Books › Things to make and do in the fourth dimension
Things to make and do in the fourth dimension
480 pages
A playful, hands-on playground of logic that transforms math anxiety into exhilarating intellectual discovery.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into an exhilarating, hands-on playground of logic guided by a brilliantly encouraging comedian. The pace is brisk and engaging, pulling you through abstract concepts with a lighthearted, playful tone that completely disarms any lingering math anxiety. Instead of dry lectures, the atmosphere is deeply curious and intellectually stimulating, filled with captivating puzzles and optional activities that make complex ideas feel surprisingly accessible. The prose is both sophisticated and humorous, translating university-level topology and four-dimensional shapes into a joyful buffet of discovery. It is the perfect read for anyone who wants to conquer their fear of numbers and experience the sheer thrill of stretching their brain beyond its instinctive limits.
- Mood
- exhilarating
- curious
- lighthearted
- Tone
- playful
- humorous
- encouraging
- sophisticated
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- overcoming math anxiety · the joy of logic · abstract exploration · hands-on discovery
- The writing
- Engaging and comedic, blending accessible explanations with sophisticated logical concepts.
- The arc
- Moves from a relatable apprehension of difficult concepts to an exhilarating sense of intellectual empowerment and curiosity.
- Who it's for
- Readers who feel intimidated by math but are eager to challenge their brains with playful, hands-on puzzles and comedic guidance.
About the book
A mathematician and comedian offers games, puzzles, and hands-on activities to help those with a fear of math understand and enjoy the logical tools and abstract concepts of the subject normally only accessible at college-level study.
"Math is boring, says the mathematician and comedian Matt Parker. Part of the problem may be the way the subject is taught, but it's also true that we all, to a greater or lesser extent, find math difficult and counterintuitive. This counterintuitiveness is actually part of the point, argues Parker: the extraordinary thing about math is that it allows us to access logic and ideas beyond what our brains can instinctively do--through its logical tools we are able to reach beyond our innate abilities and grasp more and more abstract concepts. In the absorbing and exhilarating Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension, Parker sets out to convince his readers to revisit the very math that put them off the subject as fourteen-year-olds. Starting with the foundations of math familiar from school (numbers, geometry, and algebra), he reveals how it is possible to climb all the way up to the topology and to four-dimensional shapes, and from there to infinity--and slightly beyond. Both playful and sophisticated, Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension is filled with captivating games and puzzles, a buffet of optional hands-on activities that entices us to take pleasure in math that is normally only available to those studying at a university level. Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension invites us to re-learn much of what we missed in school and, this time, to be utterly enthralled by it."--
Description from Open Library.
Books like Things to make and do in the fourth dimension
See why they match
Humble PiMatt ParkerA hilarious, eye-opening tour through the catastrophic and comical consequences of getting the math wrong.
The Joy of XSteven StrogatzA friendly, eye-opening stroll through the hidden logic that shapes our everyday lives, led by the teacher you wish you had.
MathematicsTimothy GowersA patient, mind-expanding glimpse into the elegant, abstract world of advanced mathematics.
FlatterlandIan StewartA dizzying, pun-filled romp through the bizarre and beautiful dimensions of modern mathematics.
Our Mathematical UniverseMax TegmarkA dizzying, enthusiastic plunge into the radical idea that the cosmos isn't just described by math, but is made of it.
Mathematics and the ImaginationEdward Kasner and James Roy NewmanA playful journey to the edges of human logic, where numbers become puzzles and infinity feels within reach.