Quando é que os seres humanos ataram os primeiros nós? Por que razão foi assassinada a primeira mulher matemática? Será possível voltar uma esfera do avesso? Estas são apenas algumas perguntas provocadoras que obtêm resposta neste livro maravilhoso. O autor, Clifford A. Pickover, revela-nos a magia e o mistério por trás de alguns dos marcos mais significativos da matemática, assim como os objetos e os pensamentos mais antigos que a Humanidade alguma vez contemplou, recuando 150 milhões de anos, até aos últimos progressos tecnológicos de ponta. A matemática está presente em qualquer domínio do esforço científico. Pode ser usada para explicar as cores do pôr do Sol ou a arquitetura do nosso cérebro e ajudar-nos a explorar as realidades da quântica subatômica e a retratar as galáxias longínquas.

The book is attractive. An illustration for each one of the 250 milestones. Arranged chronologically. The very first entry is about ant odometers; the date is 150 milion BC, when ants appear to have evolved from wasps. The last is "The Mathematical Universe Hypothesis"; the date is 2007. The ones about animals aren't really all that interesting; especially the monkeys counting one. The first real math one is "Magic Squares"; dated 2200 BC. Guess ones that old have been found? The magic squares article inspired me to develop a standard 3-sided magic square, so now I actually know some basic principles about the simplest magic square there is.

It was more like a picture book than any math book I ever read. It's still on my shelf, but I may not ever read it again. ( )

Use as a research project book for the history of math.

After nearly a year, I have finally finished the book about math.

It may sound daunting, especially for your average person. But if you really love math concepts, and you really love reading, then perhaps you might want to give this one a go. The writing is great, and the picture that accompanies each description offers a perfect balance to an otherwise not-so-interesting subject for many. At over 500 pages, you'll be reading this for a long time; at least, if you're the type of person that literally likes to read from cover to cover. ( )