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Unequal
The Maths of When Things Do and Don’t Add Up
Brief Description
At first glance, the concept of equality in maths seems unambiguous. Denoted by two parallel lines, the equals sign looks elegant, simple, and entirely black and white. But between those two lines lies a grey area, a world of flexibility, creativity, and innovation. Once you see...
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See moreFrom Uniqueness to Set Theory and beyond, climb the mathematical ladder of sameness and difference with award-winning mathematician Eugenia Cheng
Award-winning mathematician Eugenia Cheng offers a perspective-shifting exploration of how maths can change your mind
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Description
At first glance, the concept of equality in maths seems unambiguous. Denoted by two parallel lines, the equals sign looks elegant, simple, and entirely black and white.
But between those two lines lies a grey area, a world of flexibility, creativity, and innovation. Once you see this nuance, you quickly realise that sameness and difference, equality and inequality, are not nearly as immutable as they may seem. In fact, they are the opposite: a mathematical playground of choice and abstraction, leading to far greater insight than you could have dreamed.
In Unequal, mathematician Eugenia Cheng explores the rich and rewarding world of the interplay between sameness and difference, from numbers to manifolds to category theory and beyond.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781805223061
Publisher: Profile Books Ltd
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 05 June 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Profile Books Ltd
Edition: Main
Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 40.0mm
Width: 138.0mm
Height: 220.0mm
Weight: 504g
Pages: 400
About the Author
Eugenia Cheng is Scientist in Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Honorary Visiting Fellow of Pure Mathematics at City, University of London. A Cambridge graduate, she previously taught at the Universities of Cambridge, Chicago and Nice. She is also a concert pianist, fluent in French, and the author of several Profile bestsellers, including How to Bake Pi and x + y. In 2017 her book Beyond Infinity was shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize.
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Even small children know there are infinitely many whole numbers—start counting and you'll never reach the end. But there are also infinitely many decimal numbers between zero and one. Are these two types of infinity the same? Are they larger or smaller than each other? Can we even talk about 'larger' and 'smaller' when we talk about infinity? In Beyond...Paperback$2600Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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