Great books about mathematics • Hacker News Board

Re: Great books about mathematics

#11

Post by tomsthumb » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 12:16 AM UTC

acak wrote: post #6

I really enjoyed the book on Fermat's last theorem by Simon Singh - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0802713319 A long time ago, a friend's mother was complaining to me that (high school) Math is a dry subject and she doesn't blame her otherwise intelligent son for not being able get interested and do well in it. I wish I knew of this book then - I know it cranked up my interest in Math ever since.

I read this in a day in high school. It was great, and actually all of his books are great. The crypto one is really engaging, and a surprisingly easy while reasonably thorough read. The one about the big bang can get a little dry in spots, but it's 500 pages and by the end there are more than enough "wow, that's amazing" moments to make up for it.

Re: Great books about mathematics

#12

Post by ericssmith » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 12:28 AM UTC

thejteam wrote: post #7

I read "The Mathematical Experience" when I was in high school. Unfortunately, I do not remember many details of the book (for me, "when I was in high school" is approaching 20 years ago) except I recall that I read it over and over again and thought it was excellent.

I agree with the author about History of Mathematics and Journey Through Genius, so I did what he said and bought The Mathematical Experience immediately.

Re: Great books about mathematics

#13

Post by jamestomasino » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 12:30 AM UTC

Your History of Mathematics is great, but I prefer the two volume work by D.E. Smith. Here's volume 1: http://www.amazon.com/History-Mathematics-Vol-Dover-Books/dp...

Re: Great books about mathematics

#14

Post by kriro » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 12:52 AM UTC

"Proofs and Refutations" is a fantastic book, I really enjoy that style.

If someone is looking for a more lightweight introduction to Lakatos I can highly recommend "For and Against Method" which outlines his "arguments" with Feyerabend.

If you're not into science theory (imo) Lakatos is basically Popper++ (I think most people have heard of Popper)

Re: Great books about mathematics

#15

Post by ivansavz » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 1:09 AM UTC

For a short, intuitive, practical, and affordable introduction to high school math and calculus, check out my book: "No bullshit guide to math and physics" http://minireference.com/

For a free alternative, check out: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33283

Re: Great books about mathematics

#16

Post by tokenrove » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 1:34 AM UTC

kriro wrote: post #14

"Proofs and Refutations" is a fantastic book, I really enjoy that style. If someone is looking for a more lightweight introduction to Lakatos I can highly recommend "For and Against Method" which outlines his "arguments" with Feyerabend. If you're not into science theory (imo) Lakatos is basically Popper++ (I think most people have heard of Popper)

Something else I just read which is related but lighter is How Mathematicians Think by William Byers.

Re: Great books about mathematics

#17

Post by rahimnathwani » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 2:10 AM UTC

swotavator wrote: post #5

of all the technical things I have learned over the years, higher mathematics (say calc 1-3 and diff. eqns.) is the topic I most regret brain dumping. I am not so much interested in the history, but can anyone recommend a streamlined primer?

The first few chapters of The Theoretical Minimum. There is a book and also a free set of online lectures.

Re: Great books about mathematics

#18

Post by Tycho » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 2:12 AM UTC

Anyone have good reading material about 'how to reason mathematically' on a basic level? I mean, not going too deep into any specific topic, but how to get better at interpreting equations and grokking relationships.

Re: Great books about mathematics

#19

Post by tujv » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 2:17 AM UTC

Tycho wrote: post #18

Anyone have good reading material about 'how to reason mathematically' on a basic level? I mean, not going too deep into any specific topic, but how to get better at interpreting equations and grokking relationships.

"How to Solve It" by G. Polya is an excellent guide on how to approach mathematical problems.

Re: Great books about mathematics

#20

Post by tikhonj » Sat, Dec 28, 2013, 2:19 AM UTC

Tycho wrote: post #18

Anyone have good reading material about 'how to reason mathematically' on a basic level? I mean, not going too deep into any specific topic, but how to get better at interpreting equations and grokking relationships.

I think Gödel, Escher Bach does a good job imparting the "mathematical mindset", albeit indirectly. It's a great read even if it's quite long and a bit repetitive. Definitely worth a read if you're not already familiar with abstract mathematics and formal logic.