I did persevere with math to a certain level of competence. Shining student, I realize what a profound effect those two deeply imaginative, thoughtful men had on my future career. Puzzle Australia (and Kate and Dick Jones at Kadon Enterprises (for their advice and photos of puzzles from their product lines and personal collections Gideon Weisz (and Istvan Orosz for stunning recursive and anamorphic art images my good friend Andrew “Dogs” Thanks especially go to Jan Wassenaar (for drawing many of the plane curves that are featured in the book Robert Webb (for numerous photos of his wonderful, homemade polyhedra Jos Leys (for his mesmerizing fractal artwork Xah Lee (for a variety of ingenious digital imagery Sue and Brian Young at Mr. And last but most of all, thanks to my family for letting me pursue a career that is really a fantasy.Īny people have helped me enormously in assembling this collection of mathematical oddities, delights, whimsies, and profundities. Thanks also to my marvelous agent, Patricia Van der Leun. Any errors that remain are entirely my own responsibility. I’m greatly indebted to Stephen Power, senior editor, and to Lisa Burstiner, senior production editor, at John Wiley & Sons, for their encouragement and unfailing attention to detail, and even proffering of alternative, clever solutions to some of the problems in the book. Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)īarker for stimulating discussions and the solution to one of the problems William Waite for pictures from his antique math collection and Peter Cromwell, Lord & Lady Dunsany, Peter Knoppers, John Lienhard, John Mainstone, David Nicholls, Paul and Colin Roberts, Anders Sandberg, John Sullivan, and others for their valuable contributions. The last thing one knows when writing a book is what to put first. Anglinīut leaving those of the Body, I shall proceed to such Recreation as adorn the Mind of which those of the Mathematicks are inferior to none. Rigor should be a signal to the historian that the maps have been made, and the real explorers have gone elsewhere. Mathematics is not a careful march down a well-cleared highway, but a journey into a strange wilderness, where the explorers often get lost. Includes bibliographical references and index. The universal book of mathematics : from abracadabra to Zeno’s paradoxes / David Darling. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Darling, David J. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and the author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. All rights reserved Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008. ∞ This book is printed on acid-free paper. The Universal Book of Mathematics From Abracadabra to Zeno’s Paradoxes
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