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  • Published: 30 August 2022
  • ISBN: 9780141991511
  • Imprint: Penguin Press
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 480
  • RRP: $24.99

Shape

The Hidden Geometry of Absolutely Everything




The international bestseller - a whip-smart, entertaining exploration of the geometry that underlies our world, from the author of How Not to Be Wrong

How should a democracy choose its representatives? How can you stop a pandemic from sweeping the world? How do computers learn to play chess? Can ancient Greek proportions predict the stock market? (Sorry, no.) What should your kids learn in school if they really want to learn to think? The answers to all these questions can be found in geometry.

In Shape, Sunday Times-bestselling author Jordan Ellenberg reveals the geometry underneath some of the most important scientific, political, and philosophical problems we face, from the spread of coronavirus to rise of machine learning. The word 'geometry,' from the Greek, means 'measuring the world.' But geometry doesn't just measure the world - it explains it. Shape shows us how.

  • Published: 30 August 2022
  • ISBN: 9780141991511
  • Imprint: Penguin Press
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 480
  • RRP: $24.99

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Praise for Shape

Shape is a triumph of mathematical exposition, exposing profound truths - from the nature of distance to the predictability of randomness - as well as profound mistakes - from historical misattributions to Supreme Court justice hardheadedness - with eloquence and hilarious wit. Ellenberg's evident affection for both his subject and his reader makes us feel like the lucky ones who get to hear him hold forth in an intimate setting about his favorite subject, mathematics

Cathy O'Neil

Unreasonably entertaining... reveals how geometric thinking can allow for everything from fairer American elections to better pandemic planning

Parul Sehgal, New York Times

Serious mathematics at its intriguing, transporting best . . . [A] humorous, anecdotally rich dive into numerous mathematical theories

Kirkus

Droopy cheese and the curve of the Earth, the everyday and the cosmic, are beautifully interwoven in the mathematician Jordan Ellenberg's new book Shape

Derek Thompson, Atlantic

Almost anyone is likely to enjoy Ellenberg's prose, and mind

Harvard Magazine

Ellenberg's skill as a storyteller, combined with a natural ability to spot otherwise obscure connections, enables him to capitalize on geometry as math's gateway drug... A deeply enjoyable and insightful book

Matt Parker, New York Times

Ellenberg, in both his arguments and his enthusiasm, is persuasive

Michael Prodger, New Statesman

This mind-bending book will change how you see the world (Five stars)

Simon Ings, Telegraph