This book explores how mathematics appears in everyday life. It presents math in a fun and beautiful way using knowledge at the junior high and high school level. It is written for general readers, not for experts. The book avoids difficult math and instead focuses on how new ways of thinking and careful observation can reveal interesting math ideas. It is divided into 33 topics. These include familiar recreational math like tournament games, magic squares, and math tricks, as well as unique ideas like the geometry of origami and toy train tracks. Some of the topics in this book may be unfamiliar to readers outside Japan, as they are based on things the author has observed in daily life in Japan. However, this is also one of the unique features of the book. It offers readers a glimpse into everyday life in Japan. The goal is to help readers feel closer to math, rather than to provide deep academic content.
Features
- Easy to understand with junior high or high school level math knowledge.
- Introduces math found in real life, like origami.
- Includes many topics based on the author’s popular social media posts (over 23,000 followers on X).
- Connects math topics with hands-on activities and experiences.
- Helps readers see the world in a new way through a "mathematical way of thinking".
- Focuses on intuitive and visual understanding, not difficult formulas or theories.
- Provide links (with QR codes) to puzzle apps developed by the author.
Jun Mitani is a professor of Information and Systems at University of Tsukuba, JAPAN. He received his Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Tokyo in 2004. He has been present post since April 2015. His research interests center on computer graphics, particularly geometric modeling techniques and their application to origami design. The origami artworks created by him have features that are three-dimensional shapes with smooth curved surfaces. His main books are “3D Origami Art (2016)” and “Curved-Folding Origami Design (2019)”. His unique origami has been well received around the world and he had received invitations to hold workshops and exhibitions in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Israel and many other countries. His work had inspired the design of the trophy for the Player of the Match winner of each game at the Rugby World Cup 2019. He was appointed as a Japan Cultural Envoy from the Agency for Cultural Affairs and traveled to eight Asian countries to promote cultural exchanges through origami in 2019. In 2024, he was appointed as the official ambassador for the 65th anniversary of Plarail (a model train toy by Takara Tomy).
