The Call of the Primes: Surprising Patterns, Peculiar Puzzles, and Other Marvels of Mathematics by Owen O’Shea (PDF)

Description

This sampler of entertaining mathematical diversions reveals the elegance and extraordinary usefulness of mathematics for readers who think they have no aptitude for the subject. If you like any kind of game at all, you’ll enjoy the amazing mathematical puzzles and patterns presented here in straightforward terms that any layperson can understand. From magic squares and the mysterious qualities of prime numbers to Pythagorean triples, probability theory, the Fibonacci sequence, and more, the author shows that math can be fun while having some profound implications. Such ubiquitous mathematical entities as pi and the Fibonacci numbers are found throughout the natural world and are also the foundation of our technological civilization. By exploring the intriguing games presented here, you’ll come away with a greater appreciation for the beauty and importance of these and many more math concepts.This is the perfect book for people who were turned off by math in school but now as adults wonder what they may have missed.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “Owen O’Shea’s The Call of the Primes provides a marvelous romp through the world of mathematics, with topics including prime numbers, the Fibonacci sequence, transcendental numbers, Pascal’s triangle, and so much more. With gems and patterns sure to delight and educate, the book stimulates the imagination of a very diverse audience.” —Clifford A. Pickover, author of The Math Book About the Author Owen O’Shea is the author (with Underwood Dudley) of The Magic Numbers of the Professor and fifteen articles in the Journal of Recreational Mathematics. He is employed by the Irish Government’s Department of Defence.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Just started to read. . .

⭐Too many typos led to uncertainty and confusion.

⭐An introduction to recreational mathematics through chapters devoted to various mathematical constructs: the prime numbers, the Fibonacci sequence, the square root of -1, π, etc. The book is uneven, excellent in some places (the chapter on Pascal’s triangle alone is worth the price of the book) but tending towards mathematical parlor tricks in others (how the first six triangular numbers figure in Abraham Lincoln’s life) and containing a few too many typos. Still, a good introduction to some of the basic entities in math.

⭐The book is basically a collection of coincidences and numerology with a hodge lodge of mathematical facts thrown in. Here is an example: When the Titanic sank it was 375 miles south of Newfoundland, it hit the iceberg in the 136 month of the century, it was the #1 ocean liner and the moon was the closest to earth in 1400 years. Add all those together and you get 1912 the year it sunk. If this impresses you, please buy the book. Otherwise don’t.

⭐I bought this book with high hopes, however by page 57 I was obliged to give up. Touted as an accessible guide, this is anything but, in fact the author doesn’t even explain what Primes are until several pages into the book, having used the term many times beforehand unexplained. There is no buildup of knowledge, instead it’s a kitchen sink monologue that drifts about with frequent diversions into mystical discussions, such as how using A=1 and B=2 delivers the date of a famous person’s death from the letters in their name. Really? A serious disappointment.

⭐Great book for “recreational” math types and math grads alike

⭐Expected more, but found only well known and trivial issues.

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