Showing results by author "Eugenia Cheng" in All Categories

Emotions are powerful. In newspaper headlines and on social media, they have become the primary way of understanding the world. But strong feelings make it more difficult to see the reality behind the rhetoric. In The Art of Logic, Eugenia Cheng shows how mathematical logic can help us see things more clearly - and know when politicians and companies are trying to mislead us.

From imaginary numbers to the perplexing order of operations we all had drilled into us, Eugenia Cheng—mathematician, writer and woman on a mission to rid the world of maths phobia—brings us maths as we've never seen it before, revealing how profound insights can emerge from seemingly unlikely sources. Written with intelligence and passion, Is Maths Real? is a celebration of the true, curious spirit of the discipline.

Read by the author. At first glance, the concept of equality in maths seems unambiguous. When we see the equality sign, we think of 'solving for x' or balancing two sides of an equation or maybe even the many famous equations that make use of this elegant, innocuous symbol. = But between those...

How both logical and emotional reasoning can help us live better in our post-truth world In a world where fake news stories change election outcomes, has rationality become futile? In The Art of Logic in an Illogical World, Eugenia Cheng throws a lifeline to readers drowning in the illogic of...

How one powerful concept reveals the biggest (and smallest) mathematical truths How big is the universe? How many numbers are there? And is infinity + 1 is the same as 1 + infinity? Such questions occur to young children and our greatest minds. And they are all the same question: What is...

A brilliant mathematician examines the complexity of gender and society and forges a path out of inequality.Why are men in charge? After years in the male-dominated field of mathematics and in the female-dominated field of art, Eugenia Cheng has heard the question many times. In x + y, Cheng...

Aspiring bakers will embrace this charming picture book about baking pie by using simple math, from one of the world’s most creative and celebrated mathematicians. X + Y are dreaming of baking infinite pie. But they don’t know if infinite pie is real. With the help of quirky and uber-smart...

Science and maths have never been the preserve of lone geniuses: collaboration has always been at the heart of intellectual endeavour. But to this day, men like Einstein remain the pervasive archetype of genius, and the intellectual contributions of women past and present have gone...