Is math real? [electronic resource] : How simple questions lead us to mathematics' deepest truths. Eugenia Cheng.

9781541601840 (electronic bk)

2023.

1 online resource

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Electronic reproduction. New York : Basic Books, 2023. Requires the Libby app or a modern web browser.

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Winner of the  Los Angeles Times Book Prize  A New Scientist  Best Book of 2023 One of the world’s most creative mathematicians offers a new way to look at math—focusing on questions, not answers   Where do we learn math: From rules in a textbook? From logic and deduction? Not really, according to mathematician Eugenia Cheng: we learn it from human curiosity—most importantly, from asking questions. This may come as a surprise to those who think that math is about finding the one right answer, or those who were told that the “dumb” question they asked just proved they were bad at math. But Cheng shows why people who ask questions like “Why does 1 + 1 = 2?” are at the very heart of the search for mathematical truth.   Is Math Real? is a much-needed repudiation of the rigid ways we’re taught to do math, and a celebration of the true, curious spirit of the discipline. Written with intelligence and passion, Is Math Real? brings us math as we’ve never seen it before, revealing how profound insights can emerge from seemingly unlikely sources.   

Original

Books / Online

English

May 10, 2024

Electronic books.