Adam Spencer's World of Numbers

by Adam Spencer

From the building blocks of life, to the games we play, the food we eat, and the marvels of space, Australia’s funniest mathematician is back with a fascinating snapshot of the world of numbers.

What’s a ‘firkin’? Is a tardigrade animal, vegetable or mineral? How fast is Usain Bolt … really? And what’s the record for the most lobster rolls eaten in 10 minutes? All these questions and more are answered in Adam Spencer’s World of Numbers.

This is a book for young and old – for anyone who’s ever wondered how things work, who loves puzzles and numbers, or is just plain curious about the amazing world around us.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mathematics, Science, Number

378 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. There are 365 numbers to go through so I guess it is designed to read a page a day. There is a lot more Chemistry than I expected in a book about mathematics but it was still enjoyable. On most pages there is a quirky sum regarding the number in a section at the bottom of each page. About a third of the way through they get so obscure most including primes and factorials that I really lost interest in them. Overall it was interesting.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a maths geek, in fact, numbers do strange things inside my head, but over the years, i have developed a serious appreciation and fascination with them that I didn’t when younger. This book is as overwhelming as the numbers in it! So much information...much of which is totally incomprehensible for me, but incredible all the same.

[Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's lots of interesting stuff in here, but it's more of a coffee-table, browse-a-few-pages-once-a-week kind of book than a keep-it-on-your-bedside-table-and-look-forward-to-reading-20-pages-every-night-til-youre-finished kind of book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit I haven't read this book from cover to cover, but then again this isn't that sort of book. It's designed to be dipped into at random; and each page is guaranteed to engage you with some interesting numerical tidbits. I am a fan of Adam's mainly through his radio and standup work, and I am glad he has ventured into writing as well. The scope of the book is impressively broad - not only is it about maths and the physical sciences, but he has shown how numbers play an interesting part in almost everything, including politics, geography, poetry, languages, games, even chocolate. Some of this stuff you will already know, as he does draw ideas from internet memes and current affairs. Adam Spencer is known for being a maths geek but actually he is more of a polymath than I had realised. The layout is creative but quite frenetic - there's a lot of info crammed into each page/section - even page numbers become starting points for discussions. Kudos to him (and his team of fact checkers).

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure fun! Adam is a brilliant communicator.

[Alessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting but some of the font/layout was difficult to read. Also, the facts for each numbered day of the year was very prime number heavy, got a little bit monotonous.

[Chiya Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comical and interesting, however, some of the maths went way over my head and I found myself just skipping the bottom section as I just didn't care. Loved the science stuff and the facts though.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read!!