The Language of the Universe: A Visual Exploration of Mathematics

by Colin Stuart, Ximo Abadía (Illustrator)

Designed to present mathematics in a new, approachable way, this book explores the history and application of math in the natural world. With incredible artwork from Ximo Abadia, the reader can visualize atoms, explore the geometric complexity of beehives, and wonder at the movement of the planets. With engaging, easy-to-understand text by acclaimed science writer Colin Stuart, this title will truly captivate and inspire.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mathematics, Childrens, Science, Picture Books, Middle Grade

80 pages, Hardcover

First published August 22, 2019

About the author

Colin Stuart is a renowned astronomy speaker and best-selling author. He was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a 2014 runner-up for the European Astronomy Journalism Prize. He lives in London.

Reviews

[Mairita (Marii grāmatplaukts) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 zvaigznes. Lieliski teorijas skaidrojumi ar piemēriem, burvīgas ilustrācijas, kas palīdz vēl labāk uztvert saturu. Ja šī grāmata neieinteresē matemātikā, tad es nezinu kas vēl var līdzēt.
Bet jau atkal - mazuma piegarša.
Tēmu ziņā plašāka par šī paša autora "Gaismas ātrumā" (par fiziku). Ieteiktu sākt ar šo un tad turpināt ar to otro par fiziku, jo tur pārsvarā par kosmosu.

[Natalie (CuriousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unsurprisingly, I'm still not a math wiz but I was both delighted and tickled while reading The Language of the Universe by Colin Stuart and Zimo Abadia, at the amazing things happening naturally in the world, which I think is a good feat for a book like this. This is something of an all-ages nonfiction picturebook illustrating various mathematical ideas in our universe; combining explanations - such as 'what is a prime number' with examples of how they 'materialise' - such as when insects specifically choose what year to leave the earth to avoid predators. While we're talking maths throughout the book, it's really a combination of natural sciences areas being explored here: chemistry, biology, technology, physics and astronomy - the book is sort of making the point that in all of these areas, math works as a 'universal' language. The text is simple enough to make it suitable for both children and adults - while the concepts themselves are (at least for me) tough enough to warrant returning back to the book again and again. What is particularly lovely about it though is the illustrations - colourful, yes; whimsical too. But most of all imaginative and illustrative of the concepts and ideas to make the content much more digestible than it would otherwise be. A beautiful book that would make for a wonderful gift to any reader, young and old, with a budding interest in science or perhaps whom you want to show how amazing the universe can be and is!

Thanks to the publisher for granting me a review copy of this book!

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a kid, if someone had given me a math book for Christmas, I would probably have been pretty disappointed. So why am I recommending this math book? Because it's fun and different and interesting and useful. The book is divided into four sections: Math in the Natural World; Physics, Chemistry, and Engineering; Space; and Technology. Using visuals, readers will discover "how, as [they] go about [their] life each day, everything around [them] is buzzing with math." They will also learn some basic scientific principles and mathematical terminology, covering areas like atom patterns, Einstein's energetic equation, a great explanation of the Fibonacci sequence, and even a section on Cryptography and Encryption. Each concept is clearly defined and explained, and then visually illustrated. This is an ideal gift for math lovers, but even people who aren't into math will appreciate this book, and who knows, it may even spark a dormant interest. I'm a diagnosed dyslexic who has avoided math all my life like the plague, so I can honestly say this is an exceptional book.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with inviting pages of information, illustrations created for furthering the explanations of each topic, all making one want to know more. It is a springboard for learning! Colin Stuart divides this book into four sections: Math in the natural world; Physics, Chemistry, and Engineering; Space; and Technology. Each of those sub-divides into specific studies, like Finding Fibonacci and Protecting Yourself with Prime. Later, finding Putting Pythagoras into Practice entices a new project or fall in love with Dealing with Distance in Space.
Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely and large, this book spends two large pages each on a variety of mathematical concepts in terms understandable to elementary kids. It's interesting, it's varied, and it's lush. The pages aren't crowded -- there's room on the page to break up into separate sections to pull apart a concept. Occasionally I wasn't sure what order to read in, but generally the color blocking helped group ideas in the correct sequence.

I would wish for a bit more a through-line pulling me along, but it also works as a dipping book, where you read a few pages and then maybe spend some time exploring the ideas instead of rushing along.

I received a copy of this book for review.

[Dagnija Lace-Ate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pirms šo dāvināt jaunietim - noteikti jāizlasa pašam, lai muļķīgi neizgāztos...
Katrā ziņā pamatīgs būtiskāko jēdzienu apkopojums, ietverta visas vidusskolas viela😎. Lieliskas ilustrācijas. Bet tekstu man gribētos par dažiem teikumiem vairāk - neatstāj sajūta, ka profesionāli reklāmas tekstu rakstītāji katru rindkopiņu ir ilgi slīpējuši, lai tikai būtu īsāka un daudzaptverošāka. Bet rezultātā - ik pa brīdim vajag visas manas augstākās, lai saprastu, kas tur ir domāts. Tātad, secinājums: lieliski, bet ne vienmēr sīči sapratīs.
Varbūt tas ir arī labi - jautās padomu (un es jau esmu vielu atkārtojusi!)...

[HB · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great, and it gave a thorough explanation of concepts of math.
My only irking with this book is I wanted it to be LoNgEr......but that isn't much.
So, 4 1/2 stars!

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the team that collaborated on The Speed of Starlight comes another graphically gorgeous science overview book for children. Basic concepts in mathematics and how they intersect with explanations of the natural world, physics, chemistry and engineering, space, and technology are covered in full page spreads. The information is presented in little chunks with giant illustrations that express the concept. There’s some fascinating stuff here to motivate readers to explore more deeply. The section on the natural world has especially beautiful images. The Fibonacci sequence is explained by images of giant sunflowers to show how nature packs as many seeds as possible in the available space. Discussion of fractals shows gorgeous silhouettes of trees and ferns with stunning patterns. The graphic style art also does a great job of portraying concepts in physics and other sciences. The deep, warm color palette is quirky and appealing. Although there is no index, a table of contents points readers to the topics covered.

[Eve Costarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot get enough of this giant sized picture book dedicated to the exploration of mathematics. So often we just see math as numbers and it often scares people if they cannot grasp its concepts, but this book creates a whole new paradigm for math. By using illustrations, it breaks down math facts into appealing math nuggets and shows how math is part of the world around us. There is math in everything and if you can see this, math then becomes less frightening and so much more enjoyable. One way I taught my son about math in everyday life was by looking out the window while we were driving somewhere, choosing an item such as a flag or a wreath and then counting, sorting and guesstimating distances the whole car trip. It kept him engaged and showed him how math is all around and can be applied to everything. You do not need to be a mathematician to love math...even a knitter uses math! This is a great book to introduce math as a topic everyone can love. The 1950’s color palette of the illustrations is truly lovely!

[Carolina Colleene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content: G
Math can be found everywhere: in the smallest pieces only seen with a microscope and planets larger than Earth and beyond! Everything from ants to computers are most effective at their jobs when they use math. Where will math take you?
Stuart breaks down math, biology, chemistry, physics, space, and technology into easy-to-be-understood parts. Big words are bolded and explained as readers go, introducing the vocabulary necessary to describe these principles of math and science. Readers of every age can learn a lot from the information packed into this colorful manual of mathematics.
Reviewed for https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much information packed into a rather thin - though certainly not small - book! It is filled with interesting tidbits of information about different inventors, different types of math, different formulas... just enough information to whet your appetite to learn more. Or to reinforce theories or ideas that you may have already heard a little bit about.
I was intrigued by the story of Tycho Brahe. And how he lost the tip of his nose arguing over a mathematical formula. Plus Tycho's detailed observations were essential to Kepler discovering his laws about the ways planets orbit the sun.
Plus the Perisan poet Ferdowsi's study of exponential growth in the year 1000.
Like I said - there's a lot to learn from this book! Any classroom or home would benefit from owning a copy.

[Ženija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lai gan grāmata acīmredzami domāta bērniem, tajā ietvertā un skaisti ilustrētā informācija noderēs arī pieaugušajiem, kas piemirsuši matemātikas, fizikas u.c. eksakto zinātņu pamatlietas. Iespējams arī uzzināt ko pilnīgi jaunu vai no vienkāršāka skatpunkta aplūkot jau zināmas tēmas. Prieks arī par kvalitatīvo tulkojumu!

[Teresa Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like science and math so I liked this book. I learned things about electrons and atoms. I think there is more science in this book than math. I also like the colorful pictures that make it more interesting. It is not a story. It is a factual book. (review by Mariano, 6th grade)

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very wide-ranging. Fascinating for my super curious 5yo, and I learned a thing or two, too!

[Tinia Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this beautiful book about MATH. A visual exploration YES with short paragraphs about math. Will be great for my scout programming

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fibonacci sequence is a number pattern created by adding up the previous 2 numbers. 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55

Cicadas emerge from underground in years that are prime, usually years 13 and 17.

S = k log W

S = Entropy
k = Boltzmann's constant
log = Logarithm
W = total number of ways things can be arranged

Bit= 1
Byte = 8 bits
Kilobyte = 1000 bytes
Megabyte = 1000 kilobytes
Gigabyte = 1000 megabytes
Terabyte = 1000 gigabytes
Petabyte = 1000 terabytes
Exabyte = 1000 petabytes