wondering where the rest of the book went. As a math teacher for many years I was hoping to discover some clever ways to present math relationships and uses, but it was a little disappointing.

Dr. Strogatz does not attempt to fill a very common void. Namely, what is the potential value of propositions such as the twin-prime or Goldbach's conjecture. I.e., How would theory be affected in the conjectures were proved or disproved. In many instances, the discussion seemed tediously long or too simplistic. The prerequisites for understanding this book transcend high school algebra so the author had license to go farther. On the other hand, the writing has matured from his earlier " Calculus of Friendship."

This math-challenged reviewer would not ordinarily consider "joy" in connection with mathematics, so this little book sounded interesting. It is not a textbook of mathematics, not even an introductory one, but rather a quick tour through a range of mathematical ideas and concepts, aimed at the curious, but baffled layman. It covers everything--from numbers and counting, to negative numbers, imaginary numbers, algebra, the elements of calculus, probability, sine waves, geometry, trigonometry, solid geometry, topology, and the challenging problems of infinity. Will you understand all these things after reading "Joy"? No, but the terms and concepts will sound a little more familiar, less intimidating.

Author Steven Strogatz is no dull professor. He writes in a light-hearted entertaining way, with constant reference to the practical applications of mathematics. Along the way he presents some counter-intuitive problems for the reader to play with, amusing illustrations, and personal anecdotes.

No, you won't learn much mathematics from this delightful little book, but you'll learn some interesting things ABOUT mathematics that would never have occurred to you. I enjoyed this book and I may go back and read some chapters again. Forget about those painful experiences with long division when you were in school. This can actually be fun. I recommend it. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

This book didn't live up to my expectations, or to the extraordinary pre-release reviews. It is not clear if Professor Strogatz wrote this book for an audience who is intimidated by the subject or for those of us who enjoyed math in school, but don't work in the field. As a result, Strogatz doesn't teach in this book, but rather identifies some interesting concepts, and then settles for a basic introduction of them. The ending of the book addresses some more advanced material, but there is not much explanation, and he even refers the reader to YouTube to learn how to cut a möbius bagel, rather than describing how to do so. Also, for a book on math, some of the many illustrations and his closing sentences in each chapter were a little too cute, which I thought detracted from his writing.

I got this book thinking it would be like the 2 Asimov math books I read and used many years ago. I found the Asimov books were useful when I was teaching.
This book left me with too many questions and not understanding in several chapters.
Just one of the things that struck me was he said calling a money amount six figures is from logs. I don't think so. maybe I misunderstood his point.
Difficult to review because it is like a book of short stories that vary in quality.

A flighty overview of bits of mathematics, which untimately left me dissatisfied. I am far from being a mathematician, though I use math in my work -- so I was looking to see whether any aspects of math might be useful to me. But there was no depth in any of the topics, just an example usually. I think I bought the wrong book, but I'm unsure to whom this might be interesting.

Terrific fun. Read it through in a couple of days. Each chapter starts with something incredibly simple – counting, numbers, groups, algebra – but then demonstrates an unexpected insight. Even ideas we all know well, like counting and simple arithmetic, get new interpretations.

This book is a wonderful addition to the growing library of mathematical works aimed at the math-phobic. The topics covered are quite varied but always include practical examples that are very valuable in explaining the subject in focus. My favourite chapter was the one entitled "Chances Are" (Chapter 23). Here, the discussion on medical statistics is extremely valuable and is something that, I believe, everyone should be intimately familiar with - especially medical doctors.

As suggested in this review's title, the author's writing style is very friendly, chatty, light-hearted, engaging and clear. The information is presented in an authoritative yet pleasant manner - as though the author is gently guiding the potentially hesitant reader through a world of painless discovery and surprising wonder. In addition, the author has included several anecdotes and side issues that help enliven the text.

I suspect that the math-phobic are the readers who risk being the most enchanted by this book. But there is also something, I believe, for the math/science enthusiasts like me: a manner of presentation that is absolutely charming and topical discussions that can bring some of us back several decades. A truly enjoyable and worthwhile read!

In "The Joy of X," Steven Strogatz opens doors for many of us to a Hilbert's Hotel of understanding and beauty. Among the joys are:

--excellent coverage of key topics, old and new, in the six main sections (Numbers, Relationships, Shapes, Change, Data, and Frontiers)

--like a conversation with a wise, funny friend

--use of the visual images that can be comfortable for users of i-pads and similar devices, connecting with our increasingly show-me-in-pictures way of thinking

--lots and lots of short stories---30 chapters in all, each about 4-5 pages long. That's close to how many of us process ideas: clear, interesting, short chunks

--as promised, readers CAN pick up "The Joy of X" and get whatever the topic may be. Sequentiality is an option, not a requirement

Much was forgotten or new to me, so my comments are as a reader, not a mathematician. Where I have some knowledge (in statistics and navigation), however, the topics were discussed well indeed. In a few places, I might have added a thought or two. For example, a great circle is the shortest distance between two points on the surface of a globe because it is a plane (think salami slice) through the center of the earth. The longitude lines and the equator (and all the diagonals passing through the center) are such salami slices, which is why one gets from NYC to Rome via the great circle diagonal. It isn't the slant but where it passes!

This is minor stuff and Strogatz admirably keeps the pace fast, the explanations clear, including the quadratic equation, calculus, and the diagonal of a right angled triangle. His discussion of the Google search logic and turning mattresses are only two of many vivid, joyous examples. And his grand finale chapter on new stuff is glorious.

How may readers love "The Joy of X?" As Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach, when feeling out of sight for ends of being..." and a few more ways too!

Highly recommended.

The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity by Steven Strogatz

"The Joy of X" is an entertaining introductory guide through the elements of math, from the very basic to infinity. Professor of Applied Mathematics at Cornell University, Steven Strogatz takes the reader on an amusing ride through some of the more interesting stories behind math concepts. This enjoyable and informative 336-page book is comprised of thirty chapters broken out by the six following main parts: 1. Numbers, 2. Relationships, 3. Shapes, 4. Change, 5. Data, and 6. Frontiers.

Positives:
1. An engaging, well-written, entertaining and practical book.
2. Turns what must have been a challenging topic for any publisher to embrace into a successful popular book on mathematics. Kudos!
3. Excellent approach to writing this book. Short chapters of math concepts with engaging narrative that complements what would have otherwise been frightening equations for the public. Strogatz succeeds where other authors have failed. He has made math fun and interesting for the public.
4. Great use of a number of supplementary materials to engage the audience: graphs, charts, pictures, illustrations, and even those dreaded math equations and it works!
5. The love for math, in awe of numbers and its power to model the world. "the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences."
6. An interesting look at prime numbers.
7. A brief history of representing numbers. "The Babylonians were not nearly as attached to their fingers. Their numeral system was based on 60--a clear sign of their impeccable taste, for 60 is an exceptionally pleasant number. Its beauty is intrinsic and has nothing to do with human appendages. Sixty is the smallest number that can be divided evenly by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. And that's just for starters (there's also 10, 12, 15, 20, and 30). Because of its promiscuous divisibility, 60 is much more congenial than 10 for any sort of calculation or measurement that involves cutting things into equal parts. When we divide an hour into 60 minutes, or a minute into 60 seconds, or a full circle into 360 degrees, we're channeling the sages of ancient Babylon."
8. Professor Strogatz makes great use of visual aid to help the readers understand mathematical concepts.
9. Helps the readers understand what's behind the symbols along with what the formula means and where it rises. The power of exponential functions.
10. A look at geometry.
11. Throughout the book, the Strogatz provides the applications behind the math. "Yet trigonometry, belying its much too modest name, now goes far beyond the measurement of triangles. By quantifying circles as well, it has paved the way for the analysis of anything that repeats, from ocean waves to brain waves. It's the key to the mathematics of cycles."
12. The great ideas at the heart of calculus. Great stuff! "Calculus is the mathematics of change. It describes everything from the spread of epidemics to the zigs and zags of a well-thrown curveball."
13. Explaining the nature of light through math.
14. Understanding conditional probability. "The real question is: What's the probability that a man murdered his ex-wife, given that he previously battered her and she was murdered by someone? That conditional probability turns out to be very far from 1 in 2,500." Applying math to a famous court case.
15. The triumphs of linear algebra. "But the greatest triumph of linear algebra, from the standpoint of real-world impact, is surely its solution to the Zen riddle of ranking webpages. "A page is good insofar as good pages link to it." Translated into symbols, that criterion becomes the PageRank equations."
16. A look at topology. "In topology, two shapes are regarded as the same if you can bend, twist, stretch, or otherwise deform one into the other continuously--that is, without any ripping or puncturing. Unlike the rigid objects of geometry, the objects of topology behave as if they were infinitely elastic, as if they were made of an ideal kind of rubber or Silly Putty."
17. Understanding the concept of the shortest path around a sphere. "With all these flights of fancy, you may be wondering if geodesics have anything to do with reality. Of course they do. Einstein showed that light beams follow geodesics as they sail through the universe. The famous bending of starlight around the sun, detected in the eclipse observations of 1919, confirmed that light travels on geodesics through curved space-time, with the warping being caused by the sun's gravity."
18. Far fetched concepts of math that lead to real-life applications.
19. A look at infinity.
20. Comprehensive notes.

Negatives:
1. Math is a topic that will automatically drive some people away regardless of how well written it is.
2. Despite all the supplementary material provided, I like to see a summary table breaking out all the applications for the math concepts brought up in the book. A quick reference table.
3. Many books are mentioned but no formal bibliography.

In summary, what a surprisingly fun book this was and along the way you are guaranteed to learn some amusing facts about mathematics. What sets this book apart is Professor Strogatz's ability to take what is considered a dry subject into an engaging, entertaining and educational ride. I highly recommend it!

Further recommendations: "Mathematics for the Nonmathematician" by Morris Kline, "Love and Math" by Edward Frenkel, "Everyday Calculus" by Oscar E. Fernandez, "The Signal and the Noise" by Nate Silver, "Secrets of Mental Math" by Arthur Benjamin, "What is Mathematics?" by Herbert Robbins, and "Our Mathematical Universe" by Max Tegmark.

Looking at the power law distribution of the ratings of this book, there are apparently some people who don't resonate with the book, but most of us love it. Don't know what a power law is? Read the book!

But seriously, this is surely among the best math books ever written for the general reader, including those who fear math enough to be predisposed to not like it. Using a variety of entry points into the world of mathematics, Strogatz is a superb tour guide who has a passion for the subject and patiently explains things to us in a friendly step by step manner, so that we can all follow along if we're willing to pay attention and think a little. He covers well-known basics, but he also takes us to many of the grander and holier destinations of mathematics and describes them in a way which reveals their remarkable and intriguing multi-faceted beauty (and mystery), so that we can get a sense of why professional mathematicians are attracted to the subject and love their work.

No, reading this book won't enable you to 'do' mathematics with any modicum of expertise, just as exploring great works of art won't enable you to become a capable artist. But becoming familiar with mathematics and developing the ability to appreciate it is still a wonderful thing, just like with art appreciation. And for those who already have decent mathematical background, take the tour anyway, I assure you that Strogatz has a depth of insight and eloquence of communication which makes it worthwhile!

Say the word Math and a shudder, a frisson goes through most people. It conjures up traumatic childhood memories buried for long in a deep recess of the mind. For most of us. We wear our math phobia as a badge of honour ("I'm just not geek enough", or more derisively as "I've got a life, you know"). As adults if we do take another crack at the magic of maths, it's usually by resorting to books such as "The Man Who Knew Infinity" or "Journey Through Genius" - biographies of great mathematicians, or "Secrets of Mental Maths" - fun books on math tricks and tips, or "The Number Devil" - a book to get children to think about math in a fun way, or "Innumeracy" or "How To Lie with Statistics" - books that try to shame and then educate us on the basics math literacy. Then there are books for the more-than-casual reader like "Infinity and the Mind", "An Imaginary Tale: The Story of [the Square Root of Minus One]", e: The Story of a Number, and "An Imaginary Tale: The Story of [the Square Root of Minus One]" (chapter 8 of "The Joy of x", "Finding Your Roots" briefly dwells on this strange number, alphabet, err - let's just be techno-babbly-brilliant and call it big unstructured data, which after all is a mix of numbers and data, isn't it?) - books that focus on a single topic or area and soon enough many of us are lost beyond chapter two, a fate that Stephen Hawking bemoaned befell even his blockbuster bestseller, "A Brief History of Time: Stephen Hawking".

This book, "The Joy of x", is then a true joy, not just of "a" but all the way to "z" of math and beyond, to the realm of imaginary numbers and curved spaces and more. What began as a series of short articles on Math (The Elements of Math) the author, Steven Strogatz, wrote for the New York Times in 2010, is now a full book that (almost) covers the whole gamut of the world of mathematics, starting off with the gentlest of introductions - fishes and Sesame Street. Yes, few will dispute the simplicity of such a setting. The chapters in this first section, titled "Numbers" expectedly cover such sweet and simple topics as addition, subtraction, the place-value, commutative laws, division, and multiplication. The Babylonians had the idea of using a number system based on 60 - "an exceptionally pleasant number", but it was the Hindu-Arabic number system that gave the world not only the modern decimal number system, but a placeholder for zero. The next five sections, "Relationships" - algebra and quadratic equations, "Shapes" - geometry, parabolas and ellipses (it is really a fascinating chapter, with the simplest of explanations to explain the difference and similarity between parabolas and ellipses) and the introduction to calculus, which is covered in the next section, "Change". Section five is "Data", and covers probability, statistics, and a gentle introduction to Google and liner algebra. The last section, appropriately titled "Frontiers", takes a look at some of the recent and emerging areas of maths, including prime numbers, group theory, and the mind bending reality of infinite series, partial sums, and the like. Even as the topics gradually descend (or ascend, based on your perspective) the slope of simplicity, the language stays simple. The math is kept to a minimum. Most importantly, neither the lucidity nor the tone changes, surely a challenge when covering a range of topics as diverse as simple addition and differential geometry. A dash of humour keeps pace with the book, and so when the author writes about the time he spoke at his daughter's elementary school first-grade class about his profession, and chose the topic of Mobius strips ("Twist and Shout"), one little boy had a "meltdown" when he realized that he couldn't get his crayon back to the starting point, no matter how many times he tried. "An apparently, my lesson wasn't the first to have driven a student to tears."

Each chapter is no more than seven to eight pages long, on average (and average is a loaded term here), and while each section is a progression of sorts into the world of maths - , each chapter nonetheless stands in its own right, and as such the book can be read either from start to finish, or at random. This book's spot on. x marks the spot!)

This book graceful essays does indeed begin with 1, examining the value of using numbers to count objects, and end with infinity times infinity in a fascinating discussion of what happens if you treat infinity as though it were a number. In between, all your favorite math concepts are approached from the perspective of things you already know and can relate to.

So Romeo and Juliet bring us to differential calculus, the Roman numerals we see on statues lead us to understand bases, and war gets together with dating services to explain normal distribution. By anchoring the difficult mathematical concepts to things we understand, and taking them one at a time, Strogatz makes the complex comprehensible.

This is not a math book in the usual sense; I couldn't do quadratic equations easily before I read the book and I still can't. I see the point of them much more clearly now, though, and might be more willing to struggle through them if I had to. I enjoyed reading about them, though. I enjoyed reading about the math concepts I know well, too, and the things that were borderline for me got shoved over into comfortable territory. This would be a great book to use to introduce math concepts before getting into some intensive practice in the classroom.

It's also a pleasant read for those of us who enjoy math from a philosophical point of view, and perhaps for people who haven't ever really thought about math but would like to know why people get so excited about it.

I'm probably one of those folks for whom Steven Strogatz intended his book, "The Joy of X". Like the friend he describes in the preface of the book, I don't know what mathematicians do all day and back in the days of high school, I wondered when I would ever use calculus outside of a classroom. Math was the subject that ruined my grade point average and made me want to hide my report card from my parents.

So, why am I here reviewing a math book? Mr. Strogatz wrote his book for those who want to give math a second chance and I am one willing to give myself that chance. "The Joy of X" is a friendly trip through math's most important ideas, how they came about and how they are ever present even in the most unlikely places like a zebra's stripe pattern. Mr. Strogatz's references to movies, TV shows and novels along with his easy-going conversational writing style make the lessons--oops, chapters shorter and livelier than the average mathematics textbook I used to study from. The "Joy of X" is divided in six parts. Part 1 covers numbers and arithmetic. Part 2 is all about the ideas behind algebra. Part 3 introduces the readers to geometry and trigonometry. Pi, the infinite and calculus are the subjects of Part 4 and in Part 5, Strogatz deals with statistics and probability. Finally, readers will find some mathematical paradoxes in Part 6.

In spite of Mr. Strogatz's good intentions and expertise, you may need to look up some terms and concepts if, for example, you have forgotten your calculus completely. I have to admit that some chapters were still way over my head. However, I enjoyed others like the one on topology, on the practical properties of parabolas and ellipses and the one covering Mobius strips, especially after watching Vi Hart's videos, which are recommended in the book.

Even though I didn't "get it" all, I still came out with a new sense of respect for mathematics. I don't think my regard for numbers will ever come any close to surpassing my delight for words. But the "Joy of X" has opened my eyes to the importance of math in everyday life. I do not understand how to work out a quadratic formula, but I appreciate a lesson math and Mr. Strogatz teach when it comes to word problems: make use of the information available and then find the solution through logic, visualization, and reason. This is advice anybody can use in the real world.

The Joy of X Steven Strogatz

Strogatz has a unique feel for presenting math as an interesting story. He can start with a challenge or problem and a diagram, then step by step walk you through, pause and tell you that at this point you can finish the problem. Sure enough frequently you can, and you get to share the deeper joy of having been able to solve the problem with deeper understanding. His use of many easy to understand diagrams and photos along with application to phenomena we see everyday bring a profounder sense of understanding.

A number of examples on limits are used to geometrically find the areas of different shapes. Take a circle, and cut it up into pie wedges, as you increase the number of pie wedge sections they look more like triangles. Combine all the triangles, narrow end to wide end in a rough rectangular shape. The more pie wedge sections, the closer to a rectangle, the more accurate the area. As you take more wedges, one side is r (radius of the circle), the other pi times r (half the circumference of the circle), and multiplying them together gives an approximation of the area of the circle. The limit as you approach an infinite number of wedges is the correct area of the circle. Actually doing this is of course very time consuming, but math can help. Strogatz uses diagrams to make this much clearer.

Using the technique of limits, derivatives, (how fast something is changing), and integrals (how much is being accumulated or the area under a curve) are the main ideas in calculus. These methods give us a shortcut for calculations by finding a differential equation that explains some physical phenomena, then use the technique of integration of this equation over the measurements, i.e. the limits of interest. This is similar to finding the height of a building by adding the heights of each step in the stairs, except you do it in one step. Knowing what is happening in one slice of a system lets one to predict what is happening in the next, then the next all the way to the limit. This permits us to make the measurement on the whole system!

An interesting limit is the number e, 2.7182..., If you have $1000 and can get 1% compounded continuously, infinitely often, you will have $2718.2 at the end of a year. The number e arises frequently when there is a cumulative effect of many small events. As radioactive uranium undergoes decay, each atom has some small chance of decaying, that appears to be random and not predictable, but the total level of radioactivity is quite predictable. He develops an optimum strategy (100/e) to find the number of people you should date before you pick a mate. The love triangle is compared to the three-body problem in astronomy that even gave Newton a headache and often kept him awake.

Maxwell's theory uses equations to describe electric and magnetic fields and finds that the change of one field in time links to the space change of the other in space (the curl). One field generates the other field and so on, they are now looked on as a single force. Maxwell also derived that the speed of these fields was the same as light, showing that light is an electromagnetic wave. This relates light, electric and magnetic fields in one entity!

In making health decisions or interpreting less than perfect tests and data, a useful approach is developed in Gigerenzer Calculated Risks. This changes the probabilities and percentages of having a health problem to actual frequencies that is usually clearer. For instance a 0.8 percent probability that you have a problem becomes 8 out of 1000 people have the problem. Interpretation becomes more complicated when false positives (the test is positive, but the patient has no health problem) and false negatives (the test is negative, but the patient has a health problem) are included. Interestingly most doctors vastly overestimate the actual danger implicit in data like this.

You can also misdirect, for instance Bush estimated that the 2003 tax cuts saved the average family $1,586. This averaged in the huge tax cuts that the richest received. Most families (the median) got about $650 back, quite a difference between the mean and median from the same data. Stock prices don't follow a normal distribution, they tend to be weighted to one end of the distribution-called a fat tail. The probability of events like the stock market crash of Oct. 19, 1987 had one chance in 10**59, one followed by 59 zeroes, of happening on a normal distribution, but it did happen. Assuming normal distributions can lead to big errors. This is the fat tail of a normal distribution, sometimes called a black swan (Taleb) or a dragon king (Sornette)

Group theory is about what you can do to a shape, rotate, flip, mirror image, etc., and still come back to the same position. You can apply it to how to flip a mattress to get the most life out of it, molecular structure, quantum mechanics, Rubik's cube, and many other applications.

Combined with thorough notes with useful web links one can pursue subjects of interest easily. It is a thought-provoking and enjoyable book.

This book was a sheer enjoyment for me to read.I am an electrical engineer and also have a degree in Mathematics.The only problem is that I graduated over 50 years ago,and have been retired for over 20 years.While I did not use much of what I learned in Mathematics courses over the years;I have maintained my love of Mathematics all through the years.I have done this many ways.I was a great fan of Martin Gardner,both his column for many years in "Scientific American" and his many books on the general subject of Mathematical Recreations.I developed a love for Mechanical Puzzles,and puzzles of every type ever since I first came across "The 15 Puzzle", "Tangrams" and Sam Loyd's "Cyclopedia of Puzzles";starting in my High School days.I have also read many books that expounded the beauty of Mathematics as well as the great Mathematicians.
When one reads these books or delves into Mathematical Recreations,one has many "Aha! Moments.That is what the author serves up in this book.
Anyone who has studied Math through High School,and later in college ;will come across many things in this book that have faded into the past,but still not completely forgotten.
If you have lived as long as I have,you already know, that like everything else,what is taught in "school" is always changing.
What really impressed me with this book, is that Strogatz is that rare type of teacher who believes in Inspiring rather than Correcting.
If you are inspired by the mystery,majesty,and beauty of Mathematics ;You'll enjoy this book.
Strogatz is the type of teacher (Inspirer) in Mathematics that Frank McCourt was in Creative Writing.(Check out "Teacher Man"). I once had a long discussion with a retired University President and was telling him that ,all through my school and university years,there were only two teachers that actually inspired me.He surprised me when he said,"if you had more than one,you were most fortunate".By the way,one was a Math teacher.

If I'd had teachers like author Steven Strogatz, a professor of mathematics at Cornell, perhaps I might have developed a warmer relationship with math, rather than spending most of my life as a math phobe. He has a rare gift for making complex (to me) mathematical concepts accessible and relevant to everyday life, and his spare, breezy and often humorous writing style reflects his obvious enthusiasm for his subject, making math friendly rather than intimidating. Although true to form, I delayed picking up the book for several weeks after receiving it, I found myself intrigued, not put off, once I started reading.

In his preface, Strogatz gives readers license to either read the chapters sequentially, as they build on a conventional hierarchy of math concepts, or jump around at random because much of the book is based on his NY Times column and the chapters are bite-size and fairly easily digested. After reading most of the first section, on arithmetic, I did the latter, which, it turned out, took a bit of effort and concentration because it pointed up the yawning gaps in my own knowledge. In the later chapters, I had to work harder to understand the points Strogatz was making, not always succeeding. For people who are well versed in math, The Joy of X won't probably provide any new insights or revelations, and I suspect that's what's behind some of the negative reviews. But for people like me, who have long found mathematics as enjoyable as a root canal, it was a revelation and will doubtless remain a resource and reference for me when I seek to understand mathematical concepts that I've either forgotten or never learned. If I had it to do over, however, I would read the chapters in order.

All in all, a highly readable, accessible and definitely entertaining approach to a subject that has struck terror into the hearts of far too many people like me.

XXXXX

"[This book is] a guided tour through the elements of math, from preschool to grad school, for anyone out there who'd like to have a second chance at the subject--but this time from an adult perspective. It's not intended to be remedial. The goal is to give you a better feeling for what math is all about and why it's so enthralling to those who get it...

[This book] is an introduction to math's most compelling and far-reaching ideas. The chapters...are bite-sized and largely independent."

The above extract comes from the preface of this enthralling book by Steven Strogatz. He is a professor of applied mathematics at Cornell University. Strogatz is the recipient of a lifetime achievement award for math communication.

For me, this book reminded me of just how mesmerizing and beautiful mathematics can be.

The chapters are arranged in six parts:

Part 1 entitled "Numbers" begins the tour with kindergarten and preschool arithmetic. Pretty basic stuff you might say. However, I was surprised how much I learned from this part. For example, most people have memorized that when you multiply two negative numbers together, you get a positive result. This part explains why.

The next part entitled "Relationships" goes from working with numbers to working with relationships between numbers. This is at the heart of algebra. (Question: What did the mermaid wear to math class? Hint: the answer is given in the previous sentence, sort of.) In this part, I especially enjoyed the discussions on complex numbers, word problems, and on the "unsightly" but important quadratic equation.

Part 3 is entitled "Shapes." In this part, the focus changes from numbers and symbols to shapes and space. Here we enter the realms of geometry and trigonometry. Included in this part are good discussions of proofs, parabolas, ellipses, and sine waves.

In part 4 entitled "Change," we come to the most fruitful branch of mathematics called calculus (not to be confused with the stuff that builds up on your teeth). Calculus made it possible to predict the motions of planets, the rhythm of the tides, and almost every other form of continuous change in the universe. Good discussions of differential & integral calculus as well as vector calculus are included in this part.

The fifth part entitled "Data" deals with the relatively young subjects of probability, statistics, networks, and data mining. All of these subjects were inspired by the messy part of life: chance & luck, risk, volatility, and randomness.

The last part entitled "Frontiers" goes more deeply into the topics of parts 1 to 5. In this part are discussions of prime numbers, group theory, differential geometry, and infinity.

There are only two prerequisites needed to understand this book: curiosity and common sense.

Finally, who is this book written for? As the above extract says, those "who'd like a second chance" at math. However, it's also good for those who want a good review of basic concepts of mathematics. Also, this book may provide an important starting point for pursuing the study of a particular topic in mathematics.

In conclusion, this book provides a good, basic, and fun exploration of mathematics. I leave you with this word problem found in this book:

Imagine a bathtub that has two faucets, one for cold water and the other for hot water. If the cold-water faucet can fill the tub in a half-hour, and the hot-water faucet can fill it in an hour, how long will it take to fill the tub when they're running together? (Hint: the answer is not 45 minutes.)

(first published 2012; preface; 6 parts or 30 chapters; main narrative 255 pages; acknowledgements; notes; credits; index)

<<Stephen PLETKO, London, Ontario, Canada>>

XXXXX

The back cover blurb starts "Did O.J. do it?" On page 187 of the book, that's the hook for a small item on conditional probability. The prosecution of the case gave evidence of a history of spouse abuse. The defense denied this, but also countered that less than 1 in 2500 abusive relationships end in murder. Neither side answered the important question -- in an abusive relationship ending in murder, how often is it the fault of the abuser? Out of 100000 abusive relationships, about 43 end in murder per year, and 40 of them are by the abuser. There's the conditional probability, P(X->A).

For a section on conic sections and parabolas, page 78, he has a photo of the Detroit airport fountain. Launched objects follow generally parabolic paths. Page 94, he discusses Thomas Jefferson's fascination with Euclid's elements, and how that led to "We hold these truths to be self-evident." Washington and Lincoln also had a great love of geometry.

On page 192, the author deftly explains the Google PageRank algorithm. Given some pages that link to each other, which is the most important? Back at the beginning of the book, he discusses a Sesame Street episode, where Ernie is learning something about numbers.

This is a good book for getting someone interested in mathematics, and the writing is breezy and friendly. If you're looking for more like this one, Gems of Geometry and The Book of Numbers are also excellent. Recommended.

If you're a devotee of popular mathematics, there's nothing you'll encounter in this book that you haven't seen in many other books. But credit where it's due: Strogatz covers a lot of ground, with flair. The Joy of x is an entertaining read and -- especially for young readers, I'd imagine -- an edifying and even inspiring one. It's not a great book, in my view, in that it does little to stretch the reader. But it's a decent one. I enjoyed it, myself, but I wouldn't be bereft (knowing what I know know) had I passed it by.

The title of this book might be a play on another book's title, The Joy of Sex. Maybe it is a subliminal message to get people to read and like this book. Well maybe that's pushing things a bit; the author does make the most important ideas in math fun to learn about and maybe even easy or at least easier for most people than would be the case without this book. And math can be very useful.

I have a technical background which included a lot of math courses, but I still like books on technology and math written for a general audience. Less of a strain to read and they stick to the fun parts as much as possible. And there are a lot of fun and interesting things in technology and math to know about.

This book is divided into six parts; (1)Numbers (they can describe the world; arithmetic); (2) Relationships (between numbers; algebra); (3) Shapes (and space; geometry and trigonometry can be fun); (4)Change (the power of calculus and its friend, infinity); (5) Data (dealing with uncertainty; probability, statistics and more); (6)Frontiers (takes us to the edge where the unknown awaits).

It might take a little effort, but you can have fun with this book. I say go for it.

This book is a series of vignettes about math, written in a simple, enthusiastic, and evocative style intended to engage people with limited math knowledge. It can be read and understood by anyone with a passing familiarity with arithmetic, even if they typically find math intimidating. It reminds me of books I read as a child which got me interested in numbers and math.

Thirty years past a PhD in physics, this is not a book from which I learned any math. But it was still a quick and pleasant read, and I admired many of the author's approaches to providing accessible explanations of not so simple topics. Not everyone can explain the quadratic formula and leave the reader feeling he's only brushed against algebra.

I would recommend this book to a reader who'd like to understand a bit more math, but lacks a strong inclination to approach and solve equations. It is also suitable for a teen or a precocious preteen. If you already know a lot of math you'll enjoy this book only if you like to see new takes on old problems.

At some point in life I started wondering whether things I wasn't familiar with were things I had never known or merely things I once knew and had since forgotten (or misplaced the key to its location in my brain). I had several conversations with myself during the reading of this book. To be fair to myself, or perhaps to make excuses, it has been more than half a century since I have "studied" some of the things that Strogatz includes.

All in all this book is interesting. It is not going to "teach" anyone math. It isn't going to change those never known or forgotten math subjects into learned or relearned math topics. Like most of the "popular" math/science books, it is fun to expose yourself to the subjects - and that might lead to actually "studying" them. The notes at the end expand the topics without weighing down the main text.

This is not a textbook and in no way does it read like one. In thirty short chapters we go from the basic concept of numbers and a basic look at addition to a look at infinity. In between, the author takes us on a trip of ever increasing complex topics.

If you have an interest in the subject matter, then this is an interesting book to read. If not, and you are still in school, then you might gain from a reading of this. The "stories" were well written and contained enough humor to lighten the complexity. Again, this is not a "teaching math" book, but it is a book that teaches why we should learn math. That's incredibly important.

I have always wondered why people say that the universe is built on numbers, or that math can explain the physical world. That question had been with me ever since I was a child, and it was never answered. Until I read "the Joy of X".
This books gives you a very quick rundown of the world of mathematics. Many things are explained, all in a very simple and clear manner, without going into calculations or esoteric names or formulas. The book also gradually takes on harder subjects, culminating in a section dedicated to contemporary mathematics, mind bending stuff that is hardly a topic you will run into unless you are part of a mathematician program.
I recommend it to those interested in math but not interested in solving problems or looking for additional reference.

I've read many mathematics books written for the general public, but I found this one to be most enjoyable for its ability to convey interesting aspects of mathematics in an easy to understand manner. Each chapter while describing a different aspect of mathematics (geometry, topology, calculus, etc.) is done so in a very approachable manner for the general public.
I especially found the section on the Möbius Strip to be a treasure, with its reference to Vi Hart's "Wind and Mr. Ug" video. As well, the discussion of shortest path on various topological shapes made me think and ponder.
The sign of a great book on mathematics for me is when I encounter the last page of it, and find myself disappointed that it has ended. Of course that causes me to look for other books written by Professor Strogatz!
Well done!

That's what I love about this book. It tells you what makes math go. The book begins with penguins ordering "fish, fish, fish, fish, fish, fish" and then gently eases into more advanced concepts. I enjoyed reading it on my lunch breaks and working through the examples to be sure I understood them. This book really is about the *joy* of math, not the mechanics. The book provides a deep insight for math teachers at all levels: a deep understanding of the underlying ideas behind a few simple concepts is enormously powerful, and is perhaps more useful in the long run than a broad and shallow treatment. That's the joy of it. Discovering the profound beauty beneath some almost absurdly simple mathematical ideas. I give Strogatz an A+. The + is for his great sense of humor.

This is the kind of math I can manage - short chapters, a variety of topics progressing from elementary (learning to count) to advanced (to infinity. . .and beyond), and plenty of graphics. Where a picture won't do the trick, author Steven Strogatz refers us to web videos, old TV shows, and movies.

Starting with the chapters on Sesame Street concepts, I continued up to high school level concepts, and then it got more and more complicated. I kept with it, because Strogatz keeps it entertaining, so even when you don't completely understand the math, you might still grasp the purpose.

As a professor of applied mathematics, Strogatz never gets far from the purpose of math. Even random number generators and prime numbers, which I enjoyed playing with in high school, but were seemingly pointless, turned out to have a purpose, though we didn't know it then. Now they are used as the basis for encryption algorithms and therefore for secure transactions and encoding.

And math might be the answer to problems we all have in our everyday lives, contrary to the popular belief that you never need math, other than arithmetic, once you leave school. For instance, there's a chapter on how to calculate the number of people you should date before deciding on a mate. While that concept is a bit questionable, the math is useful for deciding on similar problems, such as how many people to interview for a job before deciding which one to hire, or how how many stores to shop in before deciding on a pair of shoes. Which is why, perhaps, I misread the endnote that names the pertinent theory as the "mathematics of optimal stopping" as the more relevant (to me) "mathematics of optimal shopping."

Five stars for readability and relevance.

This is about as friendly a read on mathematics as you could imagine. It really doesn't go into the math itself much at all -- it just sets the stage with one problem at a time (for a total of 30 short articles) and talks about how the mathematical solution deals with it. The articles are written in a very folksy, light-hearted style and make heavy use of easily understood analogies. It really is a breeze to read.

After reading the first couple of articles I was worried that the book might be too basic to be interesting (#2 looks at what multiplication means), but it ramped up steadily, ultimately touching on conic sections, calculus, differential equations, topology, and much more. The book doesn't really *teach* you any of that -- it just rolls out a problem and then talks about how some part of the mathematical arsenal handles it. My favorite was probably #24, which shows how Google greatly improved search results with math.

This book is much more about appreciating the breadth of mathematics and understanding how it relates to our lives than it is about mathematical technique. It would be a great book for high school students who are into math, to get them excited about what they can learn in the years to come.

I really enjoyed this book. It contains 30 short chapter (most less than 10 ages long) that covers a small maths topic. The prose style is accessible and engaging for any reader beyond middle school level. The book aims to increase your mathematical intuition by showing you applications of maths to solve common problems rather than showing proofs, so it is not heavy on equations. It has lots of interesting anecdotes - like the 12 year old girl that worked out the shape of a piece of paper she needed to be able to break the world record and fold it in half 12 times consecutively! The book has great chapter notes as well, to help you get started on digging into some of the content a little more deeply if the mood takes you. The short chapter format and size makes it ideal to take with you to dip into during a break from your routine or read on a road trip.

The book is in a similar vein to Journey through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics and The Mathematical Universe: An Alphabetical Journey Through the Great Proofs, Problems, and Personalities, but with more of a focus on practical problems than the historic context.

Great book!

Before you assume that because I'm a geek-wannabe that I read math texts for fun, let me assure you: IT IS NOT SO. I was introduced to the fact that maybe--just maybe--I like math by a brilliant book given to me years ago (Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences). Since then, I have had my eye on math writing. And with this book, I discovered a gem. It's a collection of articles by Strogatz that appeared in the New York Times and they are clever, informative, and interesting. Add this to your to-read list for fun. You deserve it, whether you like math or not.

Good book which I especially appreciated because it kept me engaged without overly taxing my by now largely forgotten knowledge of geometry, algebra, trigonometry, calculus, differential equations, etc. from high school and college. I read on average two articles a day and knocked this book out in 2 weeks. Lots of application and food for thought when it comes to topics like Google's Page Rankings, prime numbers, etc. It also has good end notes complete with ideas and references for further exploration. Highly recommend!

Great book that takes a fun and easy-to-understand approach to explain a wide range of mathematical topics -- from the most basic (counting) to some of the more complex (calculus and complex numbers). This book is a great read for anyone, but especially the math teachers out there. It’s packed with great ways to explain math, show the relevance of math, and make math exciting (so, it’s also a great read for parents who want to get their kids excited about math). Some of my favorite parts of the book include: (1) explaining the imaginary number i and why i^2 = -1, (2) proving the Pythagorean Theorem in two ways, (3) using limits to prove that the area of a circle = pi*r^2, (4) approximating the value of pi using polygons, (5) explaining that circles, ellipses, hyperbolas, and parabolas are all just conic sections, (6) using calculus to explain light refraction and why days get longer, faster in the spring, and (7) using math to explain Google’s page rank system.

A most enjoyable trip through mathematics that assumes no knowledge whatsoever on the part of the reader. Nada. Zilch. It even starts out rather disarmingly on Sesame Street! Each of the short chapters includes a surprising nugget of revelation on some subject, ranging from the Declaration of Independence to the O.J. Simpson trial. Strogatz has the skill of making it easy to visualize concepts geometrically, including a fascinating explanation of the ugly quadratic formula. And it's not just a collection of trivia: the issue of conditional probabilities (false negatives and positives) is something that really does make a difference in daily life, and he explains very clearly just what that is all about. And for those of us with some background in mathematics, the end notes provide lots more to chew on. The book is in the tradition of Martin Gardner and John Allen Paulos, and is a worthy addition to that tradition.

An entertaining introduction to various topics in mathematics – from the number system through Hilbert's speculations about infinity. Meant to stimulate one's appetite for more, and the references provide pointers to more advanced discussions of the topics.

Having always struggled with math, I've lately come to have a deep appreciation for the creativity and beauty behind it. But I still don't have the math to understand books by mathematicians for mathematicians, so books like this are a treasure for someone like me. And Strogatz not only informs but entertains as well. There were several moments where I literally laughed out loud. If you want to appreciate math but don't have the math yourself, it doesn't get much better than this. Highly recommended.

This book is incredibly well done. It is interesting and engaging in a way you thought math never could be. Strogatz describes mathematical concepts from the very simple to the fairly complex in an extremely clear, concise, and eloquent way. You are sure to have several "Aha!" moments. Highly recommended for anyone who has an interest in learning why we go through so many years of math in school!

Many recent popular books on mathematics are really collections of short essays that were originally published elsewhere and then gathered into a book. This book grew out of series of columns originally published in the NY Times. An advantage of this structure is that each chapter of the book is short enough that it can be read and absorbed in a few minutes. The major disadvantage of this approach is that the author can't very easily build on concepts introduced in earlier columns and must avoid assuming too much prior knowledge. Thus you end up with a collection of short pieces that don't work very well together.

Unlike other authors working in this genre (see for example the writing of Ian Stewart or Brian Hayes), Strogatz doesn't make a point of challenging his readers by offering them problems to solve. It's easy to read through one of Strogatz's columns and think that you understand the topic. However, you're much more likely to have really learned something after you've challenged yourself to solve a problem or two using the concepts that you've learned. It's easy for a mathematician with Strogatz's experience to make this mathematics look easy. The real challenge is in getting the reader to move beyond "following along" to a deeper level of comprehension.

A most enjoyable trip through mathematics that assumes no knowledge whatsoever on the part of the reader. Nada. Zilch. It even starts out rather disarmingly on Sesame Street! Each of the short chapters includes a surprising nugget of revelation on some subject, ranging from the Declaration of Independence to the O.J. Simpson trial. Strogatz has the skill of making it easy to visualize concepts geometrically, including a fascinating explanation of the ugly quadratic formula. And it's not just a collection of trivia: the issue of conditional probabilities (false negatives and positives) is something that really does make a difference in daily life, and he explains very clearly just what that is all about. And for those of us with some background in mathematics, the end notes provide lots more to chew on. The book is in the tradition of Martin Gardner and John Allen Paulos, and is a worthy addition to that tradition.

An entertaining introduction to various topics in mathematics – from the number system through Hilbert's speculations about infinity. Meant to stimulate one's appetite for more, and the references provide pointers to more advanced discussions of the topics.

Having always struggled with math, I've lately come to have a deep appreciation for the creativity and beauty behind it. But I still don't have the math to understand books by mathematicians for mathematicians, so books like this are a treasure for someone like me. And Strogatz not only informs but entertains as well. There were several moments where I literally laughed out loud. If you want to appreciate math but don't have the math yourself, it doesn't get much better than this. Highly recommended.

This book is incredibly well done. It is interesting and engaging in a way you thought math never could be. Strogatz describes mathematical concepts from the very simple to the fairly complex in an extremely clear, concise, and eloquent way. You are sure to have several "Aha!" moments. Highly recommended for anyone who has an interest in learning why we go through so many years of math in school!

Many recent popular books on mathematics are really collections of short essays that were originally published elsewhere and then gathered into a book. This book grew out of series of columns originally published in the NY Times. An advantage of this structure is that each chapter of the book is short enough that it can be read and absorbed in a few minutes. The major disadvantage of this approach is that the author can't very easily build on concepts introduced in earlier columns and must avoid assuming too much prior knowledge. Thus you end up with a collection of short pieces that don't work very well together.

Unlike other authors working in this genre (see for example the writing of Ian Stewart or Brian Hayes), Strogatz doesn't make a point of challenging his readers by offering them problems to solve. It's easy to read through one of Strogatz's columns and think that you understand the topic. However, you're much more likely to have really learned something after you've challenged yourself to solve a problem or two using the concepts that you've learned. It's easy for a mathematician with Strogatz's experience to make this mathematics look easy. The real challenge is in getting the reader to move beyond "following along" to a deeper level of comprehension.

I'm a math nerd. It's possible that only a math nerd like myself would initially pick up this book, and that is a real shame, because we live in a universe powered by mathematics that we can all understand. With amusing examples applicable to life, Strogatz makes even calculus interesting.

I have been attempting to understand mathematics for much of my life. None of the books I had read made sense to me because they were being written by those who reveled in the joy of understanding mathematics' cryptic nature. In this book, the author is able to take the complexity of mathematics fundamental fields of study and explain them plainly.

If you are looking for a book to expand your already well established understanding oh mathematics, this isn't your book. But if you have a desire to understand mathematics, but have struggled to understand it. This book is without peer. As I move into deeper waters in my understanding of mathematics, this book's warm water, shallow introduction helped me enter those foreboding waters without drowning.

I was pretty good at math, got straight A from middle school to college, but I never loved it. It was hard work, like a muddy trail with tons of land mines, and nobody ever told me why I have to trudge through it, until this book remind me to look up and enjoy the gorgeous view. I would recommend it to teenagers who wants a bit more than just getting by in school.

Reading this book, I got a feeling that I haven't gotten since I read George Gamow's "1,2,3, infinity." It's a lucid, joyful look at the things that really matter to mathematicians, through brilliant applications to everyday life that anyone can understand.

The book is engagingly written, and the concepts that it does explain, it explains well; but in many cases it seems to state that a mathematical concept exists without going into much detail on how it works or what can be done with it. That might be too much for one book, but I'm left wanting more.

I enjoyed this book, mostly. But I was also a bit disappointed in it. Imagine a buffet, with all kinds of terribly interesting, tasty foods. And then imagine that you have a tiny, tiny plate, around 3 cm in diameter. You get a lot of plates, but you can only eat any dish once.

Now you have a good feeling for what this book is like. Sometimes you'll come across something that you don't like. That's fine. You don't have much of it, and you can just move on. But the real problem arises when you come to something that you really enjoy...there's only a little bit. And suddenly it is a serious problem, because you only get a little bit. You can (theoretically) go read more about it from the sources in the back, but...we've all been down that road, innit?

I mean, the problem with popular math is that it's such a steep slope. You have things that everyone understands, like subtraction. Then, almost instantly, you get into maths that a lot of people DON'T understand, like topology. And then, you're lost in the woods. You just close the book and walk away. And you still don't know math.

Some of it is so bizarre and arcane that it's hard to understand what it's even useful FOR. He generally at least provides some idea, but really...it's just kind of all on faith there at the end. Like quantum mechanics. You kind of know that it works...SOMEHOW...but it's really a mystery. Similarly, I am not really clear on HOW this math works, or WHY. I can kind of understand some of the times that it's helpful, but a lot of this is still really mysterious. I was kind of hoping that wouldn't be the case after I read it.

Still. It's pretty good.

I did read dis book almost in one deep breath. But at a time I get uncomfortable with it.
Well, in fact, Steven is skillfull writer and my dissapointment from his book comes from my expectations. I was looking for book about math, some kind of introduction to mathematic, its concepts, etc. but this book is journalist material, math columns. It was definitely not what I was looking for. But nevermind. Steven wrote interesting material about math and it was pleasure to read it.

I am a professor of mathematics so I read plenty of books focused on mathematics, especially guided aimed at general audiences. I assign lots of readings to my students from such books, but I've never encountered a book that so thoroughly covers the beauty and simplicity of mathematics such as "The Joy of X." Cover-to-cover it captures the history, development, and usefulness of roughly 30 areas of math. Scattered throughout the chapters are small problems that, if the reader attempts to solve on their own, provide some spine-tingling "ohhh, so THAT'S where that comes from," moments. I love this book.

Steven Strogatz is a master teacher as well as a Chaos theory
scholar ( and I wish him well). He makes difficult abstractions
seem simple in his unique way. Even Teichmüller space
becomes a motorcycle ride in this book!
This book isn't written for mathematically inclined,
but it can't hurt either. Maybe this book can help
with math phobia in young people today.

This book helped fill in some gaps in my understanding of some mathematical concepts. It provides some really simple, concrete explanations and examples for some of the more important concepts in math. The book provided deeper understanding of some ideas that had previously been taught to me in more cursory fashion, and presented some things I'd never seen (or had completely forgotten). It was a fairly easy read.

this is truly one of the best books i have ever read in my life. i would recomend this book to anyone, does not matter weather you are a fan of math or not. i finish this book in a week, and im not a big reader. it was amazing to find such a interesting book on such a hard topic. i promise you would not regreat reading this book. it will open your eyes to a wonderfull world that is only a few pages away.

This book started out as a slog for me. I pressed on, and soon was enjoying myself. I learned how different math concepts were discovered, and what we use them for. I don't really want to learn the math at this point, but I would like some understanding of what is going on. This book serves as a good tour guide.

I ordered this for my 15 year old son. It was more technical than I expected - I was hoping for something more like Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.) for math, but it was drier than that. Nevertheless, my son really enjoyed it, read it without prompting and came back to give me all sorts of facts and ideas.

So for those who truly love math, this is a good book, but for those who are dabblers, it's too much like math...

Steve Strogatz has written a thoroughly enjoyable book about math. He is a fabulous teacher and has mastered fantastic techniques to convey difficult mathematical concepts in a clear and easy to understand manner. And he does it with humor and whimsy. I was disappointed when each chapter ended. I wanted more....and we're talking about MATH of all things.

It was a real pleasure to have read this book. Prof Steven makes you look at the world through the lens of maths in a delightful and simple way. I wish I had come across this book while in college. It is also an ideal springboard for a deeper study of various maths branches since Prof Steven gives valuable pointers to other books and online references which are written in the same vein as this one.

Absolute adored reading this book! As a math major turned engineer, there wasn't a single chapter that didn't remind of something long forgotten. There were also many times that I appreciated a new understanding of something that was once only explained to me in a long, boring proof. I was so sad when then book was over!

I was almost tempted to give this book 4 stars but felt the need to balance the "professional" reviews which are so far from the truth they beggar belief, in my opinion. I'll get to the positives, later, but to use words like "joyous", "beautiful", "fantastic", "magical" makes me wonder if these Harvard and Columbia professors were paid for their accolades.
This book is more a whistle-stop tour than a guided tour and does not guide the reader from "one to infinity" as the sub-title states.
To use the author's analogy of "guided tour" it was as though the guide would drive along a street pointing out houses, making some interesting comments about bedrooms, bathrooms, dining rooms (omitting living rooms, great rooms, family rooms)and then saying "There's a castle" before dropping the subject, completely, and moving on. If you mention a castle in a guided tour, tell me about the castle, if you say guided tour from one to infinity don't leave so much stuff out - that's why I came on a guided tour.
The earlier chapters are obviously rewrites of the newspaper articles which inspired this book. As articles they do their job but to include them in a "guided tour" does not do the book justice since they do not go into anything like enough detail. The later chapters were written for the book, itself, and are more interesting and more detailed.
If you enjoy reading something about math and how it relates to "the real world", if you enjoy an easy style of writing by an expert on a subject then buy the book but wait for it to come out on kindle and you'll get your $9.99 worth.
I'm sorry to be so negative but after I read the accolades on the back cover I couldn't wait to dive in - they didn't do the author any favors and the author should have had the honesty to tell his colleagues they were over the top and he couldn't use them.

This is a very good book, the book gives an overview of different areas of math. I found it easy to understand, and a found it to be a lot of fun to learn the existence of all this areas of math I have never heard about. If you liked math in school read this book, if you hated math in school read it even more.

"The Joy of X" was a joy to read. I read it in one sitting. It can be enjoyed by both accomplished mathematicians & non-mathematicians. Professor Strogatz has a way of pleasantly simplifying complex ideas.

Shortly, can be read by all, new aspects down on ways to think of simple algebra and numbers as well as calculus. Wish it had more details and problems in the more complex math such as the high end calculus, however this book has inspired me to continue on to the higher levels of calculus that i never learned through my education. Great read.

Jonathan Winters said that sometimes he sees books claiming that mathematics can be fun. He burns them. If you agree with that sentiment, this new book will not change your mind. But if you tried, and never quite understood math class, this guided tour of math can be a minor revelation. The chapters begin with addition, subtraction, multiplication, then move onward to more advanced forms. The author tries to tie each concept into real life applications, but here the book is weak. Many of the connections feel tenuous and forced.

The Joy of X is awfully close in title to The Joy of Mathematics, but it is different in several ways that matter. The chapters are short, the mental gymnastics slight, and the writer tries to keep it interesting. Nevertheless, unless you have a tremendous yen for mathematics, your interest may wane, as mine did, before you finish these pages. I believe that math can be fun. I simply lack concrete proof of that postulate.

My reaction to this book is the same as reacting to someone at a party who not only tells flat or inappropriate jokes but insists on continuing after everyone but me has managed to leave the room.

One example is in chapter 11 which offers us a glimpse of logarithms (aka logs), introducing the topic with lines from the television series _Moonlighting_ that happen to contain that gee-whiz word, and then wanders around the topic with asides ending with the concept of how we describe high salaries. He quits the lecture just after telling us that the salary range of $100,000 to $999,999 is referred to as as "six figures" which is approximately the log of that magnitude (to the base 10 = 10^6; it's exact, in fact).

Of course, you and I, having our feet firmly in contact with day-to-day planet earth, call it "six figures" precisely because we can count those digits all by ourselves and all the way up to 6, not because we're taking the log of the number in our sweet little heads. Also, why the author doesn't mention at the start that logs are nothing more than exponents (of a designated base number) is beyond me.

Interestingly, eight chapters later (19) the author alights on the number e which is the base of the _natural_ logarithms, an important factor in natural processes involving interacting elements of populations. Presumably he doesn't edify us readers of this topic because readers who can't be expected to count digits in salaries certainly can't be expected to grasp the nuances of natural logs.

In the same chapter the author goes to hardly any length at all to describe strategy in choosing our "Dreamboat" mate and avoid settling with Mr. Second Choice. He applies his Wall-street trader approach by assuming that we should simply go with the numbers to evaluate and become attached to a mate; he isn't distracted by psychological processes that render the example devoid of usefulness, such as our human tendency to become increasingly satisfied with mates after having accepted them or their having been chosen for us.

Mystery: What does the telly series _Sopranos_ in chapter 29 have to do with infinite series? They both include the mention of "analysis": the former having to do with psychiatric analysis of the insecure Soprano (who would've guessed?), the second with mathematical analysis (Oh, I get it, they're the same words but have entirely unrelated meanings in incommensurate domains of human discourse; wow, that's new!).

Certainly, it's fine that an author sweetens math topics with trivia, but when such trivia has a. nothing to do with the accompanying topic, it's witless, and b. when the author doesn't build on any one of such nuggets of hipness, it drags the work down to a level somewhere between Romance novels and a 'how to' chap book, e.g., how to landscape your yard. Sure, it makes it easier to knock out a book to an unsuspecting consumerdom earnestly seeking insights into rarefied topics, but it's demeaning as well (unless you're just reading it while waiting for your fresh nail polish to dry -- which is what I should have done).

Missing are any tidbits, insight into or mention of the author's network-theory work, which could have raised this book's status. I give the book two stars for content and a third for its title.

Have you ever read a book that felt like a bunch of magazine articles? No? Well, here is your chance. Here is your chance to read chapters that feel like they suddenly end because the author ran out of words. Here is your chance to feel like you are reading articles that go from A to B to M to Z because the author promised to explain Z at the beginning but the magazine only let him have two pages. Yep, here is your chance to read a book and feel cheated. And why you might ask does the book feel like a bunch of magazine articles? Because that is exactly what it is!

The annoying part is that you can understand an author running out of words in a magazine, although you might wonder why he tried to explain too much in too short an article, but he has a whole book now. Why not rewrite the articles to explain what he was trying to explain in the first place? Why not try to add more examples and not skip over things? I guess because that would be harder than just handing over the original articles. And the fact is that reading a bunch of articles in a book gets really boring. Reading a magazine article each month knowing the limits the author has put on himself is not nearly as annoying as reading a book with the same limits.

Anyway, I really didn't feel like I learned anything from the book and I didn't particularly enjoy reading it. I found myself struggling to finish the book just so I can say I finished it rather than finishing it for any other reason. I can't recommend it because if you know math then it will be a bore and if you don't know math it won't really teach you anything.

The threads of this book are interesting, the concepts fascinating, but the connections elusive. Woven into cloth it makes a nice patchwork fabric, but as a suit it did not fit me. The real life implications were presented but not expanded. I entered the shop as a layman and left little changed.

Upon reading this book, you will never look at numbers, word problems, math equations or math symbols in the same way again. Mr. Strogatz's passion for numbers is so contagious, I couldn't stop reading this book. He explains mathematical concepts in such easy to understand language, and with plenty of humor and wit. You might think it would take a doctoral dissertation to do this, but Mr. Strogatz does it with just enough context and information that even the most math-phobic person would be able to read this and get it, but more importantly, really, really enjoy it.

Written for the lay person and lover of all things numerical, this book was sheer fun. Mr. Strogatz weaves science, literature, history, philosophy, physics, technology and more throughout the book. I gave this to my reluctant 10-year reader and while many of the concepts (like calculus) are somewhat foreign to him, he got it (this doesn't mean he could solve a calculus problem, but he does understand the logic behind it). He couldn't help but be wowed by everything he read. If was as if the mysteries of the universe were revealed to him (which in a way, they were!). He's sees math as something really exciting and wants to learn a whole lot more (thank you, thank you, thank you, Mr. Strogatz and Kahn Academy!).

The idea behind the book is not to make you into a mathematician, but draw back the curtain so all can see how truly magical numbers are and how they help us in our daily lives. If you have someone in your life who has even the slightest affection - or aversion - to numbers, this book would make an excellent gift!! I learned so much more about the many math concepts than I thought possible, and have a whole new appreciation for the real beauty of numbers. I hope Mr. Strogatz plans on writing more!

I originally picked this up many years ago at the University of Chicago bookstore and absolutely loved it. I had to buy a second copy to share with my Dad, as I did not want to give up my copy. I wish this was available many years ago when I was in school, it really breaks down many complex concepts and equations into terms that are very easy to understand and in a fun and engaging way. If you know someone who is struggling with math, this is a good investment.