The Universe and the Teacup
The Mathematics of Truth and Beauty
K. C. Cole
- From
- the
- acclaimed
- Los
- Angeles
- Times
- science
- writer,
- a
- wise,
- witty,
- and
- elegant
- study
- of
- how
- math
- provides
- practical
- solutions
- to
- everyday
- problems.Are
- the
- secrets
- of
- the
- universe
- written
- in
- words—or
- is
- it
- all
- about
- the
- digits?
- K.C.
- Cole
- follows
- up
- her
- paean
- to
- the
- power
- of
- physics,
- Sympathetic
- Vibrations,
- with
- this
- engaging
- and
- accessible
- guide
- to
- the
- might
- and
- majesty
- of
- mathematics.
- The
- Universe
- and
- the
- Teacup
- uses
- relatable
- examples,
- humorous
- prose,
- and
- whimsical
- line
- drawings
- to
- demonstrate
- math’s
- ability
- to
- “translate
- the
- complexity
- of
- the
- world
- into
- manageable
- patterns.”Cole
- shows
- how
- mathematical
- concepts
- illuminate
- everything
- from
- human
- risk-taking
- behavior
- to
- astronomical
- investigation,
- game
- theory
- to
- logic
- problems—not
- to
- mention
- the
- very
- structure
- of
- the
- universe
- itself.
- Brimming
- with
- trivia
- stressing
- the
- importance
- of
- math
- throughout
- history,
- this
- is
- a
- book
- both
- math
- nerds
- and
- the
- “innumerate”
- everyday
- person
- can
- enjoy
- in
- equal
- measure.“Cole
- writes
- clearly,
- simply
- and
- vividly,”
- noted
- The
- New
- York
- Times.
- “She
- so
- obviously
- likes
- mathematics,
- the
- reader
- can't
- help
- liking
- it
- too.”
- Filled
- with
- “a
- thousand
- fascinating
- facts
- and
- shrewd
- observations
- (Martin
- Gardner,
- Los
- Angeles
- Times),
- this
- book
- demonstrates
- how
- the
- truth
- and
- beauty
- of
- everything,
- from
- relativity
- to
- rainbows,
- is
- all
- in
- the numbers.
