Shop all Princeton University Press

Genius at Play - by Siobhan Roberts (Paperback)

Name: Genius at Play - by Siobhan Roberts (Paperback)
Brand: Princeton University Press
SKU: 91830566
Price: 25.50 USD
Availability: InStock

$25.50 MSRP $29.95

15% off

In Stock

Free & easy returns

Return this item by mail or in store within 90 days for a full refund.

Eligible for registries and wish lists

Save 5% every day

With Target Circle™ Card (restrictions apply)

About this item

Details

Highlights

A multifaceted biography of a brilliant mathematician and iconoclast A mathematician unlike any other, John Horton Conway (1937-2020) possessed a rock star's charisma, a polymath's promiscuous curiosity, and a sly sense of humor.
About the Author: Siobhan Roberts is an award-winning science journalist and regular contributor to the New York Times.
480 Pages
Biography & Autobiography, General

Description

Book Synopsis

A multifaceted biography of a brilliant mathematician and iconoclast

A mathematician unlike any other, John Horton Conway (1937-2020) possessed a rock star's charisma, a polymath's promiscuous curiosity, and a sly sense of humor. Conway found fame as a barefoot professor at Cambridge, where he discovered the Conway groups in mathematical symmetry and the aptly named surreal numbers. He also invented the cult classic Game of Life, a cellular automaton that demonstrates how simplicity generates complexity--and provides an analogy for mathematics and the entire universe. Moving to Princeton in 1987, Conway used ropes, dice, pennies, coat hangers, and the occasional Slinky to illustrate his winning imagination and share his nerdish delights. Genius at Play tells the story of this ambassador-at-large for the beauties and joys of mathematics, lays bare Conway's personal and professional idiosyncrasies, and offers an intimate look into the mind of one of the twentieth century's most endearing and original intellectuals.

About the Author

Siobhan Roberts is an award-winning science journalist and regular contributor to the New York Times. She is the author of The Man Who Saved Geometry and Wind Wizard (both Princeton).

Specifications

Dimensions (Overall): 8.0 Inches (H) x 5.25 Inches (W) x 1.07 Inches (D)

Weight: 1.2 Pounds

Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up

Number of Pages: 480

Genre: Biography & Autobiography

Sub-Genre: General

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Format: Paperback

Author: Siobhan Roberts

Language: English

Street Date: October 29, 2024

TCIN: 91830566

UPC: 9780691266404

Item Number (DPCI): 247-50-6629

Origin: Made in the USA or Imported

If the item details aren’t accurate or complete, we want to know about it.

Shipping & Returns

Shipping details

Estimated ship dimensions: 1.07 inches length x 5.25 inches width x 8 inches height

Estimated ship weight: 1.2 pounds

We regret that this item cannot be shipped to PO Boxes.

This item cannot be shipped to the following locations: American Samoa (see also separate entry under AS), Guam (see also separate entry under GU), Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico (see also separate entry under PR), United States Minor Outlying Islands, Virgin Islands, U.S., APO/FPO, Alaska, Hawaii

Return details

This item can be returned to any Target store or Target.com.

This item must be returned within 90 days of the date it was purchased in store, delivered to the guest, delivered by a Shipt shopper, or picked up by the guest.

See the return policy for complete information.