Alex’s Adventures in Numberland: Dispatches from the Wonderful World of Mathematics

Title Page......Page 2
Copyright......Page 3
Dedication......Page 4
Contents......Page 5
Introduction......Page 8
Chapter Zero: A Head for Numbers......Page 12
Chapter One: The Counter Culture......Page 39
Chapter Two: Behold!......Page 72
Chapter Three: Something about Nothing......Page 106
Chapter Four: Life of Pi......Page 134
Chapter Five: The X-Factor......Page 166
Chapter Six: Playtime......Page 200
Chapter Seven: Secrets of Succession......Page 239
Chapter Eight: Gold Finger......Page 266
Chapter Nine: Chance is a Fine Thing......Page 286
Chapter Ten: Situation Normal......Page 328
Chapter Eleven: The End of the Line......Page 361
Plates Section......Page 389
Glossary......Page 407
1: Annairizi’s tiled squares......Page 413
2: Proof that root 2 is irrational......Page 414
3: Franklin’s 16 × 16 magic square......Page 415
5: Proof that the harmonic series diverges......Page 416
6: Continued fractions and phi......Page 417
Notes on Chapters......Page 419
Endnotes......Page 430
Plate Section Picture Credits......Page 431
Picture Credits......Page 432
Acknowledgements......Page 433
About the Author......Page 434
Index......Page 436
Back Cover......Page 488