The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity

Delightful . . . easily digestible chapters include plenty of helpful examples and illustrations. You'll never forget the Pythagorean theorem again! Scientific American Many people take math in high school and promptly forget much of it. But math plays a part in all of our lives all of the time, whether we know it or not. In The Joy of x, Steven Strogatz expands on his hit New York Times series to explain the big ideas of math gently and clearly, with wit, insight, and brilliant illustrations. Whether he is illuminating how often you should flip your mattress to get the maximum lifespan from it, explaining just how Google searches the internet, or determining how many people you should date before settling down, Strogatz shows how math connects to every aspect of life. Discussing pop culture, medicine, law, philosophy, art, and business, Strogatz is the math teacher you wish you d had. Whether you aced integral calculus or aren t sure what an integer is, you ll find profound wisdom and persistent delight in The Joy of x. A delightful exploration of the beauty and fun of mathematics, in the best tradition of Lewis Carroll, George Gamow, and Martin Gardner. The Joy of x will entertain you, amaze you, and make you smarter. Steven Pinker, author of How the Mind Works Steven Strogatz should do for math what Julia Child did for cookery. He shows that this stuff really matters, and he shows that it can nourish us. James Gleick, author of The Information and Chaos [AU PHOTO] STEVEN STROGATZ is a professor of applied mathematics at Cornell University. A renowned teacher and one of the world s most highly cited mathematicians, he has been a frequent guest on National Public Radio s RadioLab. He is the author of Sync and The Calculus of Friendship, and the recipient of a lifetime achievement award for math communication.…