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Impossible?
Surprising Solutions to Counterintuitive Conundrums
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This book may appeal to you if you're fascinated by the world of unsolvable problems and paradoxes in mathematics and science. It delves into intriguing concepts that challenge our understanding, perfect for those who enjoy pondering the complexities and mysteries of nature and scientific thought.
Whenever Forty-second Street in New York is temporarily closed, traffic doesn't gridlock but flows more smoothly - why is that? Or consider that cities that build new roads can experience dramatic increases in traffic congestion - how is this possible? This title includes some of these counterintuitive mathematical occurrences.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
In Nonplussed!, popular-math writer Julian Havil delighted readers with a mind-boggling array of implausible yet true mathematical paradoxes. Now Havil is back with Impossible?, another marvellous medley of the utterly confusing, profound, and unbelievable—and all of it mathematically irrefutable.
Whenever Forty-second Street in New York is temporarily closed, traffic doesn't gridlock but flows more smoothly—why is that? Or consider that cities that build new roads can experience dramatic increases in traffic congestion—how is this possible?
What does the game show Let's Make A Deal reveal about the unexpected hazards of decision-making? What can the game of cricket teach us about the surprising behaviour of the law of averages? These are some of the counterintuitive mathematical occurrences that readers encounter in Impossible?
Havil ventures further than ever into territory where intuition can lead one astray. He gathers entertaining problems from probability and statistics along with an eclectic variety of conundrums and puzzlers from other areas of mathematics, including classics of abstract math like the Banach-Tarski paradox.
These problems range in difficulty from easy to highly challenging, yet they can be tackled by anyone with a background in calculus. And the fascinating history and personalities associated with many of the problems are included with their mathematical proofs.
Impossible? will delight anyone who wants to have their reason thoroughly confounded in the most astonishing and unpredictable ways.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Impossible? by Julian Havil is praised for exploring mathematical problems that initially seem contradictory or unsolvable, eventually revealing logical solutions. The book maintains a sense of intrigue akin to magic, engaging readers with surprising solutions to counterintuitive problems. It is appreciated as a brain-stretching work that echoes the style of Martin Gardner, recommended for both mathematicians and enthusiasts who enjoy recreational mathematics with a touch of rigour.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780691150024
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 17 April 2011
Country: United States
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Illustration: 75 line illus.
Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Width: 152.0mm
Height: 235.0mm
Weight: 312g
Pages: 264
Collections
About the Author
Julian Havil is a retired former master at Winchester College, England, where he taught mathematics for thirty-three years. In addition to Nonplussed!, he is the author of Gamma: Exploring Euler's Constant (both Princeton).
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