Are Numbers Real?: The Uncanny Relationship of Mathematics and the Physical World

Great read

Ok, good on the history of numbers as a tool but I was left feeling that the question remains unanswered -- are numbers real? Beyond the use of numbers as "abstractions" of actual things I felt it was a bit light on delving into number theory and to what degree numbers themselves, as a construct can be said to be real...

It's okay.

This a great book. I do not have a background in science or mathematics and I found it engaging and fascinating. It's free of unexplained jargon, has a great sense of humor about the inherent nerdy nature of the subject, and makes pretty advanced concepts accessible for the layman to consider.

The title is a bit misleading, as the book is more concerned about answering the question "Are *mathematics* real?" Clegg does a great job of explaining how the use of numbers (as in counting the number of goats in your neighbor's pasture) led to the development of arithmetic, geometry, statistics, calculus, etc, and how all of these branches of math were developed in order to solve real-world problems. He shows how some of even the most abstract concepts in theoretical math have come to be valuable in the modern age of computers and cell phones. He demonstrates how math has become an indispensable tool for the modern world. He also cautions us that math is a tool to understand reality, and that many complex modern theories may be based too much on the math and not enough on actual empirical evidence. In presenting a topic as difficult as the whole of mathematical endeavor, Clegg does a good job of keeping the language down to Earth. This is definitely a book that can be read and enjoyed by almost anyone interested in the history of science--no college math or science degree required. In the end, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding how we search for truth in the physical world around us.

Unfortunately this book undermines itself. The author embarks in a complex epistemological enquiry and does not even state the problem adequately. I found him hesitating and trying different and not too coherent anwsers to the initial quest. The final chapter is the most dissappointing for it leaves one back at the beggining.

Doesn't require much rereading to grasp and has plenty of examples for illustration. It depends on your high school and college background as to the ease of it.

A present for my husband Liked it

I didn't learn anything new from this book. To popular