Great fun.

Silly, serious and everything in between to do with Maths. Dip into it or, if you are sad like me, read it cover to cover.

No maths ability required. ( )

Math library recall QA95 .S7257 2009

A few short items -- on the four-color theorem, Fermat's Last Theorem, Fibonacci numbers, chaos theory, the Poincaré Conjecture, fractals, the Riemann Hypothesis, the game of Life, the Kepler problem, complexity science -- afloat in a large sea of *really* short items. Stewart never writes a dull book.

It is a curious thing about most journalists that although many of them are excessively well educated [it’s the perfect profession for professional students who don’t want to teach] few have much proficiency in the sciences.

My maths teacher told me mathematics was a subject I would use all my life: I am happy to report that while I use my old friend arithmetic every day, I have not crossed paths with his complex younger brother since matric.

I loved Maths – alas the love was unrequited – so any book that states in the introduction: ‘The maths you did at school is not all of it’ is bound to grab my attention, especially when it continues ‘the maths you didn’t do at school is interesting. In fact, a lot of it is fun.’

An essential read for all those who need numbers, love logic, pursue puzzles and adore order – but were mathematical morons: no extensive knowledge of theorems and formulas is required, just common sense and a methodical mind-set.

Ian Stewart, a prolific writer and professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick, is best known for making maths accessible and popular: when he was 14 he started a notebook detailing every interesting thing he could find out about maths.

Over the years his notebook grew into a series of six then expanded to fill an entire filing cabinet: “‘Curiosities’ is a sample from my cabinet, a miscellany of intriguing mathematical games, puzzles, stories and factoids.”

The book takes the form of a long series of puzzles and stories, followed at the end by an answer section. The earlier questions are not too difficult but as the pages turn so the riddles become more challenging.

The author’s stated intention is to ‘excite your imagination by showing you lots of amusing and intriguing pieces of mathematics. I want you to have fun…’

Definitions of fun vary of course and what might cause waves of hilarity to envelop a maths geek pretty much left me cold – my maths simply wasn’t good enough for me to get the joke. I enjoyed the book however and recommend it highly.

Maths riddle: The Emperor Scrumptius was born in 35BC and died on his birthday in 35AD. What was his age when he died?

Maths puzzle: place a standard mathematical symbol between four and five to get a number greater than four but less than five.

Maths brainteaser: I have five glasses in a row. The first three are full and the other two empty. How can I arrange them so they are alternately full and empty by moving only one glass?

But enough serious stuff – let’s move onto the ‘funnies’.

Maths joke: only an elephant or a whale gives birth to a creature that weighs more than 100 kilograms. President Zuma weighs more than 100 kilograms, therefore…

Another maths joke: Why did the chicken cross the Mobius band?
To get to the other… um…

Wipe away the tears of laughter because I’ve saved the best for last: There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary numerals, and those who don’t.

And finally: There are three kinds of people in the world:
Those who can count,
And those who can’t. ( )

One of our math instructors calls this book "fabulous" and says "I think I'm going out to buy my own personal copy." She is referring to Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities by the eponymous Ian Stewart. His book is filled with mathematical brain teasers, interesting facts, and puzzles. Perfect for the high-school-and-up reader who relishes all things mathematical.