How to Bake PI, Eugenia Cheng
How to Bake PI, Eugenia Cheng
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How to Bake PI

Author: Eugenia Cheng

Narrator: Tavia Gilbert

Unabridged: 8 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/05/2015

Categories: Nonfiction, Mathematics


Synopsis

What is math? And how exactly does it work? In How to Bake Pi, math professor Eugenia Cheng provides and accessible introduction to the logic of mathematics—sprinkled throughout with recipes for everything from crispy duck to cornbread—that illustrates to the general listener the beauty of math. Rather than dwell on the math of our high school classes, with formulas to memorize an confusing symbols to decipher, Cheng takes us into a world of abstract mathematics, showing us how math can be so much more than we ever thought possible.

Cheng is an expert on category theory, a cutting-edge subject that is all about figuring out how math works, a kind of mathematics of mathematics. In How to Bake Pi, Cheng starts with the basic question "What is math?" to explain concepts like abstraction, generalization, and idealization. By going back to the logical foundation of the math we all know (and may or may not love), she shows that math is actually designed to make difficult things easier. From there, she introduces us to category theory, explaining how it works to organize and simplify the whole discipline of mathematics, bridging the gaps between different mathematical concepts and shedding light on some of math's most puzzling mysteries. Though the ideas are far from simple, Cheng outlines everything in crystal-clear terms, drawing on a wide range of analogies and examples to show that doing math uses the same skills we rely on when we read a map, cook a new dish, or complete a jigsaw puzzle. The result is a book that combines some of the most satisfying features of popular math books—the thrill of truly understanding things that may or may not have been confounding in high school, while still look long and hard into unexplored territory.

Through lively writing and easy-to-follow explanations, How to Bake Pi will take even the most hardened math-phobe on a journey to the cutting edge mathematical research.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Brian on June 11, 2015

Popular maths books are the most difficult to make interesting to those beyond the hard core readers who are happy to spend their time on mathematical puzzles and diversions, and the reason this book gets four stars despite a couple of problems is that is one of the most original and insightful book......more

Goodreads review by Mark on March 02, 2015

How to Bake Pi by Eugenia Cheng is a fascinating look at mathematics from an atypical perspective. In this work Eugenia shows how math is far larger, varied, and more encompassing than merely solving equations. She introduces each of her chapters with a "recipe" involving real food as an analogy to......more

Goodreads review by Jerzy on January 03, 2016

So far, it's a great exposition of the things I love about math, at (what seems to be) a very relatable level for people who don't love math. The style is a bit choppy, often jumping from one metaphor to another without smooth transitions, but still it's an easy and pleasant read. The metaphors thems......more

Goodreads review by Noel on April 10, 2022

Well, now I know that category theory exists. The second half of the book explaining category theory was more interesting than the first. I can’t say I fully understand what category theory is or how how it’s useful (and probably won’t be reading any more books about it) but I can say that it was an......more

Goodreads review by Kate on January 30, 2017

"When I read someone else's math, I always hope that the author will have included a reason and not just a proof." - Eugenia Cheng Throughout this book, Cheng attempts to give reasons and not just proofs. I do have trouble deciphering proofs and Cheng makes the reader feel comfortable wherever his ma......more