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The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth
The Man Who Loved Only Numbers The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth
Author: Paul Hoffman
Paul Erdos, the most prolific and eccentric mathematician of our time, forsook all creature comforts - including a home - to pursue his lifelong study of numbers. He was a man who possessed unimaginable powers of thought yet was unable to manage some of the simplest daily tasks. For more than six decades, Erdos lived out of two tattered suitcase...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780786863624
ISBN-10: 0786863625
Publication Date: 7/8/1998
Pages: 320
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 4

3.8 stars, based on 4 ratings
Publisher: Hyperion
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth on + 54 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This book is a biography of Paul Erdös (a famous number theorist). I don't recommend it. If you are a serious math student in the field, it will depress you. If you don't do math, you will think math is even more inaccessible. Perhaps if you do math in a completely unrelated field you will enjoy it. But, for most people, there are much better mathematically themed books out there that won't freak you out.
reviewed The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth on + 19 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
What a fascinating story! It's also a way to learn about contemporary mathematicians and to learn a little (very accessible) mathematics along the way!
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reviewed The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth on
I loved the book. It was very well written and a great read.
reviewed The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth on + 404 more book reviews
"Having never heard of Erdos until I read this book, it proved to be a competent and entertaining book about the man's life and quirks and some of his ideas. But the true strength of this book is its branching out into the ideas of the world of mathematics.

Taking asides that last ten pages or more, Paul Hoffman explores the foundations and revolutions and some of the quirkier trivia tidbits of the world of mathematics. Making this work as much a fun romp through the interesting parts of math and part biography of a quixotic man who lived math." amazon review


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