A Mathematicians Apology
|
|
|
A Mathematicians Apology
by Authors:
G. H. Hardy
Released: 31 January, 1992
ISBN: 0521427061
Paperback
Sales Rank: 40,881
|
List price:
$17.00
Our price:
$11.90
(You save: $5.1)
|
|
|
|
| Book > A Mathematicians Apology > Customer Reviews: |
|
|
|
|
Average Customer Rating: 
A Mathematicians Apology >
Customer Review #1:
 A unique book, should be read by everybody
Hardy was a man that comes along rarely in life, and this book is an even rarer portrait of how men like him think. As a mathematician, Hardy was excellent, his collaboration produced much fruitful work, and he is perhaps most renowned for discovering the young protege Ramanujan. But this book is not really about his work, but about his views on life, and mathematics, as a whole. Considering how little people in American society know about mathematics and its practitioners, this book, which is emminently readable, will give all people a unique view of what some mathematicians think like. The book is short, but interesting from first page to last. Hardy was past his mathematical prime when he wrote this book, but this book probably is his most influencial he ever wrote.The introduction by C.P. Snow is more like a short biography about Hardy, and its about the same length as Hardys actual text. It gives us insights into what one of Hardys friends thought of him, and it also frames the life Hardy was living in as he wrote this book. Hardys opinions are strong, and undoubtedly every reader will disagree here and there with him. But he shows the reader some of the gems of mathematics, and perhaps the reader will be able to appreciate those even without formal mathematical training. He also talks about war and what he thinks of it. Whatever the reader thinks about Hardys opinions, this book gives us the opportunity to glimpse into the mind of an artist - one different than the usual meaning attached to the word, but one nonetheless - and experience a part of human life not experienced by many - the wonders of mathematics.
A Mathematicians Apology >
Customer Review #2:
A classic of the mathematical literature
Every discipline has a list of items that must be read if one is to be considered educated in that field. There is no doubt that this book should be required reading for any degree in mathematics. Most of the soul of mathematics is contained in the 91 pages of the Apology (the first 58 pages consists of the foreword by Snow). Written in his later years when Hardy knew his mathematical powers were failing, this is a superb exposition by a brilliant, eccentric personality. He not only captures the grandeur of mathematical discovery, but also clearly articulates the feelings of a man who knows that his time has passed. First published in 1940, the twin messages are timeless.
Clearly distinguishing between the real mathematician and the puzzle solver, Hardy is exceptional in declaring what the real beauty of mathematics is. Among all the beautiful things that exist, the percentage of individuals that can truly appreciate an elegant theorem is among the smallest. However, anyone who can read this work and not see at least some of the poetic qualities of mathematics has a blind spot in their soul. One of the masterpieces of literature, this book can be understood and appreciated by anyone with an eye for the beautiful things that life has to offer.
Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.
A Mathematicians Apology >
Customer Review #3:
 One should not need an apology
What is discomforting to me about this book is simply that Hardy decided to write it. Hardy describes that people do what they do because they do it well (the so called standard apology), that they do it because they dont do anything else well, or they didnt have a chance to do anything else. Hardy also exclaims that pure mathematics has no utilitarian value, and does not benefit society.But why cant mathematicians study math for the love of the subject? What is so bad about not caring about utilitarian value? Why should we have to justify our existence to others? The fact that Hardy seems so compelled to justify his existence, and all he comes up with is benefiting a pool of knowledge in the platonic realm, is almost pathetic. Why couldnt he have studied math for his own self-interest? This book would have been all the more refreshing if he stated he loved working with Ramanujan and Littlewood, and that this in itself is a justification, and not some means to some cloudy end. Other areas of the book are equally disappointing. We hear the commonplace notion that after 40, ones mathematical abilities are pretty much over. Yet this is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Without confidence in your abilities, how do you expect to get anywhere? What about Erdos, who still actively did math up until his death? Wiles was over 40 when he finally resolved Fermats Last theorem. You may wonder with this criticism, why I chose 4 stars. This is because, for all its drawbacks, it is at least an interesting account of Hardys relationship with math. It is however, disheartening how fatalistic he is. It would have been refreshing to hear something of pride, not pretentious or sneering, but pride exclaiming that nobody should ever feel the need to write an apology for their existence.
|
|
A Mathematicians Apology >
Related Products
|
The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan
|
A Course of Pure Mathematics
|
Journey Through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics
|
The Man Who Loved Only Numbers : The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth
|
Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics
|
Riemanns Zeta Function
|
Men of Mathematics
|
The Music of the Primes : Searching to Solve the Greatest Mystery in Mathematics
|
Gamma : Exploring Eulers Constant
|
An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers
|
|
|
|
|