When do the hands of a clock coincide? How likely is it that two children in the same class will share a birthday? How do we calculate the volume of a doughnut? Mathematics for the Curious provides anyone interested in mathematics with a simple and entertaining account of what it can do. Author Peter Higgins gives clear explanations of the more mysterious features of childhood mathematics as well as novelties and connections that prove that mathematics can be enjoyable and full of surprises. Topics include: the truth about fractions, the questions and their answers, and the golden ratio. Higgins poses entertaining puzzles and questions tempting the reader to ponder math problems with imagination instead of dread. Mathematics for the Curious is an accessible introduction to basic mathematics for beginning students and a lively refresher for adults.

Mathematics for the Curious

Science & Math

Higgins, Peter M.

Mathematics

Oxford University Press

This book introduces recently developed ideas and techniques in semigroup theory, providing a handy reference guide previously unavailable in a single volume. The opening chapter provides sufficient background to enable the reader to follow any of the subsequent chapters, and would by itself be suitable for a first course in semigroup theory. The second chapter gives an account of free inverse semigroups leading to proofs of the McAlister P-theorems. Subsequent chapters have the underlying theme of diagrams and mappings, and the new material includes the theory of biordered sets of Nambooripad and Easdown, the semigroup diagrams of Remmers and Jackson with applications to the one-relator, and other word problems, a short proof of Isbell's Zigzag theorem with applications to epimorphisms and amalgams, together with combinatorial, probabilistic and graphical techniques used to prove results including Schein's Covering Theorem and Howie's Gravity Formula for finite full transformation semigroups. Nearly two hundred exercises serve the dual purpose of illustrating the richness of the subject while allowing the reader to come to grips with the material.

Techniques of Semigroup Theory (Oxford Science Publications)

Evolution

Clarendon Press

Algebra marked the beginning of modern mathematics, moving it beyond arithmetic, which involves calculations featuring given numbers, to problems where some quantities are unknown. Now, it stands as a pillar of mathematics, underpinning the quantitative sciences, both social and physical. This Very Short Introduction explains algebra from scratch. Over the course of ten logical chapters, Higgins offers a step by step approach for readers keen on developing their understanding of algebra. Using theory and example, he renews the reader's aquaintance with school mathematics, before taking them progressively further and deeper into the subject. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Algebra: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

What can you do with your maths? You can use it to thoroughly understand all manner of things that cannot be dealt with in any other way. This book serves up a variety of problems and shows how mathematics answers them. Topics range from cracking codes to the persistence of recessive genes; from logic puzzles to classical geometry; and from planetary motion questions to predicting the market share of competing companies. And there are other problems where the mathematics itself is intrinsically surprising and interesting.

Professor Higgins's Problem Collection

Humor & Entertainment

Puzzles & Games

What do road and railway systems, mingling at parties, mazes, family trees, and the internet all have in common? All are networks--either people or places or things that relate and connect to one another. In this stimulating book, Peter Higgins shows that these phenomena--and many more--all share the same deep mathematical structure. The mathematics of networks form the basis of many fascinating puzzles and problems, from tic-tac-toe to circular sudoku. Higgins reveals that understanding networks can give us remarkable new insights into many of these puzzles as well as into a wide array of real-world phenomena. Higgins offers new perspectives on such familiar mathematical quandaries as the four-color map and the bridges of Konisberg. He poses the tantalizing question Can you walk through all the doors of the house just once? He also sheds light on the Postman Problem, a puzzle first posed by a Chinese mathematician: what is the most efficient way of delivering your letters, so you get back to your starting point without having traversed any street twice. And he explores the Harem Problem--a generalization of the Marriage Problem--in which we work out how to satisfy all members of a set of men who have expressed a wish for a harem of wives. Only relatively recently have mathematicians begun to explore networks and connections, and their importance has taken everyone by surprise. Nets, Puzzles, and Postmen takes readers on a dazzling tour of this new field, in a book that will delight math buffs everywhere.

Nets, Puzzles and Postmen: An Exploration of Mathematical Connections

What do road and railway systems, mingling at parties, mazes, family tress, and the internet all have in common? All are networks--either people or places or things that relate and connect to one another. In this lively and fun look at the mathematics of networks, Peter Higgins shows that these phenomena--and many more--all share the same deep mathematical structure. Filled with puzzles and other curious mathematical conundrums, this stimulating book offers new insights into such familiar mathematical quandaries as the four-color map, the bridges of Konisberg, and the Postman Problem (what is the most efficient way of delivering your letters, so you get back to your starting point without having traversed any street twice). Only relatively recently have mathematicians begun to explore networks and connections, and their importance has taken everyone by surprise. Nets, Puzzles, and Postmen takes readers on a dazzling tour of this new field, in a book that will delight math buffs everywhere.

Nets, Puzzles, and Postmen: An Exploration of Mathematical Connections

Numbers are integral to our everyday lives and factor into almost everything we do. In this Very Short Introduction, Peter M. Higgins, a renowned popular-science writer, unravels the world of numbers, demonstrating its richness and providing an overview of all the number types that feature in modern science and mathematics. Indeed, Higgins paints a crystal-clear picture of the number world, showing how the modern number system matured over many centuries, and introducing key concepts such as integers, fractions, real and imaginary numbers, and complex numbers. Higgins sheds light on such fascinating topics as the series of primes, describing how primes are now used to encrypt confidential data on the internet. He also explores the infinite nature of number collections and explains how the so-called real numbers knit together to form the continuum of the number line. Written in the fashion of Higgins' highly popular science paperbacks, Numbers accurately explains the nature of numbers and how so-called complex numbers and number systems are used in calculations that arise in real problems.

Numbers: A Very Short Introduction

"A thrilling new puzzle certain to delight fans of Square Sudoku."—Michael Mepham, bestselling author of The Book of Sudoku and the Sudoku to Go series Step up and test your wits with this fiendish new twist on traditional Sudoku. This collection of Circular Sudoku puzzles, put together by the inventor of the puzzle himself.

The Official Book of Circular Sudoku: Book 1

Higgins, Caroline

Plume

Peter Higgins distills centuries of work into one delightful narrative that celebrates the mystery of numbers and explains how different kinds of numbers arose and why they are useful. Full of historical snippets and interesting examples, the book ranges from simple number puzzles and magic tricks, to showing how ideas about numbers relate to real-world problems. This fascinating book will inspire and entertain readers across a range of abilities. Easy material is blended with more challenging ideas. As our understanding of numbers continues to evolve, this book invites us to rediscover the mystery and beauty of numbers.

Number Story: From Counting to Cryptography

Copernicus Books

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Books by Higgins, Peter M.