{"title":"Professor Ian Stewart","description":"\u003cp\u003eProfessor Ian Stewart's works invite readers into the fascinating world of mathematics, blending rigorous science with engaging storytelling. His books, such as \u003cem\u003eProfessor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eDo Dice Play God?\u003c\/em\u003e, explore complex concepts with wit and clarity, making abstract ideas accessible and intriguing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRooted in the \u003cstrong\u003eScience \u0026amp; Nature\u003c\/strong\u003e category, Stewart’s writing bridges theory and application, often venturing into the extremes of mathematical thought. Whether dissecting patterns in nature or unraveling the mysteries of the universe, his books offer thoughtful reflections for curious minds.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"professor-stewarts-cabinet-of-mathematical-curiosities-by-professor-ian-stewart-9781846683459","title":"Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSchool maths is not the interesting part. The real fun is elsewhere. Like a magpie, Ian Stewart has collected the most enlightening, entertaining and vexing 'curiosities' of maths over the years. Now, the private collection is displayed in his cabinet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere are some hidden gems of logic, geometry and probability – like how to extract a cherry from a cocktail glass (harder than you think), a pop-up dodecahedron, the real reason why you can't divide anything by zero, and some tips for making money by proving the obvious. Scattered among these are keys to unlocking the mysteries of Fermat's last theorem, the Poincaré Conjecture, chaos theory, and the P\/NP problem for which a million dollar prize is on offer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere are beguiling secrets about familiar names like Pythagoras or prime numbers, as well as anecdotes about great mathematicians. Pull out the drawers of the Professor's cabinet and who knows what could happen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProfessor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities\u003c\/em\u003e invites you to explore the fascinating world of mathematics through his intriguing collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46550701375724,"sku":"9781846683459","price":30.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781846683459.jpg?v=1750022912"},{"product_id":"do-dice-play-god-by-professor-ian-stewart-9781781259443","title":"Do Dice Play God?","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUncertainty is everywhere. It lurks in every consideration of the future— the weather, the economy, the sex of an unborn child— even quantities we think that we know, such as populations or the transit of the planets, contain the possibility of error. It's no wonder that, throughout history, we have attempted to produce rigidly defined areas of uncertainty—we prefer the surprise party to the surprise asteroid.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe began our quest to make certain an uncertain world by reading omens in livers, tea leaves, and the stars. However, over the centuries, driven by curiosity, competition, and a desire to be better gamblers, pioneering mathematicians and scientists began to reduce wild uncertainties to tame distributions of probability and statistical inferences. But, even as unknown unknowns became known unknowns, our pessimism made us believe that some problems were unsolvable, and our intuition misled us. Worse, as we realized how omnipresent and varied uncertainty is, we encountered chaos, quantum mechanics, and the limitations of our predictive power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBestselling author Professor Ian Stewart explores the history and mathematics of uncertainty in \u003cem\u003eDo Dice Play God?\u003c\/em\u003e Touching on gambling, probability, statistics, financial and weather forecasts, censuses, medical studies, chaos, quantum physics, and climate, he makes one thing clear: a reasonable probability is the only certainty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46854458999020,"sku":"9781781259443","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781781259443.jpg?v=1759242840"},{"product_id":"whats-the-use-by-professor-ian-stewart-9781788168076","title":"What's the Use?","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhat's the Use?\u003c\/em\u003e asks why there is such a vast gulf between public perceptions of mathematics and reality. It shows how mathematics is vital, often in surprising ways, behind the scenes of daily life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHow politicians pick their voters. How an absurd little puzzle solved 300 years ago leads to efficient methods for kidney transplants. How an Irish mathematician's obsession with a new number system improves special effects in movies and computer games.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHow SatNav relies on at least six mathematical techniques. And how a bizarre, infinitely wiggly curve helps to optimise deliveries to your door.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46855483457772,"sku":"9781788168076","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/93879d75195c23ac7dd976e88aabd02c.jpg?v=1759278115"},{"product_id":"whats-the-use-by-professor-ian-stewart-9781781259429","title":"What's the Use?","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Stewart is Britain's most brilliant and prolific populariser of maths' - Alex Bellos\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'The instructive equivalent of a Michelin-starred tasting menu' - Tim Radford\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMany people think mathematics is useless. They're wrong. In the UK, the 2.8 million people employed in mathematical science occupations contributed £208 billion to the economy in a single year - that's 10 per cent of the workforce contributing 16 per cent of the economy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhat's the Use?\u003c\/i\u003e asks why there is such a vast gulf between public perceptions of mathematics and reality. It shows how mathematics is vital, often in surprising ways, behind the scenes of daily life. How politicians pick their voters. How an absurd little puzzle solved 300 years ago leads to efficient methods for kidney transplants. And how a bizarre, infinitely wiggly curve helps to optimise deliveries to your door.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46855483490540,"sku":"9781781259429","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/dc87fcee9ad3a692f118153b8a76ee48.jpg?v=1759278109"},{"product_id":"reaching-for-the-extreme-by-professor-ian-stewart-9781805221593","title":"Reaching for the Extreme","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrom the bestselling author of Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Britain's most brilliant and prolific populariser of maths' ALEX BELLOS\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat is the maximum land you can enclose inside a given border? What is the minimum number of colours you can use to colour in a map so that no region shares a shade? And how do you calculate the shortest route between two cities?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese questions may not sound related, but they have this in common: they all explore extremes: shortest lines, greatest areas, fewest colours. They have also given rise to some of the most important areas of mathematical study and have resulted in a myriad of applications - from the legend of Dido's founding of the city of Carthage to contemporary satellite navigation systems.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom soap bubbles to the cosmos, Britain's most beloved mathematician tells the fascinating stories of the people and ideas pushing the very bounds of mathematics - and the discoveries that have changed our lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47487475679468,"sku":"9781805221593","price":55.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/a8b64d843f2d9dad65a640b0be9b8277.jpg?v=1775788397"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/professor-ian-stewart.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}