The Joy of Numbers

by Arthur T. Benjamin

Numbers. Like the alphabet, they’re one of the most elementary of concepts learned and memorized at a young age; but outside of figuring out tips and taxes, you probably haven’t given much thought to them since then. To a mathematician, every number has its own unique properties and personality - and when studied, played with, and manipulated, numbers can actually be tons of fun.

Learn to appreciate the wonder and awe of numbers as you count up through the sequence with renowned “mathemagician” Arthur T. Benjamin. You’ll start with the original zero, lucky number seven, and the fabulous Fibonacci numbers and work your way through to irrational numbers, pi, and the awesome number infinity. While on this entertaining, humorous, and insightful journey, you’ll pick up some amazing tips and tricks that will allow you to solve complex math problems in your head, take advantage of the odds, and understand God’s Equation...plus, so much more.

Once you experience the joy of numbers, you’ll find your passion for them is contagious.

Genres: Audiobook, Mathematics, Nonfiction

Audiobook

Published January 1, 2022

About the author

Arthur Benjamin holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins University and is a professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, where he has taught since 1989. He is a noted “mathemagician,” known for being able to perform complicated computations in his head. He is the author, most recently, of The Secrets of Mental Math, and has appeared on The Today Show and The Colbert Report. Benjamin has been profiled in such publications as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Scientific American, Discover, and Wired.

Reviews

[Gregory Eakins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Math is not just about solving for x, but solving for "why".

The Joy of Numbers is a short lecture series covering some of the fun and interesting things that arise from mathematics.

If you have about a college level understanding of mathematics, you'll find that nearly all of this listen is at too low a level to be interesting. Benjamin covers things like the Fibonacci sequence, common language proofs, some number tricks, irrational numbers, pi (of course), e, and mental math tricks. If all of this stuff sounds familiar to you, you'll likely get little out of this listen.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

found joy in numbers 12/10 lives up to title

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

#audible
Delightful series of short talks on various interesting numbers.

[Lesley Brennan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read several lecture series from The Great Courses and they have all been at a good level for me except this one. The mathematics here is at a very low level by comparison to the biology, neurology and astro physics lectures, it is very disappointing that the mathematics of people is assumed to be so low. Quite frankly I was bored out of my skull. The content of the lectures here are what I present to my 11 to 15 year old students to gain some enthusiasm for the subject. On top of being far below par the content is also dull, there were many opportunities to take some of the topics and apply them in another context which would have provided some entertainment. My 2 stars is generous. A better title for this book would be 'Numbers'

[Jami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book about numbers; although some parts were not to my level of interest, most of it was interesting to me. It is obvious that the author/narrator is passionate about his topic. I learned some party tricks (I may or may not be invited back at said parties!!) with numbers and gained some new info about math. And where else can you pick up a book about numbers and hear a math related rendition of the song American Pie?!?!

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was enjoyable for an over-the-hill math geek. Boy, there's a lot of stuff I have forgotten! The book did remind me why I enjoyed learning math in the first place.

[Anastasiya M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew numbers could be this fun? This audiobook turned what could have been a dry subject into something engaging, insightful, and surprisingly entertaining. It wasn’t just about equations or formulas—it was about the beauty of mathematics, the patterns hidden in everyday life, and the sheer joy of discovering how numbers shape the world. The pacing was perfect, breaking down complex concepts into digestible pieces without ever feeling condescending or overly simplified.

The themes revolved around making math accessible and exciting, showing how it connects to everything from nature to art to human decision-making. The explanations were clear, the examples were fascinating, and the enthusiasm behind it all was contagious. The audiobook format made it even more enjoyable, turning what could have been just another educational listen into something dynamic and engaging. Whether math had always been a passion or just a passing curiosity, this was the kind of book that could spark a whole new appreciation for the subject.

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[Asami · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realise how interesting numbers could be. This was a great listen, I learnt a lot. Also loved how interactive this audiobook was and how enthusiastic the author was about the subject matter.

[Rebee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs to be read in a place you can take notes. full of cool info but there are calculations and such you need to do to get the most out of this book.

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t enjoy this. I thought I went in without any real expectations and was still disappointed. It’s not awful. The lecturer is clearly passionate about math, but I couldn’t share that excitement.

[Brenda]

I really can’t rate this book. It was fascinating and I learned a lot, but because of how my brain works I found it very, very hard to follow along without visuals. I need to see numbers in order to manipulate them, even if I can do the mental math easily. If I had written the numbers down as the book went on I think I would have enjoyed it substantially more, but that’s a little hard to do when I’m working, driving, cooking dinner, etc.

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually, I felt like I was with "Mr. Wizard" or someone like that. The professor was definitely in a state of pure joy when talking about numbers and their properties. I was less joyful because of my handicap. I have short-term memory problems so keeping numbers in my head for anything but the most simple math problems is very difficult. Nevertheless I could appreciate how useful and fun these lectures might be for others.

I will probably not listen to this audio course again.

[John Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of fun stuff with some cool math tricks. Kind of bookended, a lot of really simple math that we all learned in school, and some other mind-blowing stuff I didn't know. Glad I went back to this after a couple of month hiatus.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun look at math and some number tricks. About as entertaining as a book on this topic can be.

[Jorge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro para entender mejor los números. Ese es su verdadero objetivo. Muy interesante y lleno de datos curiosos sobre la "morfología" de los números. Un libro lúdico.

[Erwin Rossen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy and interesting read. Even as a mathematician, there were some interesting tidbits I didn't know yet.

[Vincent Russo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arthur T. Benjamin is an entertaining mathemagician that I really enjoy in just about any other context. I was hoping for more about, well, the joy of numbers, and less about math party tricks.

[Aaron Eichler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond amazing, it was truly an intering lecture,