From Uniqueness to Set Theory and beyond, climb the mathematical ladder of sameness and difference with award-winning mathematician Eugenia Cheng

''Playful and deeply serious ... shows how exploring equality in maths may help the real world'' NEW SCIENTIST ''Eugenia Cheng has humour, grace and a natural gift'' DANIEL LEVITIN ''Clear, clever and friendly...even at her most whimsical, she is rigorous and insightful'' ALEX BELLOS At first glance, the concept of equality in maths seems unambiguous. When we see the equality sign, we think of ''solving for x'' or balancing two sides of an equation or maybe even the many famous equations that make use of this elegant, innocuous symbol. But between those parallel lines lies a mathematical playground of choice and abstraction, leading to far greater insight than you could have dreamed. As it turns out, sameness and difference, equality and inequality, are not nearly as straightforward as they seem. Unequal explores the rich and rewarding interplay between sameness and difference, from numbers to manifolds to category theory and beyond in a glorious celebration of mathematics that will change the way you look at maths - and the world around you - forever.

Autorentext

Eugenia Cheng is a Pure Mathematician, Scientist in Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Honorary Visiting Fellow of Pure Mathematics at City, University of London. A Cambridge graduate, she previously taught at the Universities of Cambridge, Chicago and Nice. She is also a concert pianist, fluent in French, and the author of several bestsellers, including How to Bake Pi and x + y.