There are two kinds of people in the world – those who love mathematics and those who thoroughly detest it. If you’re the person of 2nd category and want to fall in love with maths, then these books are the perfect gifts for you.
Read These Books To Fall In Love With Maths:
A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar
This is now a major motion picture which brings to life the beautiful story of a schizophrenic man who went on to win the Nobel prize in Mathematics. Not only it is an inspiring story and a wonder to read, but also it’s filled with just enough mathematics to make it interesting but not too technical.
A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley
There are a lot of misconceptions about mathematics, and the ‘mathematics brain’ is one of them. Most people think that everyone is either born with a mathematical brain, or sucks at maths. But this book busts all these myths – it shows that mathematics is a skill that can be cultivated. It teaches you that practice wins over natural talents and inclinations.
The Man Who Loved Only Numbers by Paul Hoffman
This is another biography that will fill you with inspiration and zest for any subject of study in general, but mathematics in particular. Paul Erdos was a Hungarian mathematician known for his social practice of mathematics. This book uses a bunch of his quotations, eccentricities and jokes to drive the point home.
The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz
The thing about mathematics is that the teacher makes a lot of difference. Someone really passionate and interesting can make a whole lot of difference in the perception of the subject. In this book, Strogatz takes us through all arithmetic concepts taught to us in school, and gives a spin on them to make them interesting, He uses examples, stories and challenges to make the book amusing.
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
This is a scientific masterpiece, but is imbued with a bunch of mathematics as well. Hawking’s magnum opus will definitely fill you with the spirit of scientific enquiry, and develop your interest in maths as well. This is because, while tracing the history of the world from its origin to its present, a lot of mathematics does factor in.
How to Bake Pi by Eugenia Cheng
In an innovative technique that draws you in instantly, Cheng uses culinary metaphors and food stories to explain mathematical concepts. Focusing on the abstract parts of maths and theory elements of arithmetic, she crafts a book that is as brilliant as it is engaging. Plus, the book isn’t to technical in the culinary aspect, so that’s great too!
Journey Through Genius by William Dunham
In its attempt to trace the influences that mathematics as a subject and discipline has had on geniuses through time, this book outdoes itself. It literally makes engaging the most boring and tedious part of mathematics – theorems. Putting a creative spin on theorems and teaching them through stories around the historical and social context, this book is as innovative as it is informative.
The Black Swan by Nicholas Nassim Taleb
If you were one of those people who skipped the probability chapter in twelfth grade because it was hard, this book is for you. It explains the probability behind unexpected events (as unexpected as a black swan), which shake the world to the core. Not only is this super interesting, but also provides an application of the subject to practical life.
The Hidden Maths of Everyday Life by Jordan Ellenberg
This is another book which applies the subject everyone thought of as ‘useless to daily life’ to daily life. Ellenberg tries to drive the point home – maths isn’t a set of rules you learn it school, it has important implications in real life as well.
Also Read: 7 Easy to Read Books for Beginners
