The Book of Numbers | 
 enlarge | Authors: John H. Conway, Richard Guy
Publisher: Springer
Category: Book
List Price: $35.00
Buy Used: $12.00
You Save: $23.00 (66%)
New (26) Used (25) Collectible (2) from $12.00
Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 263529
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Corrected
Pages: 311
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.3 x 1
ISBN: 038797993X
Dewey Decimal Number: 512.7
EAN: 9780387979939
Publication Date: March 16, 1995
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The Book of Numbers lets readers of all levels of mathematical sophistication (or lack thereof) understand the origins, patterns, and interrelationships of different numbers. Whether it is a visualization of the Catalan numbers or an explanation of how the Fibonacci numbers occur in nature, there is something in here to delight everyone. The diagrams and pictures, many of which are in color, make this book particularly appealing and fun. A few of the discussions may be confusing to those who are not adept mathematicians; those who are may be irked that certain facts are mentioned without an accompanying proof. Nonetheless, The Book of Numbers will succeed in infecting any reader with an enthusiasm for numbers.
Product Description
In THE BOOK OF NUMBERS, two famous mathematicians fascinated by beautiful and intriguing number patterns share their insights and discoveries with each other and with readers. John Conway is the showman, master of mathematical games and flamboyant presentations; Richard Guy is the encyclopedist, always on top of problems waiting to be solved. Together they show us why patterns and properties of numbers have captivated mathematicians and non-mathematicians alike for centuries. THE BOOK OF NUMBERS features Conway and Guy's favorite stories about all the kinds of numbers any of us is likely to encounter, and many others besides. "Our aim," the authors write, "is to bring to the inquisitive reader. . .an explanation of the many ways the word 'number' is used." They explore patterns that emerge in arithmetic, algebra, and geometry, describe these pattern' relevance both inside and outside mathematics, and introduce the strange worlds of complex, transcendental, and surreal numbers. This unique book brings together facts, pictures and stories about numbers in a way that no one but an extraordinarily talented pair of mathematician/writers could do.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Delightful!!! September 9, 2000
James M. Cargal (Montgomery, AL USA)
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
This is a delightful survey of numbers clearly aimed at as wide an audience as possible. However, as is always the case in such books the book is more formidable than it intends or than it looks. Still it is very friendly especially compared with, say, "Numbers" by Ebbinghays et al. The coverage is wide: primes, reals, Cayley numbers, Eisenstein numbers, polygonal numbers, catalan numbers, Stirling numbers of both types and of course Bell numbers. There are the cardinals and ordinals of Cantor as well as Conway's own surreal numbers. (And an earlier reviewer was correct about misprints and color problems.) I recommend this to anyone whose mathematical maturity is at least as great as basic calculus (and who is interested).
Artful Numbers August 30, 2001
unraveler (Nevada)
17 out of 19 found this review helpful
This book is excellent. I am not a mathematician; my Ph.D. is in a social science, but my interest in intellectual history made this book worth it for me. The reason that it seems a bit expensive is because the authors use color illustrations. These are really helpful and make the book more exciting. The book is essentially number theory for a lay person. All you need to have is high school level math in order to start enjoying this book, so don't be afraid. Conway and Guy present a fascinating look at what the human intellect can achieve in the realm of abstract thought. Number theory, and mathematics in general, can be mysterioius, artful, and exciting. Highly recommended.
Numbers used as toys March 28, 2001
Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States(cashbacher@yahoo.com))
15 out of 18 found this review helpful
To these "guys", numbers are toys, where the price of possession is nothing but a little knowledge. It is truly astounding, even for veteran mathematicians such as myself, to see how many different sets of numbers there are. They all have a story behind them, and given the multiple uses for so most of them, there are many more yet to be written.
Presented in a unique and engaging style that one associates with the authors, the numbers come to life with descriptions that hold your interest and leave you wanting more. The level of demonstration is not extremely technical, being well within the range of anyone who has been exposed to the topics of precalculus. Figures are used extensively, giving a visual interpretation of several ways in which the numbers can be used. Many of the numbers covered in the book are named after the person most responsible for making it famous, an aspiration that most mathematicians would no doubt confess to. In some cases, I was previously unaware of the name assigned to the numbers.
When I am in the mood for some light reading in mathematics, my preferred form is some type of listing of the properties of numbers. In this case, I found several hours of enjoyment and recommend it to anyone with similar tastes.
Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.
Excellent, but not as good as ONAG or Winning Ways November 18, 1999
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
Conway wrote On Numbers and Games. Conway, Guy, and Berlekamp wrote Winning Ways. These groundbreaking books are now hard to find. I hope both will be reprinted soon. The Book of Numbers has a short section on Combinatorial Game Theory -- just a taste. I expected much more about CGT. Still, TBON is an excellent book about numbers. Many diagrams, a lot of top-notch mathematics, and excellent writing fills each chapter. I would recommend this book for any high school student, but it would be quite enjoyable for fans of math at any level.
Daughter of Jackson's Fans responds (Robert Jackson) September 17, 2006
Kathy Jackson (NJ)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I have met one of the authors, Dr. John Conway, at Princeton University. Dr. Conway was consulted by my Father, Robert Jackson, of Jackson's Difference Fans,(a 1937 Princeton alumnus -Chemical Engineering with Honors). Although I, myself, am not a math inclined individual, the explanations found in various sections of the book have been used in the history courses I teach on the middle and high school grade levels. They are designed for the beginner and the advanced math intrigued mind.
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