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Adam Spencer's Book of Numbers
How many people do you need in a room before there'll be a birthday in common? Why is 70 weird, and what can we do about it? How can 56 people eat 1 pizza? In 100 bite-size chapters of no more than three pages each, Adam Spencer gives each number, 1 to 100, its place in the limelight. For example, take 65. It's the constant of a 5 x 5 "magic square" -- a square that contains the numbers 1 to 25, where all the rows and columns and each diagonal add up to 65. Elizabeth Taylor had 65 costume changes in Cleopatra. And sharks can travel up to 65 kilometers per hour (about 40 mph). After reading Adam Spencer's Book of Numbers, readers will never look at numbers the same way again.
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First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 16, 2020
The grumpus23 (23-word commentary) Semi-interesting tidbits about each of the numbers 1 through 100. Embarrassing attempt at humor. Trivia buffs may find some value in this compendium.
August 10, 2019
Spencer compiles mathematical facts and (often uninteresting and useless) trivia for each number up to one hundred. Each number gets about a page or so. When it comes to the mathematics, he seems to be spot on. But then he puts in some “history” and traditions coincidental with the numbers and screws it up to the point of his book losing credibility.
He claims the length of the siege of Troy was nine years, as was Odysseus’s subsequent travels. Each lasted ten years.
On page 24 he writes,”French King Louis XIII announced that thirteen was his favorite number. Understandable, really. He married Anne of Austria when she was just thirteen years old. Classy work, Louis.”
In his attempt to make fun of Louis for being a sexual deviant, Spencer ignores the fact that the couple had been married when BOTH were fourteen—not thirteen—and betrothed at age eleven in a politically arranged marriage. Louis largely ignored her and apparently didn’t consummate the marriage for four years. He apparently did so after being pressured by the Duke of Luynes.
He states that the gestation period of an elephant is 21 months. Not necessarily. African elephants have a gestation period of 22 months. Asian elephants vary from 18-22.
His listed resources are trivia websites and books. It looks like he just cobbled together other people’s material, which explains the errors.
I would have preferred he spent more time explaining some of the mathematics in a way I could understand more easily and appreciate. It wasn’t particularly interesting.
He claims the length of the siege of Troy was nine years, as was Odysseus’s subsequent travels. Each lasted ten years.
On page 24 he writes,”French King Louis XIII announced that thirteen was his favorite number. Understandable, really. He married Anne of Austria when she was just thirteen years old. Classy work, Louis.”
In his attempt to make fun of Louis for being a sexual deviant, Spencer ignores the fact that the couple had been married when BOTH were fourteen—not thirteen—and betrothed at age eleven in a politically arranged marriage. Louis largely ignored her and apparently didn’t consummate the marriage for four years. He apparently did so after being pressured by the Duke of Luynes.
He states that the gestation period of an elephant is 21 months. Not necessarily. African elephants have a gestation period of 22 months. Asian elephants vary from 18-22.
His listed resources are trivia websites and books. It looks like he just cobbled together other people’s material, which explains the errors.
I would have preferred he spent more time explaining some of the mathematics in a way I could understand more easily and appreciate. It wasn’t particularly interesting.
April 19, 2020
a bit boring at times, but still something to pass the time with. if you aren't the kind of person who enjoys numbers then you wont really enjoy this. its that simple. but im a nerd so... yay.
January 7, 2015
“The strange looking 23! is 23 digits long”(Spencer, 38)The exciting book ‘Book of numbers’ was written by Adam Spencer. The book shows interesting facts about number 1~100. The author wrote facts about math, and also wrote facts that are not about math, but have special meaning in a number. For example, about number 23, the author wrote the longest that a red kangaroo lived was 23 years, even though the average life span for a red kangaroo is 4~6years. The author put funny facts in the book like there are enough Lego on the planet for every person to have 30 pieces each. Thus, the author used facts about math and other facts to make this book better.
“8 cuts to a pizza can create up to 37 pieces!”(Spencer, 60) This book about numbers taught the readers with important facts, and gave the author’s feeling about the facts in this book. For example, this book shows many figurate numbers like triangular numbers, square numbers, pentagonal numbers, pyramidal numbers, etc. These sequences of numbers are arithmetic sequences that mean, sequences of numbers that the difference between the continuous terms is incessant. For example, triangular numbers are formed by adding up the series 1+2+3+•••+n. The nth triangular number, or Tn, use the formula Tn=1/2×n(n+1). This book also shows about Mersenne prime that is a prime number that follows the formula 2p-1 if p is a prime. Mersenne primes are very rare, there is only 37 discovered now. There are also funny facts about numbers in this book. The longest English word is floccinaucinihilipilification, and it has 29 letters. The author described his feeling with the fact in this book by using words like fascinating, marvelous, wow, how cute. The author felt that this book is full with good facts. As one can see, The book of numbers gave readers facts about math and the author’s feeling about the book.
I would recommend this book to people that like math, and want to know facts about numbers. I would not recommend this book that don’t like math and don’t like nonfiction books. This book would be very helpful to students that want to get a good grade on math. This book shows good facts that the math teacher teaches, so I think people who read this book would understand what the math teacher better than other students. Thus, this book would be a good book to people that want to know good facts about math.
“8 cuts to a pizza can create up to 37 pieces!”(Spencer, 60) This book about numbers taught the readers with important facts, and gave the author’s feeling about the facts in this book. For example, this book shows many figurate numbers like triangular numbers, square numbers, pentagonal numbers, pyramidal numbers, etc. These sequences of numbers are arithmetic sequences that mean, sequences of numbers that the difference between the continuous terms is incessant. For example, triangular numbers are formed by adding up the series 1+2+3+•••+n. The nth triangular number, or Tn, use the formula Tn=1/2×n(n+1). This book also shows about Mersenne prime that is a prime number that follows the formula 2p-1 if p is a prime. Mersenne primes are very rare, there is only 37 discovered now. There are also funny facts about numbers in this book. The longest English word is floccinaucinihilipilification, and it has 29 letters. The author described his feeling with the fact in this book by using words like fascinating, marvelous, wow, how cute. The author felt that this book is full with good facts. As one can see, The book of numbers gave readers facts about math and the author’s feeling about the book.
I would recommend this book to people that like math, and want to know facts about numbers. I would not recommend this book that don’t like math and don’t like nonfiction books. This book would be very helpful to students that want to get a good grade on math. This book shows good facts that the math teacher teaches, so I think people who read this book would understand what the math teacher better than other students. Thus, this book would be a good book to people that want to know good facts about math.
August 31, 2019
Not the best example of this sub-genre
Here's a book idea. You're a comedian who also knows a lot of number theory. People are fascinated by numbers--and heaven knows we could all use a chuckle or two. So...Aussie comedian, DJ and math PhD Adam Spencer decided he's have something to say about all the numbers from 1 to 100, but he'd try to keep it lively and funny and relevant to people's lives with references to the popular culture and such. And he'd throw in some jokes and shore it up with some number puzzles. This would appeal to both the general public and people who love numbers.
Well, I am sorry to say that I don't think he was entirely successful. First of all the book is not all that funny. (But you might want to judge for yourself.) Second, most of the mathematical stuff is about number theory which is famously that part of mathematics that is the most removed from practical application (and therefore the public interest). In fact, until an offshoot of prime number explorations contributed to data encryption (in credit card numbers and corporate and military messaging, etc.) number theory was proudly the province of the utterly impractical, the purest of pure mathematics. (A nice lesson here is that we can never know when some esoteric endeavor may yield a practical application.)
Third--and to my mind most important--the information about numbers in this book is in many cases information that is only tangentially or accidentally related to the numbers themselves. For example for the number 44, Spencer tells us that "Drinking 1 cup of tea a day is thought to reduce your rick of major heart attack by up to 44 per cent." The number could just as well have been 43 or some other percent. Or "The highest recorded number of different costumes ever sashayed around a Hollywood movie was 85, by Madonna in Evita." (I don't even think this is correct, but never mind.) In other words, Spencer is writing like he is trying to appeal to the readers of say People Magazine. My guess is that the typical imbiber of People Magazine or its equivalent is not likely to even pick up a book on numbers let alone buy it.
Fourth, since Spencer has made an obvious attempt at uncovering the cultural significance of the first 100 numbers (and I think that is a fine idea) he really needed to do more research in that area so that he could come up with something more significant than say "20/20 is the name of a Beach Boys album" for inclusion in his remarks about the number 20. If Spencer had spent more time looking at the historical and cultural significance of numbers, he would have had to weight his remarks heavily toward the lower numbers since the human significance of especially the single digit numbers greatly outweighs that of the larger numbers. Indeed an entire book could be written about the number 3 for example. And I would say that in the beginning there was the one which became through duality the two, which became with three the many, and then "the ten thousand things." There is so much that Spencer could have told us about the number one, the IDEA of the number one, of oneness as opposed to something more or less than oneness, but instead he tells us that "Some things only happen once. Snails have sex only once in their lives."
Indeed, I think Spencer missed a great opportunity here. If he had focused on the deep human meaning (and experience with) number and on the philosophic and emotional ideas associated with numbers, his sidebars into the pop culture might have been funnier. To do this he would have needed to do more than just Google the numbers or go to pop culture Web sites such as
the Get Smart home page where he found (and listed for our edification) "the 51 phones so far discovered on Get Smart," e.g., the "address book phone," the "doughnut phone," the "perfume spray phone," etc.
There are many books on number that attempt to show us the human side of numbers and even books that make experiences with numbers funny. Some of the best are written by John Allen Paulos who really is funny and very much worth reading.
Finally, Spencer includes a kind of mathematical puzzle or "Quiz Question" for the reader to answer for most of the 100 numbers. He gives the answers in the back. Questions (or tasks) range from "What is the name of the first official episode of South Park?" to "What are the next 3 square pyramidal numbers after 55?" (he does explain what a pyramidal number is) to "Using only +, - or x, join the digits 1-9 to make a total of 100..."
I even think that including some hard core numerology (anathema to mathematicians of course, but beloved by New Age types) along with the number theory and the pop culture references would have improved this book. At least it would have broaden the context. To his credit Spencer does include some religious aspects of numbers, for example he writes, "Among Indian gods, Brahma had 4 heads to symbolize the 4 directions of the world, while Shiva has 4 arms with which he destroys and recreates the world in his dance."
I think there is a readership for this book (after all I read it, although I didn't attempt to answer the questions--other constraints in life being what they are), but I think such a readership is small and rather exclusive. His ideal reader is someone who loves numbers, trivia, TV culture (South Park, Homer Simpson, Seinfeld, etc.) and who has a lot of time for exactly that. How about an independently wealthy, mathematically-inclined couch potato?
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
Here's a book idea. You're a comedian who also knows a lot of number theory. People are fascinated by numbers--and heaven knows we could all use a chuckle or two. So...Aussie comedian, DJ and math PhD Adam Spencer decided he's have something to say about all the numbers from 1 to 100, but he'd try to keep it lively and funny and relevant to people's lives with references to the popular culture and such. And he'd throw in some jokes and shore it up with some number puzzles. This would appeal to both the general public and people who love numbers.
Well, I am sorry to say that I don't think he was entirely successful. First of all the book is not all that funny. (But you might want to judge for yourself.) Second, most of the mathematical stuff is about number theory which is famously that part of mathematics that is the most removed from practical application (and therefore the public interest). In fact, until an offshoot of prime number explorations contributed to data encryption (in credit card numbers and corporate and military messaging, etc.) number theory was proudly the province of the utterly impractical, the purest of pure mathematics. (A nice lesson here is that we can never know when some esoteric endeavor may yield a practical application.)
Third--and to my mind most important--the information about numbers in this book is in many cases information that is only tangentially or accidentally related to the numbers themselves. For example for the number 44, Spencer tells us that "Drinking 1 cup of tea a day is thought to reduce your rick of major heart attack by up to 44 per cent." The number could just as well have been 43 or some other percent. Or "The highest recorded number of different costumes ever sashayed around a Hollywood movie was 85, by Madonna in Evita." (I don't even think this is correct, but never mind.) In other words, Spencer is writing like he is trying to appeal to the readers of say People Magazine. My guess is that the typical imbiber of People Magazine or its equivalent is not likely to even pick up a book on numbers let alone buy it.
Fourth, since Spencer has made an obvious attempt at uncovering the cultural significance of the first 100 numbers (and I think that is a fine idea) he really needed to do more research in that area so that he could come up with something more significant than say "20/20 is the name of a Beach Boys album" for inclusion in his remarks about the number 20. If Spencer had spent more time looking at the historical and cultural significance of numbers, he would have had to weight his remarks heavily toward the lower numbers since the human significance of especially the single digit numbers greatly outweighs that of the larger numbers. Indeed an entire book could be written about the number 3 for example. And I would say that in the beginning there was the one which became through duality the two, which became with three the many, and then "the ten thousand things." There is so much that Spencer could have told us about the number one, the IDEA of the number one, of oneness as opposed to something more or less than oneness, but instead he tells us that "Some things only happen once. Snails have sex only once in their lives."
Indeed, I think Spencer missed a great opportunity here. If he had focused on the deep human meaning (and experience with) number and on the philosophic and emotional ideas associated with numbers, his sidebars into the pop culture might have been funnier. To do this he would have needed to do more than just Google the numbers or go to pop culture Web sites such as
the Get Smart home page where he found (and listed for our edification) "the 51 phones so far discovered on Get Smart," e.g., the "address book phone," the "doughnut phone," the "perfume spray phone," etc.
There are many books on number that attempt to show us the human side of numbers and even books that make experiences with numbers funny. Some of the best are written by John Allen Paulos who really is funny and very much worth reading.
Finally, Spencer includes a kind of mathematical puzzle or "Quiz Question" for the reader to answer for most of the 100 numbers. He gives the answers in the back. Questions (or tasks) range from "What is the name of the first official episode of South Park?" to "What are the next 3 square pyramidal numbers after 55?" (he does explain what a pyramidal number is) to "Using only +, - or x, join the digits 1-9 to make a total of 100..."
I even think that including some hard core numerology (anathema to mathematicians of course, but beloved by New Age types) along with the number theory and the pop culture references would have improved this book. At least it would have broaden the context. To his credit Spencer does include some religious aspects of numbers, for example he writes, "Among Indian gods, Brahma had 4 heads to symbolize the 4 directions of the world, while Shiva has 4 arms with which he destroys and recreates the world in his dance."
I think there is a readership for this book (after all I read it, although I didn't attempt to answer the questions--other constraints in life being what they are), but I think such a readership is small and rather exclusive. His ideal reader is someone who loves numbers, trivia, TV culture (South Park, Homer Simpson, Seinfeld, etc.) and who has a lot of time for exactly that. How about an independently wealthy, mathematically-inclined couch potato?
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
February 3, 2015
This book feels awkward. In all honesty, it feels aimed at people who don't like numbers, but is marketed at people who do. The snippets of information about each number leave you wanting more, without inspiring you to either complete the optional puzzles, or research further yourself. And for people who don't enjoy numbers the name and the cover art would be enough to put them off (quote "why did you buy that book?").
The book itself is well written, without sounding like a wikipedia article, and with Adam Spencer's writing style clearly evident. But as far as fitting such an awkward place in a collection, I can't honestly give it more than 3 stars for the best attempt at something that doesn't need to exist.
The book itself is well written, without sounding like a wikipedia article, and with Adam Spencer's writing style clearly evident. But as far as fitting such an awkward place in a collection, I can't honestly give it more than 3 stars for the best attempt at something that doesn't need to exist.
February 19, 2013
Considering that maths sometimes gets a bad wrap, I enjoyed this book because you can review it one number at a time. The book itself belongs on a coffee table, because you can read it small doses often. As a phd in maths, Adam Spencer provides a fun and entertaining look at pure maths and popular culture. I'm waiting for sequel where Adam tackles the numbers 101 to 200 (except 137, which of course, is boring).
January 5, 2015
If you like numbers, this book is a must read. If you have never been a fan of maths and numbers before, I recommend perusing this book at your leisure to see if it can change your mind.
From the maths brainiacs to the trivia buffs and even the people who have always thought maths wasn't for them, this book has something for everyone!
From the maths brainiacs to the trivia buffs and even the people who have always thought maths wasn't for them, this book has something for everyone!
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November 11, 2015A quick little read, due to long train trips today. This book has 3-4 snippets, facts, about each number from 1-100, including some mathematical equations and fun facts like the unluckiness of certain numbers in cultures around the world.
September 15, 2007
A funny look at numbers with some interesting pop culture facts like under the number 99: 'If you leave a photocopier on 99 copies, it will genuinely piss off at least 1 person.'
August 25, 2008
Interesting book with different number facts. I must admit I did skip over some of the more mathematical points but the general number trivia was quite fun.
June 18, 2014
Komik bile degil, tv karsisinda otururken okudum bitti. Bol laf
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