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The Prime Number Conspiracy: The Biggest Ideas in Math from Quanta Kindle Edition
Featuring a foreword by James Gleick, New York Times-bestselling author of Chaos: Making a New Science
These stories from Quanta Magazine map the routes of mathematical exploration, showing readers how cutting-edge research is done, while illuminating the productive tension between conjecture and proof, theory and intuition. The stories show that, as James Gleick puts it in the foreword, “inspiration strikes willy-nilly.” One researcher thinks of quantum chaotic systems at a bus stop; another suddenly realizes a path to proving a theorem of number theory while in a friend's backyard; a statistician has a “bathroom sink epiphany” and discovers the key to solving the Gaussian correlation inequality. Readers of The Prime Number Conspiracy, says Quanta editor-in-chief Thomas Lin, are headed on “breathtaking intellectual journeys to the bleeding edge of discovery strapped to the narrative rocket of humanity's never-ending pursuit of knowledge.”
Winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting, Quanta is the only popular publication that offers in-depth coverage of the latest breakthroughs in understanding our mathematical universe. It communicates mathematics by taking it seriously, wrestling with difficult concepts and clearly explaining them in a way that speaks to our innate curiosity about our world and ourselves. Readers of this volume will learn that prime numbers have decided preferences about the final digits of the primes that immediately follow them (the “conspiracy” of the title); consider whether math is the universal language of nature (allowing for “a unified theory of randomness”); discover surprising solutions (including a pentagon tiling proof that solves a century-old math problem); ponder the limits of computation; measure infinity; and explore the eternal question “Is mathematics good for you?”
Contributors
Ariel Bleicher, Robbert Dijkgraaf, Kevin Hartnett, Erica Klarreich, Thomas Lin, John Pavlus, Siobhan Roberts, Natalie Wolchover
Copublished with Quanta Magazine
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherThe MIT Press
- Publication dateDecember 4, 2018
- File size10.6 MB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"If you’re a science and data nerd like me, you may be interested in Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire and The Prime Number Conspiracy from Quanta Magazine and Thomas Lin."—Bill Gates
“A solid choice for those who would like to know more about the state-of-the-art in mathematics.” —Library Journal
About the Author
James Gleick is a leading chronicler of science and technology, the bestselling author of Chaos, Genius, and The Information. His books have been translated into thirty languages. Gleick, a former reporter and editor of the New York Times, lives in New York.
Bob Souer is a full-time professional storyteller, voice actor, and AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator. He has narrated broadcast and nonbroadcast projects for corporations and ministries across North America. His voice has been heard on PBS, the History Channel, the Military Channel, and many other networks. He has also narrated radio and television programs for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, D. James Kennedy Ministries, SIM, and Compassion International.
Product details
- ASIN : B08BTB3NBB
- Publisher : The MIT Press
- Accessibility : Learn more
- Publication date : December 4, 2018
- Language : English
- File size : 10.6 MB
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Not Enabled
- Print length : 295 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-0262350556
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,161 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Thomas Lin is the founder and editor-in-chief of Quanta, an award-winning, editorially independent magazine published by the Simons Foundation. He is the editor of the anthologies "Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire" and "The Prime Number Conspiracy." Previously, Lin was a digital editor at The New York Times, where he managed the online science and national news sections and wrote about science, tennis and technology. His work has also appeared in The New Yorker, Tennis and Wired and has been recognized by the American Society of Magazine Editors, White House News Photographers Association, Webby Awards, New York Emmys and others. He has taught at CUNY’s journalism school and volunteers on the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. He has interviewed Nobel laureates and Fields medalists but is most grateful for having had the chance to edit and mentor some of the most talented science and math writers working today.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book fascinating, with one noting it provides accessible explanations of mathematical wonders. Moreover, the book is fun to read, with one customer describing it as a romp through math discoveries.
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Customers appreciate the knowledge level of the book, describing it as fascinating and stimulating, with one customer highlighting its accessible explanations of mathematical wonders.
"...through more recent math discoveries told in an exciting and thought-provoking manner...." Read more
"...I found it interesting and useful because even when I found the descriptions lacking it directed me toward meaningful areas of exploration and..." Read more
"...Very glad I read this book." Read more
"Gleick is a famous expert of mathematics and physics, and the articles contained in this sage are mixed in according to his competence...." Read more
Customers find the book entertaining, with one describing it as a fun romp through math discoveries.
"A truly enjoyable romp through more recent math discoveries told in an exciting and thought-provoking manner...." Read more
"Enjoyed this book a lot due to fun topics and the way it was written...." Read more
"This was for pure entertainment. Loved these informative stories of very clever math people." Read more
"I found the book delightfully entertaining" Read more
Customers find the book fairly accessible.
"...Also, the articles in the book are more brief and easier to read than those in Alice and Bob...." Read more
"...It's an incredible dive in to a concept of math that seems simple on the surface, but beautifully complex upon deeper analysis." Read more
"I don't know why i bought this book but I'm very glad I did. Very accessible...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2023Format: KindleVerified PurchaseLearning how really smart people think and grow intellectually and emotionally was the plus for me. Very glad I read this book.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2019Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseI enjoyed reading the stories in this book. Like Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire, it's a bird's eye view of recent research and issues in mathematics. It also focuses on telling stories of the researchers and problem solvers. While it shows the landscape and characters, explanations of the "hows" are abysmally lacking. Mathematics, especially advanced mathematics, is incredibly abstract so describing the mechanics of problem solving in an exciting way is bound to be difficult. The pieces in this book only make a bare-bones effort.
I found it interesting and useful because even when I found the descriptions lacking it directed me toward meaningful areas of exploration and thought. Also, the articles in the book are more brief and easier to read than those in Alice and Bob.
If Quanta publishes another volume like this I probably won't purchase it. If they publish another volume like Alice and Bob I definitely will.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2019Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseGleick is a famous expert of mathematics and physics, and the articles contained in this sage are mixed in according to his competence. Particularly last 20 years it is born a movement of ideas, which connecting models of algebraic and differential geometry, but also topological facts, has had a strong approach to the quantum physics. An important consequence of that is the origin of informatical models using the quantum theory.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Prime numbers meeting in dingy bars ploting uh, um... Actually, no conspiracy. ;D
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchasePrime numbers meeting in dingy bars plotting uh, um... Actually, no conspiracy. The book is about prime numbers and the non-primes. I am an 81 year old Electronic Engineer with a minor in math and books like this help keep me sharp. A good read if one is into math.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2019Owing to cutting edge Math being esoteric, it must be difficult to write about such material for the layperson. I felt like it would often go, "this person won this excellence prize/award and it's really great you see, because this, that and the other." While I am interested in the topic, some of the content can likely only be explained by diving into the deeper meaning. There are plenty of references, so with that I do not take issue. It's just that it would take time to become conversant with a lot of of the topics. So in just wanting to get an overview, I had trouble sorting why any one topic might be much more important than any other. It's sort of a Who's Who in contemporary Math, if that's what you're looking for. I guess one shouldn't hope for Math to converge to something fundamental, but just acknowledge that there are just all of these areas of specialization.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2019Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseA truly enjoyable romp through more recent math discoveries told in an exciting and thought-provoking manner. I like math but don't have a math degree and although I had to look up some terms, it was worth the little extra work.
If you like math or how discoveries are made, get this for the pure pleasure of it.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2019Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseThis was for pure entertainment. Loved these informative stories of very clever math people.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2019I bought this book because I absolutely love Quanta Magazine and all the really interesting articles they put out. Even though I never made it past Calculus 1 I still found this book to be fairly accessible, and easy to enjoy. It's an incredible dive in to a concept of math that seems simple on the surface, but beautifully complex upon deeper analysis.
Top reviews from other countries
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Peer SylvesterReviewed in Germany on January 1, 2019
4.0 out of 5 stars Sammlung interessanter Artiekel aus Quanta
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseQuanta ist ein online - Magazin für Mathematik, Informatik, Biologie und Physik. Dieses Buch ist eine Sammlung ausgewählter Artikel aus dem Bereich Mathematik (wobei einige Artikel auch starken Informatik-Bezug haben). Das Niveau ist etwa auf dem Level von Spektrum der Wissenschaft, allerdings gefühlt etwas aktueller.
Generell kann man die Artikel auch online lesen und braucht dieses Buch nicht. Aber ich weiß, dass ich es hasse komplizierte Artikel auf englisch am Bildschirm zu lesen - da fehlt mir einfach die nötige Ruhe. So als gebundenes Buch erhält man eine gute Auswahl (ich war überrascht wie dick das Buch ist) und kann auch blättern und stöbern. Und dazu lädt das Buch wirklich ein - Die Artikel sind von der Länge her genau richtig und sehr vielseitig. Sicher, es kommen Dopplungen vor (das liegt in der Natur der Sache), aber wer sich für Mathematik interessiert, findet Tonnen Interessantes. Ich habe mir gleich den anderen Sammelband hinterher bestellt (den über Nicht-Mathematische Themen), weil mir dieses Buch so gut gefallen hat. Empfehlung! Zumindest für das Magazin (einfach Quanta magazine googlen) - da kann man sich selbst ein Bild machen!