The Grapes of Math

By: Alex Bellos

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Synopsis: Who knew that math could be so incredibly interesting? Alex Bellos rescued math from the geeks with Alex's Adventures in Numberland (published here as Here's Looking at Euclid). A quest for the world's most weird and wonderful mathematical phenomena; it won rave reviews and huge sales in his native UK. The Game of Life is again a heady cocktail of history, reportage, and mathematical proofs that will leave you awestruck. The name comes from a math game that replicates how life forms evolve--there's a mindboggling chapter on it--but captures the book's central theme of human interaction with numbers. Alex Bellos this time goes deeper into the mathematical experience. He has sought and found answers to such questions as: What goes on in the brains of mathematicians? Is there any truth in the stereotype of the mad math genius? What is the link between math ability and neural disorders like autism? And what (because Bellos always approaches his subject with good humour) is the math behind wordplay and the structure of jokes? In this continuation of the journey started in Numberland, Alex Bellos has sought out amazing stories from prominent mathematicians, scientists, innovators and businesspeople. He goes deeper than ever, into some terrifying-looking territory--trigonometry, calculus, the square root of minus one--but it is his great gift that he is able to make-even the most daunting concepts a revelatory delight for the non-mathematical reader.

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