Number Freak by Derrick Niederman

by Derrick Niederman

A compulsively readable look at the secret language of numbers— their role in nature, movies, science, and everything in between. What do Fight Club, wallpaper patterns, George Balanchine’s Serenade, and Italian superstitions have in common? They’re all included in the entry for the number 17 in this engaging book about numbers— detailing their unique properties, patterns, appeal, history, and lore. Author Derrick Niederman takes readers on a guided tour of the numbers 1 to 300—covering everything from basic mathematical principles to ancient unsolved theorems, from sublime theory to delightfully arcane trivia. Illustrated with diagrams, drawings, and photographs, plus 50 challenging mathematical brainteasers (with answers), this book will fascinate and engage readers of all levels of mathematical skill and knowledge. Includes such gems There are 42 eyes in a deck of cards, and 42 dots on a pair of dice In order to fill in a map so that neighboring regions never get the same color, one never needs more than four colors Hells Angels use the number 81 in their insignia because the initials “H” and “A” are the eighth and first numbers in the alphabet respectively

Genres: Mathematics, Nonfiction, Science, Trivia

Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Mark Schnitzius · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly superficial, but there were some interesting bits.

[William Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number Freak by Derrick Niederman talks about numbers in pop culture and mathematics. It gets some things wrong, but I can attribute that to phrasing. The only incorrect fact I saw was for the entry on number 151. It stated that this is the number of Pokémon, which is off by several hundred. The publication date for the book is 2009, but I can only remember the first series as well.

Each number from 1 to 200 gets a little entry. Some of the entries are short, and some of them go on for several pages. I enjoyed the book. It’s short enough for me to be surprised at how long it took me to read. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.

[Katherine Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like numbers, you’ll like this entertaining book. If you don’t like numbers you’ll find this is still an enjoyable book to read, for the trivia if nothing else. The book title says it best, but don’t let math-phobia keep you from the fascinating world of numbers,...there are more surprises than you’d think!

[Mdaly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that can be dipped into for obscure and quirkly maths related to the numbers from 1 to 200.

[Emma S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was reading the entry for 200 in the math book Number Freak, I saw that it contained "a little bit of everything, sort of like this book." Derrick Niederman put together a spontaneous collection of numbers and their properties where he lists each number and shows its significance in the everyday world, from 1 to 200. Overall, I found it entertaining, but that about half of the book's entries (from 101 to 200) were short and contained little information.

There is no plot, as this is a non-fiction and mathematical book, but there is a sense of Niederman's humor in all of the numbers mentioned. Although I must say that the entries for the numbers start as longer, and then progressively grow shorter, converging towards a fixed limit (say, 1-2 paragraphs.) Sometimes, two consecutive numbers shared an entry, because of their shared properties. And some entries weren't even worth reading. For example, the entry for the number 138 states that: "Until the punk band the Misfits came out with their song 'We are 138' in 1982, there was absolutely nothing to say about this number. In some sense there still isn't." It doesn't compare very well to other math books like Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension, but that was mostly because this one tries to put a fun spin on things.

Although amused, I felt that the book could have had more depth. I would recommend this to anyone who wants some sort of proof that numbers are more fun than they appear. I'm not sure what the age range should be for this book, as it was written for slightly older audiences, but has the fun elements that slightly younger audiences would be interested in.

[Ken · Rating 2 out of 5]

Examining special properties of the numbers 1 -200 is a pretty cool idea. If this stopped at 100 I would have really loved it, but the book just keeps on going. At some point, knowing the 16th triangular number is really just not that much more exciting than knowing 15th.

Great book for a disjointed read, making it an excellent school book or bathroom pick up.

And even though this book may not be the best around, I must admit my admiration for Niederman. It took a lot of research, a lot of math and a lot of patience to put this book together. I appreciate his efforts to entertain us few math dorks out there.

[John Orman · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are into Numbers, this is the Number One book for you!
Each number from 1 through 200 is given a write-up describing its significance. Not much on 138, but 137 is of course physics' fine-structure constant. And 42 is one of the most important numbers ever, being the Ultimate Answer to the Great Question of Life, the Universe and Everything in "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
Or you can view it as the number worn by baseball great Jackie Robinson.
All depends on how view the numbers game.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you love numbers, this is the book for you. "Number Freak" definitely lives up to its name and contains lots of random information about the numbers from 1 to 200. Did you know for example that 69 equals 105 in base 8, while 105 equals 69 in hexadecimal and that the same is true for the numbers from 64 through 69? Or that there are numbers called vampire numbers? If not, this is the book for you, and even if you did you'll probably find out something new and surprising.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a great book for a Math geek or someone who has an interest in math and has also taken higher level math courses - if you haven't this is definitely not the book for you.

I may revisit this book when I am old and lonely.. It's a thinking book and I just don't have the energy to sit down and think.

[Timothy Rooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, light read. It had some very unusual, unique properties of numbers. The writing style was light and entertaining. It was a fun, quick read. Also, because it was given to me as a gift, I could appreciate it. To buy this as a new book, I would be hard-pressed to invest any money in it. Well, it was only purchased as a used book. That's probably worth the $7 it did cost.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun little book about numbers, but the subtitle is misleading - no revealed hidden language, nothing that mysterious. But still, interesting tidbits about where numbers occur both in mathematical equations and outside of them. A lot of the math was way over my head.

[Cat. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun. I didn't finish it, because it's really super-overdue, but in spite of all the math stuff that I didn't understand--not a surprise that there's math in a book about numbers, eh?--this was a fun read.

[Jamie Rosen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best "numerical trivia" book I've read, and there are some fundamental proofreading errors that really mar the book -- in a book about math, it's important that you get your example equations right, especially when it's simple addition.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never read this whole book from cover to cover, but it was really fun to flip through and learn interesting facts about different numbers.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

138 is a boring number

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I confess that I did not finish this book. Some of the entries were interesting, but most are deep in the weeds of advanced mathematics.

[Vashti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm surprised how much I learned about cultural and mathematical nooks and crannies. This book gave me a different view of numbers.

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating stuff. Unfortunatly it's just such information overload almost none of it is retainable. Great for trivia hunters or losers. The author is funny throughout, no easy task I'm sure.