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Beyond Infinity
An Expedition to the Outer Limits of Mathematics
Description
“[Cheng] does a great service by showing us non-mathematician schlubs how real mathematical creativity works.” — Wall Street Journal
How big is the universe? How many numbers are there? And is infinity + 1 is the same as 1 + infinity? Such questions occur to young children and our greatest minds. And they are all the same question: What is infinity? In Beyond Infinity, Eugenia Cheng takes us on a staggering journey from elemental math to its loftiest abstractions. Along the way, she considers how to use a chessboard to plan a worldwide dinner party, how to make a chicken-sandwich sandwich, and how to create infinite cookies from a finite ball of dough. Beyond Infinity shows how one little symbol holds the biggest idea of all.
How big is the universe? How many numbers are there? And is infinity + 1 is the same as 1 + infinity? Such questions occur to young children and our greatest minds. And they are all the same question: What is infinity? In Beyond Infinity, Eugenia Cheng takes us on a staggering journey from elemental math to its loftiest abstractions. Along the way, she considers how to use a chessboard to plan a worldwide dinner party, how to make a chicken-sandwich sandwich, and how to create infinite cookies from a finite ball of dough. Beyond Infinity shows how one little symbol holds the biggest idea of all.
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Praise
"Ms. Cheng's chatty tone keeps things fresh. She has a knack for folksy analogies, and at different points in the book she illuminates different properties of infinity by discussing Legos, the iPod Shuffle, snorkeling, Battenberg cakes and Winnie-the-Pooh... she does a great service by showing us non-mathematician schlubs how real mathematical creativity works." --Wall Street Journal
"Our minds cannot truly grasp the concept of infinity, but Eugenia Cheng takes us on a wild journey to help us in our search for it. It's a small, unassuming symbol, but it holds a giant idea. Cheng helps us understand the basics of infinity and then takes us on a ride to see its most lofty applications. From the practical to the entirely theoretical, this is a book to watch for." --Paste Magazine
"The idea of infinity is one of the most perplexing things in mathematics, and the most fun. Eugenia Cheng's Beyond Infinity is a spirited and friendly guide--appealingly down to earth about math that's extremely far out."
—JordanEllenberg, author of How Not to Be Wrong and professor ofmathematics at University of Wisconsin-Madison
"Beyond Infinity is witty, charming, and crystal clear. Eugenia Cheng's enthusiasm and carefully chosen metaphors and analogies carry us effortlessly through the mathematical landscape of the infinite. A brilliant book!"
—IanStewart, author of Calculating the Cosmos
PRAISE FOR EUGENIA CHENG
"[Cheng] conveys the spirit of inventiveness and creativity in math... Refreshing is the word that keeps coming to mind." —StevenStrogatz, as quoted in the New York Times
"[Cheng] conveys the spirit of inventiveness and creativity in math... Refreshing is the word that keeps coming to mind." —StevenStrogatz, as quoted in the New York Times
"Dr.
Cheng...has a knack for brushing aside conventions and edicts, like so many pie
crumbs from a cutting board."
—NatalieAngier, New York Times
"[Eugenia
Cheng's] tone is clear, clever and friendly. Even at her most whimsical she is
rigorous and insightful... [She is] a lucid and nimble expositor."
—AlexBellos, New York Times Book Review
