The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers

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The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers
ISBN
0-14-008029-5

The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers is a

ISBN 0-14-026149-4
).

Contents

The entries are arranged in increasing order of magnitude, with the exception of the first entry on

integers, and has an entry for every integer up to 42. The final entry is for Graham's number
.

In addition to the dictionary itself, the book includes a

φ(n), d(n) and σ(n) for the first hundred integers. The book concludes with a conventional, alphabetical index
.

Reviews

In a review of several books in The

College Mathematics Journal, Brian Blank described it as "a charming and interesting book",[1] and the Chicago Tribune described the revised edition as "a fascinating book on all things numerical".[2] By contrast, Christopher Hirst called it "a volume which none but propeller-heads will find either curious or interesting" in a review of another book in The Independent.[3]

Style

Beside the serious mathematics and number theory, Wells occasionally makes humorous or playful comments on the numbers he is discussing. For example, his entry for the number 39 largely consists of a joke involving the interesting number paradox:

39
This appears to be the first uninteresting number, which of course makes it an especially interesting number, because it is the smallest number to have the property of being uninteresting.
It is therefore also the first number to be simultaneously interesting and uninteresting. (pg. 120)

See also

References

  1. JSTOR 2687125
    .
  2. ^ "Reader's Guide. New in Paperback". Chicago Tribune. 14 June 1998. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  3. ^ Hirst, Christopher (18 December 1997). "Thursday's Book: The Book of Numbers by William Hartston". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
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