General Mathematics Books
The Language of Mathematics by Keith Devlin
The book is great at explaining how mathematics provides us with the eyes to recognize and describe the hidden patterns of life—patterns that exist in the physical, biological, and social worlds without, and the realm of ideas and thoughts within. Devlin shows us what keeps a jumbo jet in the air, explains how we can see and hear a football game on TV, allows us to predict the weather, the behavior of the stock market, and the outcome of elections. Microwave ovens, telephone cables, children’s toys, pacemakers, automobiles, and computers—all operate on mathematical principles.
17 Equations that Changed the World by Ian Stewart
From Newton's Law of Gravity to the Black-Scholes model used by bankers to predict the markets, equations, are everywhere -- and they are fundamental to everyday life. The author explores how Pythagoras's Theorem led to GPS and Satnav; how logarithms are applied in architecture; why imaginary numbers were important in the development of the digital camera, and much more.
The Math Book by Clifford A. Pickover
Math's infinite mysteries and beauty unfold in this brand-new paperback edition of the bestselling The Math Book. Beginning millions of years ago with ancient ant odometers and moving through time to our modern-day quest for new dimensions, prolific polymath Clifford Pickover covers 250 milestones in mathematical history. Among the numerous concepts readers will encounter as they dip into this inviting anthology: cicada-generated prime numbers, magic squares, the discovery of pi and calculus, and the butterfly effect. Each topic is presented in a lavishly illustrated spread, including formulas, fascinating facts about scientists' lives and real-world applications of the theorems.
Cakes, Custard and Category Theory by Eugenia Cheng
Most people imagine maths is something like a slow cooker: very useful, but pretty limited in what it can do. Maths, though, isn't just a tool for solving a specific problem - and it's definitely not something to be afraid of. Whether you're a maths glutton or have forgotten how long division works (or never really knew in the first place), the chances are you've missed what really makes maths exciting. Calling on a baker's dozen of entertaining, puzzling examples and mathematically illuminating culinary analogies - including chocolate brownies, iterated Battenberg cakes, sandwich sandwiches, Yorkshire puddings and Möbius bagels - brilliant young academic and mathematical crusader Eugenia Cheng is here to tell us why we should all love maths.