Bookraft

Math Hysteria: Fun and Games with Mathematics by Ian Stewart
Oxford University Press April 2004, 235pages - $16US

Mathematics does not have to be stodgy to be interesting - and many math-philes can attest to that. The graphics and curves of math hold not only beauty but also insights on how things happen.

But Ian Stewart's book take mathematics up a notch and makes it entertaining as well as interesting. Some of the chapter headings give readers an idea of what's up:
The anthropomurphic principle
The great drain robbery
Two-way jigsaw puzzles
Tales of the neglected number
Is monopoly fair?
The bellows conjecture
Domino theories
Choosily chomping chocolate
Gives a Whitman Sampler of the mathematical delights available for the reader's tasting. And the math formulas are kept to a minimum, but the math insights are maximized.

This book is in the style of a series of computer trade books from O'Reilly Press. Head First Java is typical. The idea in these books is to stimulate all possible brain lobes by using quizzes, word games and an abundance of image/sight gags to catch your attention and help you retain the material. Ditto for Math Hysteria. The chapter stories and illustrations are novel, comic and memorable - but its the story that catches your attention - wow I did not realize how fast exponential expansion occurred. Or I always suspected waves had a story they were trying to tell.

If you enjoy an artful mind, Math Hysteria is for you.