Archimedes' Revenge - Softcover

Hoffman, Paul

3.73

185 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0449000893 ISBN 13: 9780449000892

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 1997

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Now anyone can understand what the mathematical geniuses are thinking . . . .
* How topologists figured out the way to turn a smokestack into a bowling ball -- and why.
* How game theorists discovered that to elect the candidate of your choice you must sometimes vote for his opponent.
* How computer theorists intend to create a robot that will think for itself -- and do all the housework.
* How cryptographers have been laboring since 1822 to decipher a map that will lead to a buried treasure worth millions of dollars.
Archimedes' Revenge takes the reader on a guided tour of the world of contemporary mathematics and makes its infinite marvels comprehensible, relevant, and fun.
"A breezy and lighthearted account of a number of topics in and around the periphery of mathematics . . . Mr. Hoffman approaches mathematics as a storyteller, and a good one." -- The New York Times Book Review
From the Paperback edition.

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Review:

Archimedes' Revenge is an extremely accessible, lighthearted account of a number of mathematical topics, many with modern interest, such as complexity theory. Hoffman quotes living mathematicians extensively, giving the reader a feel for the nature of the mathematical community and insight into how this community attempts to resolve open questions. This book is low in mathematical rigor, making it suitable for any interested reader.

From School Library Journal:

YA-- This collection of highly readable essays on a variety of mathematical puzzles will both appeal to YAs and expand their understanding of the topics with which mathematicians grapple. Hoffman explains how to construct an unbreakable code, how to build an Easter egg, what a Mobius strip is, and how that relates to molecular structure. He discusses a puzzle which has remained unsolved since Archimedes' time, and explains why some problems are truly insoluble, even by computers. He discusses the origins and limits of computers, and the relationship between mathematical statistics and politics. The book can be read in total, or at random. Students and teachers will appreciate its content and style.
- Dorcas Hand, Episcopal High School, Bellaire, Tex.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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