It's a thankless task trying to write for a general audience about a subject as rich, varied and profound as mathematics. Especially in a culture where maths is so badly taught many adults take great pride in not being any good at it (hint: there's a lot more to maths than endlessly adding and dividing fractions!) Some fail by being too superficial, but Ian Stewart can't be accused of that. Here he takes on the relatively new field of chaos, the mathematics of systems where very small changes in parameters lead to huge differences in outcome that, to the uninformed, appear random. These chaotic systems are the true building blocks of the real world rather than the neat, straightforward formulae that create smooth, regular shapes, yet generations of mathematicians and physicists have shied away from them until very recently. Stewart shows how even the most shapeless systems, when looked at from the right angle, exhibit the most exquisite patterns and symmetries. His style is informal, chatty, sometimes iconoclastic, but be warned: it's not a book for mathematical novices. Some of the concepts are mind-twisting! ( )

It's a thankless task trying to write for a general audience about a subject as rich, varied and profound as mathematics. Especially in a culture where maths is so badly taught many adults take great pride in not being any good at it (hint: there's a lot more to maths than endlessly adding and dividing fractions!) Some fail by being too superficial, but Ian Stewart can't be accused of that. Here he takes on the relatively new field of chaos, the mathematics of systems where very small changes in parameters lead to huge differences in outcome that, to the uninformed, appear random. These chaotic systems are the true building blocks of the real world rather than the neat, straightforward formulae that create smooth, regular shapes, yet generations of mathematicians and physicists have shied away from them until very recently. Stewart shows how even the most shapeless systems, when looked at from the right angle, exhibit the most exquisite patterns and symmetries. His style is informal, chatty, sometimes iconoclastic, but be warned: it's not a book for mathematical novices. Some of the concepts are mind-twisting! ( )

Ought to be a DVD ( wish I'd discovered Ian Stewart a long time ago ) Overall great ~ ( )

Ought to be a DVD ( wish I'd discovered Ian Stewart a long time ago ) Overall great ~ ( )

A readable and witty introduction to chaos theory, which is only too misunderstood. This book focuses on the implications which chaos has in mathematics, with an emphasis on maps, fractals, and other such phenomenon. A solid layman introduction. ( )