Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10801 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 184 pages

Review
... attractively produced ... The author has an easy, light style which should appeal to most readers. The Mathematical Gazette There are more fascinating things in the book that cannot be described here. So, here is the message to all potential readers of this type of mathematical writing: even though you have doubtless read everything by Keith Devlin, Simon Singh, Martin Gardner, Raymond Smullyan, Lewis Carroll and you-name-it, this wonderful work is yet another 'must' for your bookshelf! EMS ...pages filled with a contagious enthusiasm... It has been produced with great care: at more than one point, one notices how artfully figures were placed. For example, at least twice a surprising conclusion appears just as we turn the page... This book packs a lifetime of wisdom and delight into sixteen brief chapters. MAA Online I was surprised to see how much substantial mathematics David Acheson has squeezed into this well-crafted litte book... Even mathematicians will find fresh perspectives on old themes in this playful and inventive book. John Mighton, The Mathematical Intelligence ... this wonderful work is yet another 'must' for your bookshelf!... Well-known topics are not missing in the book, [readers] will always find something new and interesting in this book... each reader, whether mathematician or keen layman, will be delighted. European Mathematical Society Newsletter ... parts of this book are extremely funny... [It is] an ideal stocking filler... an ideal present for friends and relatives who are not mathematicians, but have enough curiosity to spend a gentle afternoon trying to find out what mathematics is about... Buy this book. London Mathematical Society Newsletter This is an excellent and entertaining little book... Every teenage mathematician and every school library should have a copy... a most entertaining read. Symmetry Plus It's an adorable, lovable, inspiring little masterpiece! MAA Online ... easy, light style ... covers many classic 'gems' of mathematics with the aim of providing the reader with a feel and, where possible, a readable explanation of the more intriguing parts of the subject. The Mathematical Gazette On the surface this book is another of those 'let's look at the funny things about numbers' books. But no, this one was far more than that. It treated subjects briefly but in depth and breadth, linked them together, didn't make assumptions about my mathematical understanding, but neither did it waste time looking into all the minutiae of the subject. Truly inspiring and a great read over a weekend. Mathematics Teaching This is a splendid little book. It has something for everyone, from the most "mathematically disadvantaged" even as far as those gnarled and bruised from a lifetime's engagement with such doughty opponents as the Navier-Stokes equations! David Acheson has brought together a collection of familiar topics which combine a solid mathematical content with a capacity to intrigue... the reader is left with a sense of the magic of mathematics. UK Nonlinear News There are a few mathematicians who succeed in writing popular accounts of their craft without being superficial or condescending. With this book Acheson has joined the best of them. Times Higher Education Supplement Most readers will find something to stimulate them in this book... The book is well illustrated with a nice balance of photos, diagrams and cartoons, and the text is easy to read, conveying the author's enjoyment of his subject. Anyone teaching mathematics would be stimulated by 1089 and all that: A Journey into Mathematics and it should find a place on the library shelves wherever mathematics is taught beyond GCSE. Mathematics in School Who would like this book? Absolutely anyone. It is so nicely written, so charming, and so entertainingly lighthearted, that it is an absolute little gem. Plus Magazine One of the happier effects of the explosion in popular science books is that every so often an author presents scientific ideas in a new way... Starting from such minimalist material, David Acheson works his way up to chaos and catastrophe. Not a page passes without at least one intriguing insight... This is a clever book, and anything but trivial... all mathematicians should buy at least a dozen copies to hand out to people they meet at parties. My enthusiasm for it knows no bounds. New Scientist A lovely little book. Simon Singh, author of Fermat's Last Theorem

Review
... attractively produced ... The author has an easy, light style which should appeal to most readers. (The Mathematical Gazette )

There are more fascinating things in the book that cannot be described here. So, here is the message to all potential readers of this type of mathematical writing: even though you have doubtless read everything by Keith Devlin, Simon Singh, Martin Gardner, Raymond Smullyan, Lewis Carroll and you-name-it, this wonderful work is yet another 'must' for your bookshelf! (EMS )

...pages filled with a contagious enthusiasm... It has been produced with great care: at more than one point, one notices how artfully figures were placed. For example, at least twice a surprising conclusion appears just as we turn the page... This book packs a lifetime of wisdom and delight into sixteen brief chapters. (MAA Online )

I was surprised to see how much substantial mathematics David Acheson has squeezed into this well-crafted litte book... Even mathematicians will find fresh perspectives on old themes in this playful and inventive book. (John Mighton, The Mathematical Intelligence )

... this wonderful work is yet another 'must' for your bookshelf!... Well-known topics are not missing in the book, [readers] will always find something new and interesting in this book... each reader, whether mathematician or keen layman, will be delighted. (European Mathematical Society Newsletter )

... parts of this book are extremely funny... [It is] an ideal stocking filler... an ideal present for friends and relatives who are not mathematicians, but have enough curiosity to spend a gentle afternoon trying to find out what mathematics is about... Buy this book. (London Mathematical Society Newsletter )

This is an excellent and entertaining little book... Every teenage mathematician and every school library should have a copy... a most entertaining read. (Symmetry Plus )

It's an adorable, lovable, inspiring little masterpiece! (MAA Online )

... easy, light style ... covers many classic 'gems' of mathematics with the aim of providing the reader with a feel and, where possible, a readable explanation of the more intriguing parts of the subject. (The Mathematical Gazette )

On the surface this book is another of those 'let's look at the funny things about numbers' books. But no, this one was far more than that. It treated subjects briefly but in depth and breadth, linked them together, didn't make assumptions about my mathematical understanding, but neither did it waste time looking into all the minutiae of the subject. Truly inspiring and a great read over a weekend. (Mathematics Teaching )

This is a splendid little book. It has something for everyone, from the most "mathematically disadvantaged" even as far as those gnarled and bruised from a lifetime's engagement with such doughty opponents as the Navier-Stokes equations! David Acheson has brought together a collection of familiar topics which combine a solid mathematical content with a capacity to intrigue... the reader is left with a sense of the magic of mathematics. (UK Nonlinear News )

There are a few mathematicians who succeed in writing popular accounts of their craft without being superficial or condescending. With this book Acheson has joined the best of them. (Times Higher Education Supplement )

Most readers will find something to stimulate them in this book... The book is well illustrated with a nice balance of photos, diagrams and cartoons, and the text is easy to read, conveying the author's enjoyment of his subject. Anyone teaching mathematics would be stimulated by 1089 and all that: A Journey into Mathematics and it should find a place on the library shelves wherever mathematics is taught beyond GCSE. (Mathematics in School )

Who would like this book? Absolutely anyone. It is so nicely written, so charming, and so entertainingly lighthearted, that it is an absolute little gem. (Plus Magazine )

One of the happier effects of the explosion in popular science books is that every so often an author presents scientific ideas in a new way... Starting from such minimalist material, David Acheson works his way up to chaos and catastrophe. Not a page passes without at least one intriguing insight... This is a clever book, and anything but trivial... all mathematicians should buy at least a dozen copies to hand out to people they meet at parties. My enthusiasm for it knows no bounds. (New Scientist )

A lovely little book. (Simon Singh, author of Fermat's Last Theorem )

London Mathematical Society Newsletter
"Buy this book."

Customer Reviews

What a little gem of a book!
A perfect book! My 11 year old daughter was entranced by the 1089 problem, and would be reading the book now, except I gave our copy to a friend, (have just ordered another three for us and any other casual callers). I'm doing a maths PhD and I loved it, and have learned things from it. Each chapter leads through a new idea, entertainingly written, but also, for example, giving a clear andsimple introductory explanation of calculus. I think all maths teachers should be given a copy, and should use it in class! Also explains what maths can do, what's it FOR! Absolutely recommended for maths lovers and maths-phobes alike.

Perfect for lecturers, teachers, students, pupils and those with just a vague interest
Alarmed at how much of my children's maths lessons was being lost to determining who had thrown this or that piece of paper, I sought a source of inspiration to keep their love of mathematics alive. I have found it. "1089 and all that" is perfect for the job.

Do not think that this is a book aimed at children, though, it is suitable for everyone, including lecturers and will be of benefit to many. First year students obliged to take a maths course will find many stimulating thoughts, though they should read the book with caution, they might just find themselves wanting to major in maths. Such late discovery of the joys of maths could be avoided by presenting all maths and physics teachers with their personal copy to enable them to liven up their classes with interesting asides, I suspect that, if only he could be motivated to do so, Acheson could inspire the least interested slob to stop throwing trajectiles and study their motion instead.

I had imagined that the task of building up my children's flagging interest might be slightly forced, even once I'd identified a suitable book, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Just a quick look at the first few pages on-line sent my sons charging off to tell their friends to "Think of a three digit number..." And now that it has arrived, I am redundant, because David Acheson's little hardback, does a far better job than I could ever do. Clear text, amusing cartoons, diagrams, and even blackboard look alikes, every page is a feast. "1089 and all that" is a book that you could race through, but you probably won't because you will wish to savour every tasty morsel of this cordon bleu fare.

Smashing!
A great little book, which makes mathematics accessible to anyone who wants to know. Written in a really friendly, non-condescending manner; Acheson wants you to like his subject, but takes great care not to force it upon you. Recommended for mathematicians looking for a spot of light relief, and non-mathematicians who just want to know a little bit more.