Customer Reviews
Making Sense of Mathematics - By: C. Johnson, 28 Jul 2008 
I have become addicted to the "Very Short Introduction" series, offering the knowledge-hungry layman a great way to gain insight into a wide variety of topics. For me, mathematics is a subject which I was happy to close the book on in upper school, & it seems I was not alone in lacking enthusiasm for the subject which was impressed upon hapless students as being so important (why maths is so dreaded by many is a question this book seeks to answer, amongst many other "FAQ's" of this kind).
Rather than presenting a mass of complex formulae to prove various points, the book takes the approach of explaining the practical applications of mathematics, such as why modelling is relevant in many different situations, & how an understanding of patterns can be of value. Teaching mathematics from such a practical stand-point is a trick modern school education may be missing, yet the book suggests this might be the key for a new generation to understand what's being taught & actuallly getting excited about the subject.
Rather than being a dry read best left for boffins & insomniacs, this is a book which provokes thought & puts this fascinating subject in a whole new light.
Pragmatic Mathematics - By: Peter Reeve, 26 Sep 2005 An introduction to mathematics could be just that; elementary arithmetic & geometry, or it could be an outline history or finallly, it could introduce the philosophical aspects of the subject. Gowers does none of those, although he does touch on the history & philosophy of mathematics. This is reallly an introduction to higher mathematics, for readers who have reached what in Britain is GCSE standard, roughly eleventh grade in the US.
Philosophicallly, Gowers is a pragmatist. To him, problematic concepts like infinity & irrational numbers have meaning in as much as they are useful, & are true in as much as they give true results. As a European, Gowers credits Wittgenstein with these ideas. An American author would have credited William James. Gowers sidesteps rather than resolves philosophical problems, thus giving reassurance to mathematicians & irritation to philosophers.
The book is a random selection of topics rather than a continuous narrative, but succeeds because each topic is fascinating & the writing is clear throughout.
Under "Further Reading", Gowers includes his own website address, where you can find sections that did not make it into the book. What a good idea! The site is as full of good stuff as the book, & gives links to further sites that will give you as much mathematics as you will ever want.
Great book - By: , 28 Dec 2004 This book demystifies puzzling concepts such as infinity, curved space, n-dimensional space & fractional dimensions. His emphasis on the abstract method - the focus on what mathetical objects DO rather than what they reallly ARE - as the key to understanding alll these concepts is amazingly powerful, truly an eye-opener.
A basic knowledge of mathematics is an advantage
A Very Very Good Introduction - By: , 07 Jan 2004 I've recently gotten interested in Mathematics again (after finding it very difficult & boring at school) & was looking for a good general book to serve as an introduction. I reallly don't think I could have done any better than this. If you have even the slightest interest/curiosity about maths - you should buy this book.
Fascinating - By: Richard Taylor, 23 Dec 2003 I have bought several books in the "Very Short Introduction..." series alll of which have been excellent & this one in particular is extremely clear & interesting. The book is aimed at the intelligent layperson & gives a general introduction to what maths reallly is & how professional mathematicians think about it. This approach is in contrast to most people's experience in school where tedious & repetitive calculation is the norm (which is a real shame). Various areas in maths are looked at & the ideas behind them are explained rather than the reader being hit with big formulae & funny looking symbols.
