The Call of the Primes: Surprising Patterns, Peculiar Puzzles, and Other Marvels of Mathematics

by Owen O'Shea

Overview

This sampler of entertaining mathematical diversions reveals the elegance and extraordinary usefulness of mathematics for readers who think they have no aptitude for the subject. If you like any kind of game at all, you'll enjoy the amazing mathematical puzzles and patterns presented here in straightforward terms that any layperson can understand. From magic squares and the mysterious qualities of prime numbers to Pythagorean triples, probability theory, the Fibonacci sequence, and more, the author shows that math can be fun while having some profound implications. Such ubiquitous mathematical entities as pi and the Fibonacci numbers are found throughout the natural world and are also the foundation of our technological civilization. By exploring the intriguing games presented here, you'll come away with a greater appreciation for the beauty and importance of these and many more math concepts.This is the perfect book for people who were turned off by math in school but now as adults wonder what they may have missed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633881488
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	03/29/2016
Pages:	330
Sales rank:	428,953
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Owen O’Shea is the author (with Underwood Dudley) of The Magic Numbers of the Professor and fifteen articles in the Journal of Recreational Mathematics. He is employed by the Irish Government’s Department of Defence.

Editorial Reviews

02/29/2016
Exploring the challenge of sudoku and the best strategy for winning the grand prize on Let’s Make a Deal, O’Shea, a regular contributor to the Journal of Recreational Mathematics, strips away the mystique of math to reveal both its practical uses and its pleasures. Each of the book’s 16 short entries exudes the playful spirit of Martin Gardner’s celebrated Scientific American column, “Mathematical Games,” and is sprinkled with historical tidbits: for example, the properties of “magic squares” in modern sudoku puzzles echo those once used as protective amulets and good luck charms. There’s little need for more than basic addition and subtraction to follow O’Shea’s discussions as he writes of π, primes, and triangular numbers. The transcendental number e becomes much less mysterious when O’Shea demonstrates how it’s used for calculating exponential growth and decay in such phenomena as compound interest, radiocarbon dating, and population growth. Similarly, the apparent magic of coincidence becomes transparent through the lens of probability theory. O’Shea’s discussion is comfortably matter-of-fact and lighthearted, and each chapter ends with references for further study. Readers curious about recreational mathematics can enjoy this book without fear of getting lost in the weeds. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Owen O'Shea's The Call of the Primes provides a marvelous romp through the world of mathematics, with topics including prime numbers, the Fibonacci sequence, transcendental numbers, Pascal's triangle, and so much more. With gems and patterns sure to delight and educate, the book stimulates the imagination of a very diverse audience.” —Clifford A. Pickover, author of The Math Book

From the Publisher