How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics by Eugenia Cheng (PDF)

Description

One of the world’s most creative mathematicians finds the meaning of mathematics in the kitchen in this “whimsical…rigorous and insightful” (New York Times) book What is math? How exactly does it work? And what do three siblings trying to share a cake have to do with it? In How to Bake Pi, math professor Eugenia Cheng provides an accessible introduction to the logic and beauty of mathematics, powered, unexpectedly, by insights from the kitchen. We learn how the bechamel in a lasagna can be a lot like the number five, and why making a good custard proves that math is easy but life is hard. At the heart of it all is Cheng’s work on category theory, a cutting-edge “mathematics of mathematics,” that is about figuring out how math works. Combined with her infectious enthusiasm for cooking and true zest for life, Cheng’s perspective on math is a funny journey through a vast territory no popular book on math has explored before. So, what is math? Let’s look for the answer in the kitchen.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “Cheng never quite overeggs her metaphor of the mathematician as chef…and her tone is clear, clever and friendly. Even at her most whimsical she is rigorous and insightful. Potentially confusing ideas are expressed with a matter-of-fact simplicity…. How to Bake Pi is a welcome addition to the popular-math shelf, unusual not only because of its quirky premise but also because Cheng is a woman, a lucid and nimble expositor, and unashamedly proud of her domestic obsessions…. It would be wonderful if this book attracted a new audience to the field. And there’s no better ambassador (or dinner-party host, I’d wager) than Eugenia Cheng.”―AlexBellos, New York Times Book Review”[A] slyly illuminating dispatch on the deep meaning of mathematics…. Cheng manages to do for us what the mathematician Keith Devlin has said mathematicians do for themselves: she compels us to see numbers and symbols as vivid characters in an ongoing drama, a narrative in which we are alternately observers and participants.”―NatalieAngier, The American Scholar”[O]ften entertaining…frequently illuminating…. [How to Bake Pi] offers enough nourishment for the brain to chew on for a long time.”―ColumbusDispatch”In her new book, How to Bake Pi, mathematician/baker Eugenia Cheng offers a novel, mathematical approach to cooking…. How to Bake Pi is more than a mathematically-minded cookbook. It is just as much a book about mathematical theory and how we learn it. The premise at the heart of the book is that the problem that stops a cookbook from teaching us how to cook is the same problem that makes math classes so bad at actually teaching us to do math.”―Ria Misra, io9″Invoking plenty of examples from cooking and baking, as well as other everyday-life situations such as calculating a taxi fare, searching for love through online dating services and training for a marathon, [Cheng] explains abstract mathematical ideas–including topology and logic–in understandable ways…. Her lively, accessible book demonstrates how important and intriguing such a pursuit can be.”―ScientificAmerican”[Cheng’s] book, a very gentle introduction to the main ideas of mathematics in general and category theory in particular, exudes enthusiasm for mathematics, teaching, and creative recipes. Category theory is dangerously abstract, but Cheng’s writing is down-to-earth and friendly. She’s the kind of person you’d want to talk to at a party, whether about math, food, music, or just the weather…. Cheng’s cheerful, accessible writing and colorful examples make How to Bake Pi an entertaining introduction to the fundamentals of abstract mathematical thinking.”―Evelyn Lamb, Scientific American’s Rootsof Unity blog”Combined with infectious enthusiasm for cooking and a zest for life, Cheng’s perspective on math becomes this singular book: a funny, lively, and clear journey no popular book on math has explored before. How to Bake Pi…will dazzle, amuse, and enlighten.”―GambitWeekly”This is the best book imaginable to introduce someone who doesn’t think they are interested in mathematics at all to some of the deep ideas of category theory, especially if they like to bake.”―MAA Reviews”Beginning each chapter with a recipe, Cheng converts the making of lasagna, pudding, cookies, and other comestibles into analogies illuminating the mathematical enterprise. Though these culinary analogies teach readers about particular mathematical principles and processes, they ultimately point toward the fundamental character of mathematics as a system of logic, a system presenting daunting difficulties yet offering rare power to make life easier. Despite her zeal for mathematical logic, Cheng recognizes that such logic begins in faith–irrational faith–and ultimately requires poetry and art to complement its findings. A singular humanization of the mathematical project.”―Booklist, starred review”Cheng is exceptional at translating the abstract concepts of mathematics into ordinary language, a strength aided by a writing style that showcases the workings of her curious, sometimes whimsical mind. This combination allows her to demystify how mathematicians think and work, and makes her love for mathematics contagious.”―PublishersWeekly, starred review”What a charming and original book! The central analogy–math is like cooking–turns out to be surprisingly apt and often funny. Light and tasty, yet so, so good for you, How to Bake Pi is a real treat.”―StevenStrogatz, Professor of Mathematics, Cornell University and author of TheJoy of x”Eugenia Cheng’s charming new book embeds math in a casing of wry, homespun metaphors: math is like vegan brownies, math is like a subway map, math is like a messy desk. Cheng is at home with math the way you’re at home with brownies, maps, and desks, and by the end of How to Bake Pi, you might be, too.”―Jordan Ellenberg, Professor of Mathematics,University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of How Not to Be Wrong”With this delightfully surprising book, Eugenia Cheng reveals the hidden beauty of mathematics with passion and simplicity. After reading How to Bake Pi, you won’t look at math (nor porridge!) in the same way ever again.”―RobertoTrotta, Astrophysicist, Imperial College London and author of The Edgeof the Sky”Math is a lot like cooking. We start with the ingredients we have at hand, try to cook up something tasty, and are sometimes surprised by the results. Does this seem odd? Maybe in school all you got was stale leftovers! Try something better: Eugenia Cheng is not only an excellent mathematician and pastry chef, but a great writer, too.”―JohnBaez, Professor of Math at the University of California, Riverside”From clotted cream to category theory, neither cookery nor math are what you thought they were. But deep down they’re remarkably similar. A brilliant gourmet feast of what math is really about.”―IanStewart, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick, andauthor of Visions of Infinity and Professor Stewart’sIncredible Numbers”An original book using recipes to explain sophisticated math concepts to students and even the math-phobic…. [Cheng] is a gifted teacher… A sharp, witty book to press on students and even the teachers of math teachers,”―KirkusReviews”[A] well-written, easy-to-read book.”―LibraryJournal”A curious cookbook for the mathematical omnivore.”―TheIrish Times (Ireland) About the Author Eugenia Cheng is Scientist in Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an Honorary Visiting Fellow at City, University of London. She has authored numerous titles, including How to Bake Pi, Beyond Infinity, and x + y. Cheng lives in Chicago, Illinois.

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

⭐I expected to learn a little more about mathematic computations made easier. I have always been good at math and able to do many calculation in my head. The book was more about the logic of math and the implications of taking math to another level. The example of 11 + 2 = 11 based on the clock was a revaluation, or the 2 = 1 computation relates to going down the primrose path. The math comparison to food recipes where the directions are as if not more important than the ingredients related to the basic assumptions of a math problem and what you are trying to prove or analyze. I realized how much more insight Eugenia Chang has about math theory than my ability to manipulate and understand numbers in my head. She is as smart as she is pretty and personable which permiates her writings, explanations, and passion!

⭐The formulas and examples are so small and cannot be magnified on Kindle paperwhite. I stopped reading this book because this degraded experience affects the author’s intent. I purchased this book in 2019 and there are still not updates to the book. I am now thinking of purchasing a print version of the book if Amazon Kindle cannot issue an updated version of this book while still offering this as “Great on Kindle”.

⭐I can’t believe how good this book is for illuminating what mathematics is. I have spent most of the past forty-five years trying to find the words to communicate what Eugenia Cheng has so masterfully done in this book. Whenever I get a chance in the future to talk about mathematics I will steal her metaphors and examples. I will also be recommending the book to all of my colleagues in education as well as students. I could not stop reading and wondered if she could continue, chapter after chapter, to come up with examples to make her case. She succeeded right up to the end. I am a little sorry now that I did not pursue Category Theory with more diligence when I first encountered it in the 60’s, but I may look into it again at this late date.

⭐This is both an entertaining and interesting book on math. It’s mostly well-written in the first person by the author, who uses cooking and recipes as a metaphor for math. The metaphor mostly works, although to get it, you probably need to know the basics of cooking. She also uses some other metaphors even more effectively. It explores math concepts one chapter at time, but the author can’t help but introduce some later concepts in her earlier chapters. Her discussion of abstract thinking early in the book is outstanding. I have one quibble, which is that it’s not very well edited. There are a couple of grammatical errors and some editing errors that are surprising for a book on math, which generally has a certain precision to it. (But not always, as the author points out.)

⭐I found this to be a terrific book and I wish I had been exposed to this while a student. It certainly makes mathematics much more comprehensible. On reading this book I’ve realized that my career in IT has been all about category theory. I would have given this book five stars, except that I recently purchased Cheng’s recently released book, Cakes, Custard and Category Theory… which is this book with a different title. And why aren’t the two titles cross referenced by using Amazon’s Formats and Editions feature? Just because the publishers are different, doesn’t excuse this literal duplicity.

⭐A cute attempt at enlightening a general audience on category theory, but ultimately the book is so thin on details so as to be essentially uninformative.

⭐This is a wonderful book for people who love math. (It doesn’t hurt to have an interest in baking as well.) Eugenia Cheng does an excellent job of talking about math in connection with baking. I knew nothing about category math, or her, before I started her book, but when I finished it, I felt like I had a basic introduction and an interest in reading more of what she’s done and more about category math. The section at the end was particularly good; it was clear, passionate, persuasive, and engaging. This was one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

⭐I was struggling to think of what to get my friend for graduation. He’d read all the books I usually give, and I wanted it to be something special. He loves baking, and just graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. We joke all the time that food is “bae” and math is life, so this book was PERFECT. Watching him open it gave me the greatest satisfaction, and as he was reading the cover, he and his family were all commenting on how well I know him!So if you have someone who loves food and math, I highly suggest this book! Especially if their other hobbies include some of the other stories in this book!

⭐My daughter loved it but she does have a PhD. in mathematical modelling!

⭐This is a very special book, readable even by non-mathematicians and delightful for feminist scholars who have long lamented that so much of math and physics is taught with male-oriented examples. The book reminds me of the writings of Professor Lou Kauffman of University of Illinois in Chicago who works with knot theory. I highly recommend it for anyone.

⭐A very engaging read, I loved this book. I would have liked if it dug a little deeper, but it piqued my interest enough to find other books that did. It’s a good explanation and overview of the field of mathematics, written in a very accessible and often funny way.

⭐I enjoyed the book.She is a mathematician who can reframe math processes and questions in interesting ways…some of which include baking.Well written, although I did get lost in a couple of explanations that did not seem to quite match up with particulars given.

⭐I’m a Software Engineer and I picked this book for my summer reads and curiosity. I enjoyed reading this book, and now developed further appetite 🙂 to learn about Category theory. A good read!

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