Description: This intriguing anthology of strange facts and weird anecdotes spans history and the globe to point out the impressive problems mathematicians have attempted to solve, and the often humorous conclusions they have reached as a result. Probability paradoxes, record-breaking prime numbers (227,832 digits long), and the definitive proof that 1 and 1 make 2 -- all are examined in this fascinating compendium, which also details the efforts of people who calmed their nerves with algebra, and used sextants to measure the buttocks of Hottentot women. From explanations of Newton's views on chance and chaos to scenes from the life of Pythagoras and legal attempts to lay down the value of pi, David Wells has a true gift for making mathematics both lively and accessible.

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