The Magic of Math

The Magic of Math is the math book you wish you had in school. Using a delightful assortment of examples, from ice cream scoops and poker hands that teach you factorials to mnemonics that help you memorize pi, this book empowers you to see the beauty, simplicity, and fun behind those formulas and equations that once left your head spinning. You’ll learn the key ideas of classic areas of mathematics like arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus; but you’ll also have fun playing with pi, fooling around with Fibonacci numbers, investigating infinity, and marveling over mathematical magic tricks. A tour of the greatest hits of mathematics, The Magic of Math is a book for both fans of mathematics and those who want to be proven wrong about their previous prejudices of math.

Arthur Benjamin is a mathematician—known throughout the world as the “mathemagician”—who mixes mathematics and magic to make the subject fun and beautiful. Math lovers are going to find new ways to look at old friends, the way a view from a mountaintop puts a beautiful valley in a new perspective. For everyone who never particularly liked or understood math—The Magic of Math is going to put you under its spell.