About the Book
Möbius bagels, Euclid's flourless chocolate cake and apple pi - this is maths, but not as you know it.
In How to Bake Pi, mathematical crusader and star baker Eugenia Cheng has rustled up a batch of delicious culinary insights into everything from simple numeracy to category theory ('the mathematics of mathematics'), via Fermat, Poincaré and Riemann.
Maths is much more than simultaneous equations and pr2 : it is an incredibly powerful tool for thinking about the world around us. And once you learn how to think mathematically, you'll never think about anything - cakes, custard, bagels or doughnuts; not to mention fruit crumble, kitchen clutter and Yorkshire puddings - the same way again.
Stuffed with moreish puzzles and topped with a generous dusting of wit and charm, How to Bake Pi is a foolproof recipe for a mathematical feast.
*Previously published under the title Cakes, Custard & Category Theory*
About the Author :
Eugenia Cheng is Senior Lecturer in Pure Mathematics at the University of Sheffield. She was educated at the University of Cambridge and has done post-doctoral work at the Universities of Cambridge, Chicago and Nice. Since 2007 her YouTube lectures and videos have been viewed around 700,000 times to date. A concert pianist, she also speaks French, English and Cantonese, and her mission in life is to rid the world of maths phobia.
Eugenia Cheng is Senior Lecturer in Pure Mathematics at the University of Sheffield. She was educated at the University of Cambridge and has done post-doctoral work at the Universities of Cambridge, Chicago and Nice. Since 2007 her YouTube lectures and videos have been viewed around 700,000 times to date. A concert pianist, she also speaks French, English and Cantonese, and her mission in life is to rid the world of maths phobia.
Review :
From clotted cream to category theory, neither cookery nor math are what you thought they were. But deep down they're remarkably similar. A brilliant gourmet feast of what math is really about -- Ian Stewart, author of Professor Stewart's Incredible Numbers Eugenia Cheng's charming new book embeds maths in a casing of wry, homespun metaphors: maths is like vegan brownies, maths is like a subway map, maths is like a messy desk. Cheng is at home with maths the way you're at home with brownies, maps, and desks, and by the end of Cakes, Custard & Category Theory, you might be, too. -- Jordan Ellenberg, author of How Not to Be Wrong What a charming and original book! The central analogy - maths is like cooking - turns out to be surprisingly apt and often funny. Light and tasty, yet so, so good for you, Cakes, Custard & Category Theory is a real treat. -- Steven Strogatz, author of The Joy of x With this delightfully surprising book, Eugenia Cheng reveals the hidden beauty of mathematics with passion and simplicity. After reading Cakes, Custard & Category Theory, you won't look at maths (nor porridge!) in the same way ever again. -- Roberto Trotta, author of The Edge of the Sky One of the most frustrating parts about teaching or conveying mathematics concepts is that they don't just seem abstract, they are abstract. Dr Cheng does an amazing job of making these abstract concepts tangible, guiding the reader to stretch our brains just a little past the comfortable zone to help us comprehend complex mathematical concepts. This book puts the fun back in maths, the fun that I always saw in it ... I whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone with a casual interest in, or deep love of, logic, or mathematics, or baking. -- Melissa A. Wilson Sayres, Assistant Professor in the School of Life Sciences and the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University and writer of the mathbionerd.blogspot.com blog Maths is a lot like cooking. We start with the ingredients we have at hand, try to cook up something tasty, and are sometimes surprised by the results. Does this seem odd? Maybe in school all you got was stale leftovers! Try something better: Eugenia Cheng is not only an excellent mathematician and pastry chef, but a great writer, too. -- John Baez, Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, Riverside A concert pianist, mathematician, polyglot and now YouTube star, Cheng has carved out quite a niche for herself demystifying maths through cake. It's a Beautiful-Mind-meets-Scott-Pilgrim kind of mission, and Cheng brings to it an ebullient enthusiasm that's infectious Guardian An entertaining introduction to the beauty of mathematics by drawing on insights from the kitchen. Times Educational Supplement Quirky recipes, personal anecdotes and a large dollop of equations are the key ingredients in this alternative guide to maths and the scientific process. You should find it as easy as cooking a pie. Observer
