and what a story..... (E: the Story of a Number - Eli Maur)

Name: Kodang

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Product:	E: the Story of a Number - Eli Maur
Date:	08/05/01 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to read

Disadvantages: requires a bit of work

I imagine that for most people the title of this book is a major turn off - after all how interesting could the story of a number be? Well by the time you have finished reading this opinion I hope that I will have convinced you that some numbers have a fascinating story - and that this book tells the story of one of them exceptionally well.

So what is this number that mathematicians have called e? Well it starts 2.71828..... and the decimal digits go on forever. Seems like an odd number to write an entire book about but it turns out that this is one of the most important numbers in all of mathematics and rears it's head in finance, physics, nature and the shape of hanging chains among other things.

One thing that really drew me to this book is the fact that it is NOT a textbook. You do not get page after page of equations followed by exercises and some answers at the back. Instead the author concentrates more on the people behind the mathematics. Saying that though - this is not a mathematical lightweight - those who are interesting in maths are not going to be disappointed and if you are doing A-Levels or even university courses then this is well worth a read as it will take the edge off all of those dry textbooks we are forced to wade through.

Something that took me by surprise is the amount of bitching and in-fighting that went on between some of the mathematical greats such as Newton and Leibniz. I had always imagined them as wise old masters of their art - a bit like Yoda from Star Wars - but instead you find that some of the arguments they got into were almost childish. Learning about the people who worked all this stuff out in the first place makes it all a lot easier and more fun to take in. Back then mathemticians guarded their knowledge furiously - because if they knew how to solve problems that others couldn't then their reputation would become greater - and so they will be able to make more money. They used
to sort of duel - setting each other problems and using secret techniques to solve them - making others look stupid while demonstrating their own intelligence.

As you work through this book you will find yourself learning about (or being reminded of) topics such as logarithms, probability, calculus, art, history, sunflowers and imaginary numbers in an almost painless fashion, all while enjoying an excellent story. Definitely one to have on your bedside table – after all if you don’t find it fascinating as I did, maybe it could help you to sleep.

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