The Enjoyment of Mathematics: Selections from Mathematics for the Amateur

by Hans Rademacher and Otto Toeplitz

Book Overview

What is so special about the number 30? How many colors are needed to color a map? Do the prime numbers go on forever? Are there more whole numbers than even numbers? These and other mathematical... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486262421
• ISBN13: 9780486262420
• Release Date: March 1990
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A wonderful read

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to high school students with an interest in studying math in college. Typically, high school students are not exposed to well written proofs. This book would remedy the situation.

The Real Beauty and Exhiliration of Math

This is a superb book, and the best way to first sample the delights of math for its own sake. Don't let the subtitle "Selections from Mathematics for the Amateur" turn you off. True, the math involved is elementary, not going beyond high school algebra and geometry. But the material won't be found in most textbooks, having been chosen with elegance and beauty, rather than utility, in mind (which isn't to say that it doesn't have its important uses). Even the professional mathematician who has already seen most of the contents will profit from studying the book's exemplary treatment of its topics. The authors are some of the best math expositors who have ever lived. Each idea in the book is developed admirably, and strikes the perfect balance between conciseness and lucidity. You probably can't do better in choosing an introduction to prime and perfect numbers, the four-color problem, regular polyhedra, Pythagorean triples, pedal triangles, periodic decimal fractions, Waring's problem, the number 30 (sic!), and many other fascinating intellectual tibdits. At Dover's low price, this book is a great buy. Get it! If you have more mathematical knowledge, then I also recommend "Proofs from the Book" by Aigner, et al., which is written for mathematicians in a similar style.

An excellent collection of problems at the elementary level

Written by two top-notch mathematicians, requiring the mathematics that a high school student can do, this book takes you on a journey that is easy to follow and yet shows the power of mathematics. It is an excellent book for high school enrichement or early undergraduates.Even if you are a mathematician you will be suprized at many of the results and enjoy trying to solve some of the problems. Many of the problems are quite hard. Even though some of the problems are the standard ones, many are off the beaten track. No matter what your level of expertise, I am sure you will enjoy this book.