Beyond Infinity, Eugenia Cheng
Beyond Infinity, Eugenia Cheng
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Beyond Infinity
An Expedition to the Outer Limits of Mathematics

Author: Eugenia Cheng

Narrator: Moira Quirk

Unabridged: 8 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 03/28/2017

Categories: Nonfiction, Mathematics

Synopsis

How one powerful concept reveals the biggest (and smallest) mathematical truths

How big is the universe? How many numbers are there? And is infinity + 1 is the same as 1 + infinity? Such questions occur to young children and our greatest minds. And they are all the same question: What is infinity? In Beyond Infinity, Eugenia Cheng takes us on a staggering journey from elemental math to its loftiest abstractions. Along the way, she considers how to use a chessboard to plan a worldwide dinner party, how to make a chicken-sandwich sandwich, and how to create infinite cookies from a finite ball of dough. Beyond Infinity shows how one little symbol holds the biggest idea of all.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Brian on March 05, 2017

Popular maths writers have it much harder than authors of popular science books. Pretty well everyone loves science at junior school, even if they're put off it in their teens, so for science writers, it's just a matter of recapturing that childhood delight in exploring how the world works. But, to......more

Goodreads review by L on February 06, 2023

Infinity for lovers of shoes and baked goods I started this book by mistake. I heard a presentation by Eugenia Cheng at The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, in which she told us a little about Category Theory. Category Theory is a field of mathematics I have never studied, and her talk go......more

Goodreads review by Jose on November 23, 2017

There are to day a lot of good popular books about mathematics that those of some age and fond of maths would like have read when young,this one is one of theese books. Here Eugenia Cheng explains in a masterful way for the layman concepts of advanced mathematics,as the infinite series of infinite ca......more

Goodreads review by Corey on April 04, 2019

I had nothing but the best intentions. This book is the mathematical equivalent of asking a meteorologist why the sky is blue. When answered comprehensibly, the answer is much more than any simple patron would necessitate. Just say "because of tiny molecules in Earth's atmosphere," or something to t......more

Goodreads review by Lthmath on December 08, 2019

Generally speaking I totally liked the book, I don't have any specific things to complain about it. As the title suggests the book is about INFINITY, it starts from very basic concepts & aspects and gradually goes on to more complicated ones. I found it very interestingly split into a part 1 and a p......more

Quotes

"Ms. Cheng's chatty tone keeps things fresh. She has a knack for folksy analogies, and at different points in the book she illuminates different properties of infinity by discussing Legos, the iPod Shuffle, snorkeling, Battenberg cakes and Winnie-the-Pooh... she does a great service by showing us non-mathematician schlubs how real mathematical creativity works." --Wall Street Journal

"Our minds cannot truly grasp the concept of infinity, but Eugenia Cheng takes us on a wild journey to help us in our search for it. It's a small, unassuming symbol, but it holds a giant idea. Cheng helps us understand the basics of infinity and then takes us on a ride to see its most lofty applications. From the practical to the entirely theoretical, this is a book to watch for." --Paste Magazine

"The idea of infinity is one of the most perplexing things in mathematics, and the most fun. Eugenia Cheng's Beyond Infinity is a spirited and friendly guide--appealingly down to earth about math that's extremely far out."—Jordan Ellenberg, author of Shape

"Beyond Infinity is witty, charming, and crystal clear. Eugenia Cheng's enthusiasm and carefully chosen metaphors and analogies carry us effortlessly through the mathematical landscape of the infinite. A brilliant book!"—Ian Stewart, author of What's the Use?

PRAISE FOR EUGENIA CHENG

"[Cheng] conveys the spirit of inventiveness and creativity in math... Refreshing is the word that keeps coming to mind."—Steven Strogatz, as quoted in the New York Times

"Dr. Cheng...has a knack for brushing aside conventions and edicts, like so many pie crumbs from a cutting board."—Natalie Angier, New York Times

"[Eugenia Cheng's] tone is clear, clever and friendly. Even at her most whimsical she is rigorous and insightful... [She is] a lucid and nimble expositor."—Alex Bellos, New York Times Book Review

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