Maths in Minutes: 200 Key Concepts Explained in an Instant

in Minutes

by Paul Glendinning

Both simple and accessible, Maths in Minutes is a visually led introduction to 200 key mathematical ideas. Each concept is quick and easy to remember, described by means of an easy-to-understand picture and a maximum 200-word explanation. Concepts span all of the key areas of mathematics, including Fundamentals of Mathematics, Sets and Numbers, Geometry, Equations, Limits, Functions and Calculus, Vectors and Algebra, Complex Numbers, Combinatorics, Number Theory, Metrics and Measures and Topology. Incredibly quick - clear artworks and simple explanations that can be easily remembered. Based on scientific research that the brain best absorbs information visually. Compact and portable format - the ideal, handy reference.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mathematics, Science, Reference, Ebooks, Education, Stem

416 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣]

A lovely refresher/look up material allowing to get the gist of some not so basic concepts at a glimpse.

Really good and accessible.

It might be a good idea to use this to get students to become more interested in maths.

[Arshad Pooloo]

Turns out this book is really helpful. I know it's supposed to be basic but I would be way over my head to say that I have understood everything from it. I think part of the problem is the way Mathematics is taught. I know how to use simultaneous equation and differentiation but that's only because I memorized them. Reading made me reassess what I thought I knew and understood. I never realized that calculus was all about studying changes, nor did I understand that the axioms of geometry were that powerful and influential to builders and architects of the past. Even the concept of Prime numbers, complex numbers, rational/irrational numbers, square roots eluded me for so long. Sure I could Identify them and I could use a calculator to just calculate it, but the concept of how and why I didn't know. I think I view mathematics quite differently now rather than thinking of meaningless rules and numbers, I finally understand some of the thinking behind, the concepts behind and how they tie up with other fields. There's a lot of the basics I do not understand even now and unashamed to say that it will require more than one reading, or more than one resource or maybe assistance rather than simply solo reading in order to grasp. Also, there are some concepts such as probability and statistics that I wish to pursue more extensively. I think I will keep this book as a reference so that some of the key learnings do not simply erode with time.

Also, the concept of infinity is a big deal for Mathematicians.

[Danyel Lawson]

Excellent quick refresher on the basics of math from algebra to geometry to calculus to linear algebra and a lot more including calculating pi and logarithms and the math of singularities. I was disappointed that Pascal's triangles were left out but that is my only criticism as it manages to explain each concept in a immediately useable form in a page or two with a nice large typeface in a pocket sized book. Plus it has stuff I've never heard of.

[Shelly]

More of a math refresher for someone who wants to remember. I took high level math courses in college and graduated over a decade ago. Sufficed for my interest, but would probably go way over some people's heads.

[Amer Al Amer]

I should've known better since I come from a technical background, mathematics is never a subject to describe in words. The author did his best to explain complicated mathematical topics in short, compressed paragraphs, but failed to deliver in my humbled point of view. The theoritical representation makes it quite difficult to follow the context because of the lack of numbers and examples, which is clearly not the scope of this book. As I progressed further within the book, I started losing interest and concentration due to the complexity of what is being discussed (in words.) It would seem ridiculous to read about the quadratic formula to understand how to use it, let alone Helbirt's paradox of the Grand hotel.

Before buying this book, I would recommend using those "minutes" you're willing to spare for mathematics on learning platforms, such as Khan Academy or Brilliant. You would definitely understand a mathematical concept or two this way.

[Daniel]

I liked how much this helped me with math

[Nathan]

Lots of awesome concepts. Very brief explanations. It's a nice way to review math as well as be introduced to terminology and broad strokes of what's beyond your limits.

[Ben]

The 1-page explanations are too short to really explain anything, and not entertaining enough to be a nice read. More importantly, there are some small but important factual errors (using a plus where it should be minus, subscript instead of superscript, etc.)

The only use I can think of for this book is as a quick refresher for someone who already knows the topics at hand - as long as they remember to go elsewhere for the actual details.

For a similar (albeit less technical) but IMO better book, check out Clifford A. Pickover's The Math Book: From Pythagoras to the 57th Dimension, 250 Milestones in the History of Mathematics.

[Ivan Vuković]

This is a neat little book for those who want a pretty nice overview of what mathematics is about, more or less.
Nobody can give a detailed survey of mathematics in such a small book, but I guess it's a good starting point for those who want to look for new interesting topics. Oh, and I really liked the way in which most of these topics are summarized, it's not that easy to distil whole branches to several sentences!

[Wendelle]

Some of it are regurgitations of definitions from analysis and topology textbooks that won't be intelligible to the lay reader without context, but some of it are really brilliant or sufficient demonstrations or visualizations of key concepts or theorems.

[Manodeldios]

Brilliant bite size maths in an easy to read and relate to format

[-]

يعطيك نبذة عن مواضيع كثيرة في الرياضيات، لكن مشكلته أنه يخصص لكل موضوع صفحة لا أكثر، جيد كنظرة عامة للمواضيع التي ينبغي عليك وضعها في خطة منظمه لتبدأ دراسة الرياضيات وحدك

[Ben]

Maths Is Cool

This was an excellent and engaging book that demystifies the world of mathematics for readers of all levels.

This book is perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about math but is intimidated by the subject or feels overwhelmed by the amount of information available.

One of the strengths of this book is its accessibility. Paul has an impressive ability to take complex math concepts and break them down into easily digestible chunks.

The book is filled with clear explanations, diagrams, and examples that make the material easy to understand and retain. Additionally, the book is organized in a way that makes it easy to find the information you're looking for and to dip in and out of the material as you please.

I particularly enjoyed how the book was filled with fun and interesting math problems and concepts that I had never encountered before. As a programmer, I was familiar with a lot of the content, but I was still pleasantly surprised by the new things I learned.

The book covers a wide range of topics, including geometry, algebra, and calculus, making it an ideal resource for students, educators, and anyone with a general interest in math.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend Maths in Minutes to anyone looking to learn more about math in a fun and accessible way.
The book is well-written, engaging, and provides an excellent introduction to a wide range of math concepts.

It's a must-read for anyone who wants to understand and appreciate the beauty of mathematics.

4.6/5

[Meltha]

I'm not sure who the audience for this book is supposed to be. For those, like me, who were not very good in math, this book feels very complicated, but for those who were really good in math, much of the book would probably be too simple. I admit I didn't finish this one, largely because I'm about to be swamped with reading for another seminar again, but also because I felt uncomfortably stupid through most of this, giving me flashbacks to high school algebra... which, I will point out, I have never once used in my entire adult life.

[Jack Cheng]

Trying to shore up my pathetic math knowledge for trivia!

This book was just what I needed, for about 100 pages. Each page of this book explains a concept (certain types of numbers, theorems, concepts) and the first half was very useful. The second half was higher level maths and might be a good review for someone who wants to remember math from previous courses, but for myself, at a certain point, it was hard for me to follow the logic and a multiple page explanation for a concept would have been helpful. Maybe?

[Elizabeth DeBerry]

Read a few pages a day over several months, as a way to help cure my ignorance. If you have as little math background as I have, I suggest you print up a list of all the math symbols in use from the plus sign to those used in Calculus, and beyond. Otherwise the explanations of the more advanced concepts will include equations that you can't "read." Overall, I found it worthwhile and helpful, though I am planning to read it again.

[Galatea]

Amazing. Summaries of entire disciplines and subdisciplines of maths in 3 paragraphs or less.

This book doesn't cover everything, but it touches on topics that are covered across the entirety of one's education, from elementary to grad school. They have number theory, set theory, topology, abstract geometry, calculus, and so much more.

An absolutely amazing tour of maths today.

[Sandra Lee]

This is book has brief explanations of 200 mathematical concepts drawn from numbering systems, set theory, geometry, algebra, calculus, vectors and matrices, complex numbers, combinatorics, topology, logic, and number theory. Each topic includes a useful and rather pretty illustration. I received this book as a gift, and I think it makes a nice gift.

[K.]

4 stars to that amazing book.

It was a nice way to re-remember some mathematical concepts I have learned so far at school, discover the origin of many ones and learn new great theorems and ideas.

[Tammy]

Much like a collection of flashcards with key topics in mathematics. I'm afraid the intended audience is at a higher level of mathematical understanding than I am, but I still learned a little and feel I have a better grasp of what the field means to those who love it.

[Bakhodir Ashirmatov]

The most complete pop-science book about mathematics I read so far.

However, I noticed three mathematical typos and one spelling mistake, I believe the book should have been proof-read more. The typos did not confuse content-wise, but left a weird aftertaste.

[Chris Cowan]

Occasionally interesting but as Maths uses a lot of building on prior concepts the idea of the book seems pretty dead in the water. Most of the stuff I knew already and the other topics weren't given much insight in the single page devoted to them.

[Alexandru]

In case you missed mathematics this a nice, but rather short way to recall the main ideas from algebra, geometry, calculus etc.

[Sahariar]

Gives you a good overview of the strangely complex world of mathematics.

[Rick Sam]

A Good Work, for anyone wanting to know basics, help them formulate Visually.

Math is beautiful, aesthetic.

Another way to describe the World.

Deus Vult,
Gottfried

[Francesca]

Want math explained to you in short, easy bites? Then this book is for you. It takes essential concepts, explains them clearly, with simple illustrations.

[Stephanie Du]

Is it weird that I miss math?

[Lauren]

Only about 87% of this book went over my head. This is another one of those books I wish I had in high school during algebra, geometry, and calculus classes.

[Emmalyn Renato]

Good introductory summaries on various parts of mathematics and how they connect. Google the titles for each of the 200 concepts, to get further in depth information.

[Shema]

Has some silly mistakes. If not for them, could have enjoyed the unknown concepts also. But a good read as a reminder.