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The Art of the Infinite: Our Lost Language of Numbers | 
 enlarge | Authors: Robert Kaplan, Ellen Kaplan
Publisher: Penguin
Category: Book
List Price: £9.99
Buy New: £3.00
You Save: £6.99 (70%)
New (18) Used (4) from £3.00
Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 163247
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0141008865
Dewey Decimal Number: 511
EAN: 9780141008868
ASIN: 0141008865
Publication Date: August 26, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: brand new copy in stock for despatch from uk minor shelfwear
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| Customer Reviews:
For all lapsed Mathemagicians September 3, 2008
M. R. N. Shackelford (Worthing, UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Many years ago, sometime in the middle of the last century - I knew all about mathematics. But life moves on and you do different stuff (computers in my case) and all those incredibly beautiful equations and amazing proofs sort of fade into the background. And you have children and time moves on. And then nostalgia kicks in. What was it like back in those days when you knew everything? What was it that was so magical about mathematics? I picked up this book without any expectations - but these two REALLY know what it means to be a mathemagician - and lead you gently (but FIRMLY - lots of equations) through what you know you knew, but have since forgotten. This is serious "Tears to the Eyes" and "Tingles Down the Spine" stuff for all those of us who have forgotten the detail (but not the thrill) of seeing how algebra, geometry and infinity are all inextricably entwined in the most beautiful and elegant of the sciences. And as for E to the I PI.... to die for!
A wonderful romp through several strands of important math! January 5, 2004
21 out of 21 found this review helpful
This book is written in the same style as the Kaplans' "The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero", i.e. a friendly, somewhat informal, somewhat comical approach to the subject matter. That said, the content is very well presented and rigorous in terms of its correctness and completeness, at least for something which is not a journal article nor a textbook. The book starts with counting in the naturals, moves on through Z, Q, R, C. It is showing at each step what is going on with the extents of these spaces and what happens when their limits need to be breached. The book also works at things from a geometric standpoint, and then, a la Descartes, shows how the algebraic/coordinate complements the geometric. Pushing on with limits of space, it progresses into modern elements with projective geometry and then finally falls into the Abyss with Cantor and counting infinite sets, transfinite sets, alephs, etc.The book is very approachable and gives good historical information on the movers and shakers involved. The book also is looking at the philisophical implications of moving towards Cantor and his amazing results. A good read. There is some math in this book, but that is a good thing!-)
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