QED: Beauty in Mathematical Proof (Q.E.D.)

Wooden Books

by Burkard Polster

Which famous proof did Archimedes inscribe on his tombstone? How and why do knots make perfect pentagons? Have you ever seen a proof so completely that it is just obvious? In this delicious little book, top down-under mathemagician Dr. Polster presents many of the most visually intuitive and exciting proofs from the dusty annuals of mathematical history. You can test your ability to follow the logic, leap into mathemagnosis and experience eureka-moment after eureka-moment. This is the first UK edition of this original classic from Wooden Books, highly successful in the US. WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information. "Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

Genres: Mathematics, Nonfiction, Science, Design, Art

64 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

Burkard Polster is a maths lecturer, and Monash University's resident Mathemagician, mathematical juggler, origami expert, bubble-master, shoelace charmer, and Count von Count impersonator. When he is not doing fun mathematics he has fun investigating perfect mathematical universes.

from http://www.mav.vic.edu.au/public-lect...

Reviews

[Catherine]

I… don’t think I’m the intended audience for this book 😅

[Hannah]

It was a book full of math equations. Idk what I'm supposed to say...

I will be attending bookclub mainly for a glass of wine and socialization 😂

[Vicki Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very thin book with one-page descriptions of various mathematical objects and theorems, with illustrations on the facing pages. The discussion of Pythagoras' Theorem is very good as is the page on the Sieve of Eratosthenes.

[Lthmath · Rating 5 out of 5]

For such a short book (just 58 pages) I was impressed by the amount of information: great proofs, great connections between different topics, such as algebra and geometry, and great drawings (graphs, diagrams). The proofs were chosen really good; they are short enough, but very explicit. I was also pleasantly surprised to see proofs done using just drawings (diagrams or graphs).

In any math book I expect great end notes or appendix because I always consider that everyone needs extra explanation or further reading to go deep into a topic. These book did not disapoint me on this. The Appendix is really great; it has even more proofs and some thought provoking questions.

Lastly, I recommend this book to any teachers or parents that want to show their pupils/children the beauty of mathematical proofs. You need a basix knowledge of mathematics to understand the language and I think everyone will benefit from this book.

[Louisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The basics of Euclid's Elements, Eratosthenes' calculation of the circumference of the Earth, Archimedes' find that the volume of a sphere is two-thirds that of the smallest cylinder containing it, toppling dominoes, the infinite staircase and much more: this little book delves into some of the most famous theorems and shows us the beautiful world of mathematical proof.
Quod erat demonstrandum, indeed.

[Roland Curit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a Father's Day gift from my wife. Polster is a German mathematician and author of my favorite YouTube channel, "Mathologer", where he explains difficult mathematical concepts using easy to follow colorful graphics and witty monologue. In "Q.E.D.", he outlines 25 or so mathematical proofs, each occupying one page of written proof and another page of graphics. I didn't just glance at the proofs and look at the pictures. I did my best to digest and comprehend the logic behind each proof. Occasionally this required re-reading the same page multiple times, making the 58-page book feel more like 125. Diminutive in physical stature, it is one of six books in the Sciencia Series which publishes small books with big ideas. It had all the makings of a 5-star book for this math geek, but it contains one glaring weakness, the no-so-glaring presentation. The font size is exceedingly small, and the pictures are grayscale. That is not a recipe to capture the imagination of the casual reader. As someone who loves the vivid Mathologer videos, I am used to big, bold, colorful displays. This book falls short of the lofty standards I have come to expect from Polster. The content was there, but the presentation was blasé. Sadly, I can only give it 4 stars.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful, compact collection of largely visual proofs from series, and 2- and 3-D geometry. I especially appreciate the inclusion of fallacies as well as infinite summations. While most of this can be grasped with even solely a high school background, enough of it is worth consideration again and revisited for applying tools of mathematical logic in the same ways that worked for Archimedes and beyond.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I were smart/focused enough to appreciate this more. Some proofs were really quite fascinating, others I stared at for a while and then moved on.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, illuminatory refresher of 9th and 10th grade number theory and geometry.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really cute.

It reminds me of "Proofs from the Book" (Aigner and Ziegler).

It's like a collection of poetry except in math!

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the best math book I have ever read! Probably the only math book I have ever read, unless you count Douglas Hofstadter's I am a Strange Loop, which was more about consciousness and mathematics.

QED was a cool read, but I will be rereading it, or finding another cool math book next time I get the urge.

Every sorcerer needs this book, or one like it.

[Gary Fixler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should have turned one more page at my list sitting; it was the beginning of the first appendix. All done! This is a tiny, very short book, with lots of pictures, but still took me a little while to get through, as I tried to pick apart the math behind, and descriptions of the visual proofs. I think I'll peek back in from time to time, as I didn't completely follow everything.

[TK Keanini · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wooden book series is great. This is my favorite because I love visual and auditory patterns that mix together with mathmatics. It all started wtih the Golden Braid and since then, I keep looking for books that tie everything together.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a few proofs, just browsing, that went totally over my head. But I love these Wooden Books! The drawings are simple, elegant, yet detailed. The paper is nice and thick. They're short, but pack a whollup of information. Fun, fun, fun!

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great visual reasoning.

[Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but quite informative. Especially on Cavalieri's principle.

[Shaina Leitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just something I picked up every now and then. Some fun mathematical proofs.

[Cathy Yee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the patterns and concepts in the book. I didn't think I liked geometry but I l fell in love.