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100 Essential Things You Didn't Know about Maths & the Arts
What can maths tell us about art and design?
Professor John D. Barrow has all the answers. In 100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know about Maths and the Arts, he shows us that mathematics and the arts are not so far removed from each other. He takes us on a 100-step tour, guiding us through art forms as various as sculpture, literature, architecture and dance, and reveals what maths can tell us about the mysteries of the worlds of art and design.
We find out why diamonds sparkle, how many words Shakespeare knew and why the shower is the best place to sing. We discover why an egg is egg-shaped, why Charles Dickens crusaded against maths and how a soprano can shatter a wine glass without touching it...
Enlivening the everyday with a new way of looking at the world, this book will enrich your understanding of the maths and art that surround us in our day-to-day lives.
Professor John D. Barrow has all the answers. In 100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know about Maths and the Arts, he shows us that mathematics and the arts are not so far removed from each other. He takes us on a 100-step tour, guiding us through art forms as various as sculpture, literature, architecture and dance, and reveals what maths can tell us about the mysteries of the worlds of art and design.
We find out why diamonds sparkle, how many words Shakespeare knew and why the shower is the best place to sing. We discover why an egg is egg-shaped, why Charles Dickens crusaded against maths and how a soprano can shatter a wine glass without touching it...
Enlivening the everyday with a new way of looking at the world, this book will enrich your understanding of the maths and art that surround us in our day-to-day lives.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published November 6, 2014
31 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
John D. Barrow
90 books168 followersJohn D. Barrow was a professor of mathematical sciences and director of the Millennium Mathematics Project at Cambridge University and a Fellow of the Royal Society.
He was awarded the 2006 Templeton Prize for "Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities" for his "writings about the relationship between life and the universe, and the nature of human understanding [which] have created new perspectives on questions of ultimate concern to science and religion".
He was a member of a United Reformed Church, which he described as teaching "a traditional deistic picture of the universe".
He was awarded the 2006 Templeton Prize for "Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities" for his "writings about the relationship between life and the universe, and the nature of human understanding [which] have created new perspectives on questions of ultimate concern to science and religion".
He was a member of a United Reformed Church, which he described as teaching "a traditional deistic picture of the universe".
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 9, 2017
Like being trapped next to your boring brother-in-law who’s just binged a series of QI and forgotten all the jokes
March 20, 2015
This author has written a number of wonderfully informative books on math and cosmology, of which we have read at least half. Although he is a theoretical physicist, he writes in a conversational style that is non-scientist-friendly.
In the introduction of this book Barrow gives a short summary of different views about what mathematics is. One view holds that it is “a set of eternal truths that already ‘exist’ in some real sense and are found by mathematicians. The second sees it as “an infinitely large game with rules, which we invent and whose consequences we then pursue.” A third opinion defines mathematics as “the catalogue of all possible patterns.” Moreover, although the number of possible patterns is infinite, it turns out that a very small number of simple patterns characterize much of reality. It is this third view that shows why art and mathematics actually have so much in common, because pleasing patterns tend to be associated with great works of art. As Manil Suri points out (in his discussion of Pi), "This is characteristic of mathematics, whereby elementary formulas can give rise to surprisingly varied phenomena."
Barrow demonstrates this premise in very pithy chapters that can be read in any order, ranging on topics from the design of art galleries themselves to the works they contain; from music, to book design, to sculpture, literature, dance, and music. Some of the essays have very little to do with art as one might conventionally define it, but they are interesting nonetheless.
While Barrow writes clearly with a minimum of equations and the inclusion of many illustrations, it is a bit too “math-y” for my taste. However, I do love discovering new aspects of the intersection of math and art and their surprising co-evolution. For those, like me, who find this book - which is witty and fairly elementary - fascinating but still not basic enough, I have two other recommendations that focus more on the art than on the math.
One is Art & Physics: Parallel Visions in Space, Time & Light by Leonard Slain (William Morrow Books, 1991) and the other is Exploring the Invisible: Art, Science, And the Spiritual by Lynn Gamwell (Princeton University Press, 2002). Both emphasize the way in which paradigm changes in science spurred revolutions in art. Barrow’s emphasis is the opposite in a way; he shows you how art, or more specifically, patterns, reveal the math behind them.
The three of these books together would make a wonderful complement for anyone seeking to understand the close relationship between developments in math and in the arts.
Evaluation: Math and science fans will really enjoy this book, as will those who love finding out how the patterns that please us are not just random. Barrow also has very readable books on cosmology, such as The Infinite Book, and The Book of Universes. In addition, he has written 100 Essential Things You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know: Math Explains Your World, which is very similar in style and format to the book being reviewed here, and is also very entertaining.
Rating: 3.5/5
In the introduction of this book Barrow gives a short summary of different views about what mathematics is. One view holds that it is “a set of eternal truths that already ‘exist’ in some real sense and are found by mathematicians. The second sees it as “an infinitely large game with rules, which we invent and whose consequences we then pursue.” A third opinion defines mathematics as “the catalogue of all possible patterns.” Moreover, although the number of possible patterns is infinite, it turns out that a very small number of simple patterns characterize much of reality. It is this third view that shows why art and mathematics actually have so much in common, because pleasing patterns tend to be associated with great works of art. As Manil Suri points out (in his discussion of Pi), "This is characteristic of mathematics, whereby elementary formulas can give rise to surprisingly varied phenomena."
Barrow demonstrates this premise in very pithy chapters that can be read in any order, ranging on topics from the design of art galleries themselves to the works they contain; from music, to book design, to sculpture, literature, dance, and music. Some of the essays have very little to do with art as one might conventionally define it, but they are interesting nonetheless.
While Barrow writes clearly with a minimum of equations and the inclusion of many illustrations, it is a bit too “math-y” for my taste. However, I do love discovering new aspects of the intersection of math and art and their surprising co-evolution. For those, like me, who find this book - which is witty and fairly elementary - fascinating but still not basic enough, I have two other recommendations that focus more on the art than on the math.
One is Art & Physics: Parallel Visions in Space, Time & Light by Leonard Slain (William Morrow Books, 1991) and the other is Exploring the Invisible: Art, Science, And the Spiritual by Lynn Gamwell (Princeton University Press, 2002). Both emphasize the way in which paradigm changes in science spurred revolutions in art. Barrow’s emphasis is the opposite in a way; he shows you how art, or more specifically, patterns, reveal the math behind them.
The three of these books together would make a wonderful complement for anyone seeking to understand the close relationship between developments in math and in the arts.
Evaluation: Math and science fans will really enjoy this book, as will those who love finding out how the patterns that please us are not just random. Barrow also has very readable books on cosmology, such as The Infinite Book, and The Book of Universes. In addition, he has written 100 Essential Things You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know: Math Explains Your World, which is very similar in style and format to the book being reviewed here, and is also very entertaining.
Rating: 3.5/5
December 30, 2022
Some chapters were really good, and I learned something new. However, some of these essential things weren't very interesting, and I couldn't care less. Do you think I really care about the ideal proportions of a book's margins and page dimensions? There are definitely so many math applications in the world that I feel like about a 1/4 of these chapters were wasted on talking about pointless things that were either boring or just page filler with lack of actual math.
June 28, 2018
Da questo saggio, che fin dalla copertina ho classificato dalle poche pretese, ho tratto, a lettura
ultimata, molte nozioni utili e interessanti che, ammetto, non conoscevo minimamente: curiosità che correlano la matematica alla musica, la geometria all’arte, il calcolo combinatorio alla biologia, la fisica alle scelte fotografiche... insomma un insieme enciclopedico di informazioni non sempre conosciute neppure da chi studia matematica o fisica all’università, proprio perché esulano dal percorso classico di studi, ma che comunque rappresentano una risorsa utile per completare la propria formazione culturale in questi ambiti.
Da quest’opera che si compone di brevi capitoletti, ognuno dei quali vòlto ad aprire un mondo di esplorazioni e ricerche individuali, ho attinto a piene mani per portare esempi non usuali ed originali di applicazioni della matematica ai diversi campi di competenza delle principali discipline artistiche.
Lo stile conciso e gli argomenti disparati purtroppo non contribuiscono alla creazione di un testo organico e coerente, ma lo consiglio ugualmente agli studenti delle materie scientifiche come utile diversivo e come piacevole svago letterario che rimane in tema con il proprio percorso di studi senza il tono nozionistico di un testo scolastico.
ultimata, molte nozioni utili e interessanti che, ammetto, non conoscevo minimamente: curiosità che correlano la matematica alla musica, la geometria all’arte, il calcolo combinatorio alla biologia, la fisica alle scelte fotografiche... insomma un insieme enciclopedico di informazioni non sempre conosciute neppure da chi studia matematica o fisica all’università, proprio perché esulano dal percorso classico di studi, ma che comunque rappresentano una risorsa utile per completare la propria formazione culturale in questi ambiti.
Da quest’opera che si compone di brevi capitoletti, ognuno dei quali vòlto ad aprire un mondo di esplorazioni e ricerche individuali, ho attinto a piene mani per portare esempi non usuali ed originali di applicazioni della matematica ai diversi campi di competenza delle principali discipline artistiche.
Lo stile conciso e gli argomenti disparati purtroppo non contribuiscono alla creazione di un testo organico e coerente, ma lo consiglio ugualmente agli studenti delle materie scientifiche come utile diversivo e come piacevole svago letterario che rimane in tema con il proprio percorso di studi senza il tono nozionistico di un testo scolastico.
November 22, 2019
This was perfect bedtime reading ... as long as I had my phone handy to look things up. Nice bite-size chapters about a wild variety of topics where math(s) is useful in interpreting, understanding, or analyzing the arts. My personal favorite was the discussion of topological (not topographical) maps, because when we got married, our friend B. drew a map of the places relevant to the wedding with the note "this map is to several different scales." She feels much more professional since I told her it was actually a topological map! I gained a greater understanding of some things I knew about, learned some things I didn't, picked up some trivia, and in general enjoyed this well written book.
January 30, 2024
Very fun read. It's entirely in short, self-contained chapters. Some of the chapters were totally new information to me (like patterns of paint cracking), some others were interesting connections between things I knew but hadn't put together.
There were a few bits about history that were totally inaccurate or misleading, but it was all background that didn't affect the maths in or the conclusions of the chapters.
I picked it up because it was proudly displayed in the SFMOMA's bookstore and stood out to me for it's gauche cover and title surrounded by fancy-looking art and design books. Glad I did.
There were a few bits about history that were totally inaccurate or misleading, but it was all background that didn't affect the maths in or the conclusions of the chapters.
I picked it up because it was proudly displayed in the SFMOMA's bookstore and stood out to me for it's gauche cover and title surrounded by fancy-looking art and design books. Glad I did.
October 29, 2024
Assomiglia alla rubrica "forse non tutti sanno che" della Settimana Enigmistica, seppur più rigoroso. Alcune spiegazioni sono interessanti, molte altre abbastanza inutili, e qualcuna pure fuori tema. Posso dire di aver imparato qualcosina in mezzo a questa serie apparentemente casuale di nozioni, ma ho proprio sbagliato a comprare questo libro: è troppo semplice per chi ha frequentato il liceo scientifico, e avrei dovuto intuirlo (nell'aprirlo a caso in libreria ho avuto la sfortuna di imbattermi in una delle poche parti davvero interessanti, il che mi ha fuorviato).
December 12, 2023
Научих интересни неща за математиката в изкуството. Преводът на български оставя какво да се желае и в езиково ("има добра причина"), и в математическо отношение ("прости числа", вместо естествени или числа, които лесно можем да съобразим), но ако говорите и английски език не би трябвало да имате проблем да разберете какво е искал да каже авторът. Някои статии са достъпни и за хора с по-ограничени математически познания, докато при други се включва диференциално смятане без обосновка.
January 27, 2020
More for arts people than math people... Most of the math is pretty easy and already known if you are a math person. Each item discussed, though, is done at a brief, rudimentary level. It is a good "bedtime" book to get two or three items quickly read before falling asleep.
June 20, 2017
finally finished this book...good cover of math applications. Just wished it was more categorized mathematically so that related math issues were clumped together.
January 1, 2019
Engagingly-written and an easy, breezy read.
March 29, 2019
Really interesting
May not remember a lot of it, not a light read
Bit quirky
Worth trying
May not remember a lot of it, not a light read
Bit quirky
Worth trying
August 18, 2020
One-hundred essays on mathematical and tangential topics, some highly entertaining--some boring and hackneyed.
April 4, 2021
Interesting read with a variety of short interesting topics. The short chapters made it a great “purse book” to read while waiting in lines or such.
February 3, 2022
Great fun. Most interesting and thoroughly enjoyable.
July 6, 2022
Really interesting! I like that each chapter is just a few pages long, so it gets straight to the point. I also enjoyed that I recognised a lot of the mathematicians referenced.
November 3, 2015
I wanted to really like this book, but it just was not meant to be. Two things held me back, I think.
First was the fact that it has been many years since I have dealt in depth with equations. As an elementary teacher, my daily math diet is pretty much bounded by pre-algebra. As such, some chapters required me to bust out pen and paper to really understand what Barrow was saying. This isn't terrible, but I feel it could've been alleviated with a little more explanation. Often, he presented information like this: "We see that such and such had this value and such and such has this value and thus [equation with more than two variables]."
Secondly, Barrow's voice is annoying to me at times. He sounds exactly like my father-in-law when he is in the mood to lecture. It made reading this book pretty slow for me. He comes across as curmudgeonly at several points (like his discussion of Auto-tune or his despair over the switch to digital television signal).
I enjoyed the format. Each piece of information is packaged in its own chapter: a page or a few pages. There were several chapters that I loved and read out loud to anyone in my family that would listen for a minute.
Overall, this book was alright. I might recommend it to a friend who has a Master's in Mathematics, himself prone to mini-lectures.
First was the fact that it has been many years since I have dealt in depth with equations. As an elementary teacher, my daily math diet is pretty much bounded by pre-algebra. As such, some chapters required me to bust out pen and paper to really understand what Barrow was saying. This isn't terrible, but I feel it could've been alleviated with a little more explanation. Often, he presented information like this: "We see that such and such had this value and such and such has this value and thus [equation with more than two variables]."
Secondly, Barrow's voice is annoying to me at times. He sounds exactly like my father-in-law when he is in the mood to lecture. It made reading this book pretty slow for me. He comes across as curmudgeonly at several points (like his discussion of Auto-tune or his despair over the switch to digital television signal).
I enjoyed the format. Each piece of information is packaged in its own chapter: a page or a few pages. There were several chapters that I loved and read out loud to anyone in my family that would listen for a minute.
Overall, this book was alright. I might recommend it to a friend who has a Master's in Mathematics, himself prone to mini-lectures.
June 15, 2016
In the increasingly divided world of knowledge, it's good to read a book that makes connections about academic lines. It's even better when the writer takes a broad view of knowledge and writes in an engaging manner.
Barrow gives us 100 brief introductions (seldom more than 3 pages each) that enlighten our knowledge of the arts AND math. Some of the chapters are esoteric to be sure (Mondrian's Golden Rectangles). Some are simply intriguing (How Many Words Did Shakespeare Know?). Each can be read in five minutes (if you're just browsing).
It's not unusual to discover that math "geeks" are often fascinated by the arts--especially about music. The book may help expand that cross-disciplinary approach to knowledge for both the geeks and the casual readers.
Barrow gives us 100 brief introductions (seldom more than 3 pages each) that enlighten our knowledge of the arts AND math. Some of the chapters are esoteric to be sure (Mondrian's Golden Rectangles). Some are simply intriguing (How Many Words Did Shakespeare Know?). Each can be read in five minutes (if you're just browsing).
It's not unusual to discover that math "geeks" are often fascinated by the arts--especially about music. The book may help expand that cross-disciplinary approach to knowledge for both the geeks and the casual readers.
August 11, 2020
I feel like the point of writing a popular maths book is to make maths accessible to people who don't have a degree in math? This was not that. It was either too technical, making it boring and out of reach for most readers, or painfully obvious. Also, you can't just claim that every piece of art has hidden maths in it, when the artist never alluded to that at all. This book frustrated me because I want pop maths books to be appealing to non math folk, and this one couldn't even hold the attention of me, an actual mathematician.
October 23, 2015
Some interesting intersections of science and art here. Lots of stuff about science and math I couldn't follow at all, but it's still interesting to see that arts and sciences CAN still intersect. Short chapters make it ideal bedtime or vacation reading, being easy to stop every 5 minutes without breaking up the content.
January 5, 2016
Interesting essays as to how math is connected to the arts. I enjoyed almost every essay. Some facts might be better appreciated by true mathematicians .
I didn't pay much attention to the solving of the actual math equations
For me it was simply gaining a little insight into the mathematic component as it related to the arts. It will add a little variety to your dinner conversations.
I didn't pay much attention to the solving of the actual math equations
For me it was simply gaining a little insight into the mathematic component as it related to the arts. It will add a little variety to your dinner conversations.
September 23, 2015
Read about 100 or so pages. Gave up; not my cup of tea. One in three facts appeased my thirst.
Read
February 15, 2017A very interesting math/physics/social commentary book with extremely short chapters. Makes you think.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews