Archimedes' Revenge

Archimedes Revenge By : Paul Hoffman Now anyone can
understand what the mathematical geniuses are thinking . .
. . * How topologists figured out the way to turn a
smokestack into a bowling ball — and why. * How game
theorists discovered that to elect the candidate of your
choice you must sometimes vote for his opponent. * How
computer theorists intend to create a robot that will
think for itself — and do all the housework. * How
cryptographers have been laboring since 1822 to decipher a
map that will lead to a buried treasure worth millions of
dollars. Archimedes Revenge takes the reader on a guided
tour of the world of contemporary mathematics and makes
its infinite marvels comprehensible relevant and fun. A
breezy and lighthearted account of a number of topics in
and around the periphery of mathematics . . . Mr. Hoffman
approaches mathematics as a storyteller and a good one.
published by : W. W. Norton First published May 1 1988