Publisher's Weekly Review
Darling (Equations of Eternity), an astronomer and science writer, teams up with a student of his, teenage math prodigy Banerjee, in this enjoyable, wide-ranging volume of essays on such diverse mathematical topics as computing, music theory, prime numbers, and paradoxes. Even math-averse readers should find something to pique their interest here. The authors begin by covering how math is used to visualize multiple dimensions in such fields as popular fiction, modern art, and physics. They move on with a brief discussion of the statistics of random chance that shows how to figure out the odds of winning a lottery as well as understand quantum mechanics. In the most fascinating chapters, student and teacher explore Turing machines and computing, how to build a great chess-playing computer, and the math of really large numbers. They keep their discussion equation-free while delivering thoughtful and accessible explanations with a fair bit of history and many stimulating real world examples. "Mathematics," Darling and Banerjee write, "is an endless adventure into the weirdest and wildest places ever countenanced by the human intellect"-and there is plenty here to convince even the most skeptical reader that they have a good point. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A science writer and astronomer and his student, a teen math prodigy, join forces to elucidate fields of math they find weird.Darling (Mayday!: A History of Flight Through its Martyrs, Oddballs, and Daredevils, 2015, etc.) and Banerjee are struck by how some of the most abstruse findings from math turn out to have practical applications in quantum physics or computer scienceor lead to concepts like orders of infinity or yield unexpected patterns of numbers or figures. One could argue that these findings are neither weird nor magical but the inexorable results of logic and the permissible rules of operation of mathematical systems by imaginative thinkers. As subjects, the authors examine selected fields of pure, as opposed to applied, math. The first chapter takes on the idea of seeing in the fourth dimension, with descriptions of the 4-D extension of the cube called a tesseract. There follows a chapter on probability emphasizing non-intuitive findings and then one on fractals, a field that deals with curves that have fractional dimensions. This idea grew out of a paper by the field's inventor, Benoit Mandelbrot, that asked, "how long is the coast of Britain?" Thereafter, the authors' choices are more self-indulgent, with chapters on chess and music, which will be lost on readers who are not game players or familiar with harmonics. Other areas concern computer science and number theory emphasizing primes. There is a particularly wearisome chapter on competitions to generate large and larger numbers, a sport favored by Banerjee. The text concludes with chapters on topology, set theory, infinity, and the foundations of mathematics. This is difficult material, and readers should be familiar with logical paradoxes, the meaning of "proof," and notions of consistency and completeness of axiomatic systems as well as the work Gdel and others in establishing the incompleteness of any mathematical system complex enough to embody arithmetic.The authors offer some beguiling insights on what math is about and how it has evolved but no royal road to easy understanding. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Readers seeking nifty facts to wow others won't be disappointed in this unusual presentation by teen math genius Banerjee and his teacher, science writer Darling. Nor will math whizzes, as there is no dumbing down here, with each chapter building to successfully challenging skill levels. One example of the more accessible levels offers a discussion of how ordinary computers, even the Turing Machine conceived in the 1930s, if given enough time, could solve anything a quantum computer can. The chapter on prime numbers is a standout, as the authors illuminate the ongoing inquiry into the Ulam spiral, which established a highly irregular pattern for the occurrence of primes, and the fact that thinkers since the classic Greeks have suspected that a firmer, and probably more useful, understanding of the distribution of such a key building block is tantalizingly close. Another chapter reveals that only people who missed the Large Number Championship at MIT in Boston in 2007 could claim that mathematicians aren't funny. Even the number-challenged will emerge with a stronger appreciation of math.--Carr, Dane Copyright 2018 Booklist
Choice Review
The book is interesting from many aspects. Though the title is provocative, the book as a whole is an exploration--using several interesting examples--of the role of mathematics in human thought; it joins a plethora of books that attempt to reveal what mathematicians do when they do mathematics and why they do it. This book is particularly interesting in terms of its authors. One is a well-known writer on science topics; the other is a teenage math prodigy. The science writer did the final editing of the chapters, and the result is a very enjoyable and readable book. The range of topics selected to exhibit math's "weirdness" is broad and covers many aspects of the discipline. As a result, each of the 13 chapters can be read independently. Readers' proficiency levels in mathematics matters little; almost all will come away much the wiser regarding the history, usefulness, and beauty of mathematics. The only drawback is the book's lack of a bibliography. Despite this shortcoming, this book will make an excellent addition to most libraries and resonate with general readers and students of all backgrounds and ages. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduates and general readers. --Donald Z. Spicer, University System of Maryland
Library Journal Review
As its title suggests, Weird Math is a collection of mathematical topics but not those that one usually encounters in school. Specifically, this is not a mathematics book; it is a book about mathematics. Science writer Darling (Equations of Eternity) and his protégé Banerjee treat readers to some of the amazing facts that fascinate students of the subject. The material is organized into 13 chapters, each with a central theme that occasionally branches off into seemingly unrelated fields. Reflecting the growing importance of computers, much space is devoted to current investigations into game theory, computability, solvability, and mathematical logic. There are also sections on the notational uses of large numbers, transfinite arithmetic, and the difference between very large and infinite. The book contains some formulas but only a few proofs. Thus, the exposition may leave readers eager for more details and examples. Verdict A solid read for the student or educated layperson who is interested in mathematics and its connections to life's routines.-Harold D. Shane, Mathematics Emeritus, Baruch Coll. Lib., CUNY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
