Beyond Infinity - by Eugenia Cheng (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

By one of our most imaginative mathematicians, a mind-expanding trip through the beauty--and the mysteries--of infinity  

"Cheng does a great service by showing us non-mathematician schlubs how real mathematical creativity works." --Wall Street Journal 

Imagine something small enough to fit in your head but too large to fit in the world--or even the universe. What would you call it? And what would it be? How about infinity?  

Mathematician Eugenia Cheng has some answers. Whether pondering why some numbers are uncountable, or why infinity plus one is not the same as one plus infinity, Cheng takes readers on a staggering journey from math at its most elemental to its loftiest abstractions. Along the way she considers how you could use a cheeseboard to help plan a dinner part for 7 billion people, what it would mean to make a chicken-sandwich sandwich, and whether you could create infinite cookies from a finite ball of dough (the math says yes!).  

An essential book on the universe's biggest possible topic , Beyond Infinity will beguile and bewitch you, and show how one little symbol-- ∞ --can hold the biggest idea of all.  

Review Quotes

"Beyond Infinity is witty, charming, and crystal clear. Eugenia Cheng's enthusiasm and carefully chosen metaphors and analogies carry us effortlessly through the mathematical landscape of the infinite. A brilliant book!"--Ian Stewart, author of In Pursuit of the Unknown

"[Cheng] conveys the spirit of inventiveness and creativity in math... Refreshing is the word that keeps coming to mind."--Steven Strogatz, as quoted in the New York Times

"[Eugenia Cheng's] tone is clear, clever and friendly. Even at her most whimsical she is rigorous and insightful... [She is] a lucid and nimble expositor."--Alex Bellos, New York Times Book Review

"Dr. Cheng...has a knack for brushing aside conventions and edicts, like so many pie crumbs from a cutting board."--Natalie Angier, New York Times

"It takes a talented writer to bring the concept of infinity to life, but Cheng's infectious enthusiasm makes math a delight."--BBC Science Focus

"Mesmerizing... Cheng's argument about how our minds are stretched in the effort to conceive infinity is ultimate proof that it's the journey, not the destination, which counts."--Big Issue

"Ms. Cheng's chatty tone keeps things fresh. She has a knack for folksy analogies, and at different points in the book she illuminates different properties of infinity by discussing Legos, the iPod Shuffle, snorkeling, Battenberg cakes and Winnie-the-Pooh... she does a great service by showing us non-mathematician schlubs how real mathematical creativity works."--Wall Street Journal

"Our minds cannot truly grasp the concept of infinity, but Eugenia Cheng takes us on a wild journey to help us in our search for it. It's a small, unassuming symbol, but it holds a giant idea. Cheng helps us understand the basics of infinity and then takes us on a ride to see its most lofty applications. From the practical to the entirely theoretical, this is a book to watch for."--Paste Magazine

"The idea of infinity is one of the most perplexing things in mathematics, and the most fun. Eugenia Cheng's Beyond Infinity is a spirited and friendly guide--appealingly down to earth about math that's extremely far out."--Jordan Ellenberg, author of Shape

About the Author

Eugenia Cheng is Scientist in Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has authored numerous books, including the LA Times Book Prize winner Is Math Real?,  Unequal, How to Bake Pi, The Art of Logic, and x + y. Cheng lives in Chicago, Illinois.