Product Description
"The great book of nature," said Galileo, "can be read only by those who know the language in which it was written. And this language is mathematics." In The Language of Mathematics, award-winning author Keith Devlin reveals the vital role mathematics plays in our eternal quest to understand who we are and the world we live in. More than just the study of numbers, mathematics provides us with the eyes to recognize and describe the hidden patterns of life—patterns that exist in the physical, biological, and social worlds without, and the realm of ideas and thoughts within.Taking the reader on a wondrous journey through the invisible universe that surrounds us—a universe made visible by mathematics—Devlin shows us what keeps a jumbo jet in the air, explains how we can see and hear a football game on TV, allows us to predict the weather, the behavior of the stock market, and the outcome of elections. Microwave ovens, telephone cables, children's toys, pacemakers, automobiles, and computers—all operate on mathematical principles. Far from a dry and esoteric subject, mathematics is a rich and living part of our culture. An exploration of an often woefully misunderstood subject, The Language of Mathematics celebrates the simplicity, the precision, the purity, and the elegance of mathematics.

Amazon.com Review
Keith Devlin is trying to be the Carl Sagan of mathematics, and he is succeeding. He writes: "Though the structures and patterns of mathematics reflect the structure of, and resonate in, the human mind every bit as much as do the structures and patterns of music, human beings have developed no mathematical equivalent of a pair of ears. Mathematics can be seen only with the eyes of the mind." All of his books are attempts to get around this problem, to "try to communicate to others some sense of what it is we experience--some sense of the simplicity, the precision, the purity, and the elegance that give the patterns of mathematics their aesthetic value." Life by the Numbers, Devlin's companion book to the PBS series of the same name, is heavily illustrated and soothingly low on equations. But as he says, wanting mathematics without abstract notation "is rather like saying that Shakespeare would be much easier to understand if it were written in simpler language." The Language of Mathematics is Devlin's second iteration of the approach he used in Mathematics: The Science of Patterns. It covers all the same ground (and uses many of the same words) as the latter, but with fewer glossy pictures, sidebars, and references. Devlin has also added chapters on statistics and on mathematical patterns in nature. --Mary Ellen Curtin

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 23 reviews)

An excellent way to begin the study of the universal language of the universe by Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States(cashbacher@yahoo.com))

5 Stars
June 11, 2009
It has long been argued that to understand the universe, it is first necessary to understand the language used to describe it, namely mathematics. Devlin opens with that position and then proceeds to give a historical account of many areas of mathematics and how they are used to describe the actions of the physical world. Devlin does an excellent job in explaining the mathematics at a level of basic understanding, although to his credit he does not hesitate to include formulas and equations when they are necessary. Some of the topics covered are: *) Formal grammars *) Number theory *) Conic sections *) Logical reasoning *) The fundamental geometries *) Basic topology *) Fundamental probability In each section, Devlin's goal is to explain the material well enough so that the reader can understand and appreciate the value that it brings to the mathematical world. He is very successful in this endeavor, developing the topic in sufficient yet with no unnecessary detail so that the bright and dedicated reader will be able to appreciate the overall beauty and utility of mathematics.

A Beautiful Read by George

4 Stars
May 18, 2009
A beautiful read. And I mean beautiful. As I read I could envision see the beauty in the patterns being described. It is both history and description. I would definitely recommend this book.

Refreshing my love of math by Patrick A. Farrell (Indianapolis, IN, USA)

5 Stars
November 25, 2008
I'm in my early 30's, got an undergraduate math degree, and have been experiencing a renewal of my interest in math. I found this book at the perfect time. The negative reviews on this book are true. I can't imagine more than small parts of chapters being interesting to someone who hasn't already been exposed to university level maths. The symmetry and topology chapters were very entertaining, but I can imagine them being a little opaque for someone without prior study of these topics (or who hadn't at least tried to tile their bathroom). If you're in my position, having studied math, forgot about it for a couple of years, and are now renewing your interest in it, I highly recommend this book. If you've never studied, but are interested in learning about math, find an easier introduction and save this for your 3rd or fourth book, when you're ready to see how math helps us understand abstract ideas even before they have real world application.

What is Math? by Larry A. Amati (pittsburgh,Pa)

5 Stars
May 12, 2007
If you ever really wondered whats behind all of the numbers this is the book that you want. Very easy to read and explains everything you wanted to know about Math.

Too difficult by x-plorer (Stockholm Sweden)

2 Stars
February 05, 2007
For trying to be a popular exposition on mathematics Devlin's book is too difficult for the lay reader. Unless you have university level mathematics in your luggage you won't understand much. The explanations of basic conepts are missing, the proofs are not there and the history is condensed into a few pages. Thus if your mathematical imagination cannot fill in these gaps you will not extract much pleasure from this book. You will rather be frustrated. I myself have read mathematics at the university and still couldn't follow him everywhere. The problem is that the labeling of the book is misleading. This is not a book of popularized mathematics. This is leizure time reading for mathematics professors and math-freaks. If you want to read something that is easy to understand but still interesting try some of the American Mathematical Society's wonderful publications (you can find them all on amazon).

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