The Number Mysteries

"A superb book about everything from numbers to shapes, to chaos, to codes, from a very able mathematician." —Amir D. Aczel, author of Fermat's Last Theorem Mathematics has been called the language of the universe. In The Number Mysteries, Marcus du Sautoy, one of our generation's foremost mathematicians, teaches you about this fascinating dialect while discovering its playful side—from how to write a number with 12,978,189 digits to why a 6 x 6 sudoku grid is impossible to solve. He also reveals the five greatest mysteries of mathematics and how, despite centuries of effort, they are still waiting to be solved. From the quest to discover the shape of the universe to improving your odds at rock, paper, scissors, du Sautoy brings math alive for budding mathematicians of every skill set. "Marcus du Sautoy's love for numbers glows on every page. Du Sautoy is the Steve Irwin of the number kingdom." —Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion