No number has captured the attention and imagination of people throughout the ages as much as the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. Pi—or ? as it is symbolically known—is infinite and, in The Joy of pi, it proves to be infinitely intriguing. With incisive historical insight and a refreshing sense of humor, David Blatner explores the many facets of pi and humankind's fascination with it—from the ancient Egyptians and Archimedes to Leonardo da Vinci and the modern-day Chudnovsky brothers, who have calculated pi to eight billion digits with a homemade supercomputer. The Joy of Pi is a book of many parts. Breezy narratives recount the history of pi and the quirky stories of those obsessed with it. Sidebars document fascinating pi trivia (including a segment from the 0. J. Simpson trial). Dozens of snippets and factoids reveal pi's remarkable impact over the centuries. Mnemonic devices teach how to memorize pi to many hundreds of digits (or more, if you're so inclined). Pi-inspired cartoons, poems, limericks, and jokes offer delightfully "square" pi humor. And, to satisfy even the most exacting of number jocks, the first one million digits of pi appear throughout the book. A tribute to all things pi, The Joy of pi is sure to foster a newfound affection and respect for the big number with the funny little symbol.
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"This short book was very appealing and would be to anyone with a mathematical bent. It discusses, inter alia, the digits of pi, including their randomness, but also the infinite series used to generate them. It does this without becoming weighty text, and includes a bit of history as well." — Jonathan (4 out of 5 stars)
"This short book was very appealing and would be to anyone with a mathematical bent. It discusses, inter alia, the digits of pi, including their randomness, but also the infinite series used to generate them. It does this without becoming weighty text, and includes a bit of history as well."
" 3.14159265358979... ahhh... a wasted time memorizing digits... why? just because. Yes, I own the movie as well. "
" I preread this book before suggesting it to my son, who is fascinated with pi. It's an easy read even for people who aren't strong in math, filled with interesting facts about pi. My son, husband, and I all enjoyed it. "
" A fun romp through the continuing history of possibly the most famous irrational and transcendental number known to humankind. Much of the book reminded me wahy I enjoyed math and statistics classes. "
" Pi is most probably the most famous number in mathematics and history. The write talks about the past and the possible future of Pi. I would advice this book to anyone who wants to read something different and entertaining. "
" The math nerd in me loved this book! I celebrate Pi Day (3/14) with my students every year and they always ask how the concept of pi came into being. This book gave a great history of who tried to figure it out and how. Fun for learning. "
" Fascinerend / fascinating read! "
" A wonderfully fun read, it is more than you could ever want to know about pi, but in a good way! "
" A fun book on an always fascinating topic, but not a must-read. "
" OK, even though I don't understand any of the equations, I still found this book a bit of a flyweight. I'm actually curious about finding a book about pi that might be more substantial...if only my high-school math teachers could see that sentence. "
" A pretty book that collects a bunch of history and quotes about pi, along with printing a million digits (some on every page). It's not particularly revelatory and some of the writing is a little dry, but it's a pleasant little object. "
" Pi(10)=4 as there are 4 primes between 1 and 10. If you divide the circumference of a jack o'lantern by its diameter you get pumpkin Pi. transcendental irrational non-algebraic "
" A group of Pi Factoids. the one I like is that the curvature of rivers tend to gravitate toward PI . "
" Rather fluffy. This is a good book to read while you're waiting in line to pick up the kids at school or something like that. "
David Blatner is the author of The Joy of Pi, as well as several books on topics such as digital imaging and virtual reality. He has spent hundreds of hours flying between Asia, Europe, and North America. He and his wife and son live in Seattle.
Oliver Wyman is an actor and award-winning audiobook narrator. He has won five Audie Awards from the Audio Publisher’s Association, fourteen Earphone Awards, and two Listen Up Awards from Publisher’s Weekly. He was named a 2008 Best Voice in Nonfiction & Culture by AudioFile magazine. He has appeared on stage as well as in film and television, and he is a veteran voice actor who can be heard in numerous cartoons and video games. He is one of the founders of New York City’s Collective Unconscious theater, and his performances include the award-winning “reality play” Charlie Victor Romeo and A. R. McElhinney’s cult classic film A Chronicle of Corpses.
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