Coincidences, Chaos, and All That Math Jazz

Improbable? Yes. Impossible? No—an irreverent, entertaining, readable, and completely understandable explanation of lofty mathematical ideas.

By starting in the familiar world and using a few simple steps of imagination, Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird sneak up on weighty mathematical ideas. The spirals on a pineapple quickly lead to the famous Fibonacci numbers and the alluring Golden Ratio and from there to aesthetic forms in nature, art, and music. The edge of a twisted strip of paper leads to an image of the shape of the universe. Playing with the notion of probability demonstrates that surprising coincidences such as the amazing parallels between the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations are sure to happen. These and other foreign and familiar mysteries share two features—they appear inexplicable and they are all explained with great humor and clarity in this book. Perhaps the greatest surprise is that these travels require no math background. If you never thought you would read about mathematics, this book is for you. 160 illustrations.