O'Shea, Owen, 1956-

The call of the primes : surprising patterns, peculiar puzzles, and other marvels of mathematics / Owen O'Shea. - 330 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Includes bibliographical references (pages 311-314) and index.

Some words on the lo shu and other magic squares -- The call of the primes -- Some words on Pythagorean triples -- The Monty Hall problem and other deceptive puzzles in probability theory -- The Fibonacci sequence -- The Lucas sequence -- The irrational number phi -- The square root of -1 -- The square root of 2 -- The square numbers -- The triangular numbers -- The transcendental number known as pi -- The transcendental number e -- Pascal's triangle -- Some strange and remarkable coincidences -- Beautiful mathematical equations.

This sampler of entertaining mathematical diversions reveals the elegance and extraordinary usefulness of mathematics for readers who think they have no aptitude for the subject. If you like any kind of game at all, you'll enjoy the amazing mathematical puzzles and patterns presented here in straightforward terms that any layperson can understand. From magic squares and the mysterious qualities of prime numbers to Pythagorean triples, probability theory, the Fibonacci sequence, and more, the author shows that math can be fun while having some profound implications.

9781633881488 1633881482

2016003299


Mathematical recreations.
Numbers, Prime.
Magic squares.
Square root.
Magic squares.
Mathematical recreations.
Numbers, Prime.
Square root.

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