One of the world’s most creative mathematicians offers a “brilliant” and “mesmerizing” (Popular Science) new way to look at math—focusing on questions, not answers
Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and a New Scientist Best Book of the Year
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.
- Available now
- New E-book Additions
- New kids and teen additions
- Most popular
- Best of the Library Writers Project
- Black Pacific Northwest Collection
- Manga from VIZ Media
- Ukrainian e-books
- See all ebooks collections
- New Audiobook Additions
- Most popular
- Available now
- New kids and teen additions
- LGBTQ Young Adult Audiobooks
- Family-Friendly Audiobooks 🎧
- Always Available Audiobooks
- Audiobooks Read by Celebrities
- See all audiobooks collections