How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics

Audio. I'm still hoping for some math ability to sink in by osmosis. Part 1 was about the basics and more complex math concepts. Part two was about Category Theory, which seems to be a rather esoteric branch of mathematics. I liked the way the author used cooking analogies (recipes included) and real-life situations to demonstrate the math concepts. I also enjoyed the little bit she shared about the problems of being a woman in the field of mathematics. I found it quite soothing to listen to this--in a comforting way, not a put-me-to-sleep way--as the letters and numbers and formulas flowed past me. I understood lots of the individual parts of it, but I didn't really grasp the overarching whole. But that is no fault of the book.

How to Bake PI is math and some philosophy. More than a how to, it discusses the reasons beyond just getting the answer right, opening math up to be much more interesting. I could not grasp everything the first time, so I'll need to go back and read it more slowly, piece by piece.

Once you get around to reading this book, there are three distinct thoughts that you'll have:

1. Gosh, I'm hungry and I want pastry
2. Why couldn't my maths teacher in school explain it this way
3. Oh, that's what that is supposed to be doing.

Loved the book!

This was actually a fun look at mathematics. I learned a lot about what "math" is and isn't, and more importantly, why math is - and Ms. Cheng is rather funny which I enjoyed. Bonus points for the Star Wars reference.

The popularity of this book baffles me. I found the author's constant references to how smart she thinks she is very annoying, especially since most of the descriptions and explanations of the mathematical concepts were quite lacking.

If this was how I was taught math in school, I probably would have seen the value of learning it.

Rambling, boring, and teaches nothing. I gave up.