ABSTRACT

Yearning for the Impossible: The Surprising Truth of Mathematics, Second Edition explores the history of mathematics from the perspective of the creative tension between common sense and the "impossible" as the author follows the discovery or invention of new concepts that have marked mathematical progress. The author puts these creations into a broader context involving related "impossibilities" from art, literature, philosophy, and physics. This new edition contains many new exercises and commentaries, clearly discussing a wide range of challenging subjects.

chapter 1|32 pages

The Irrational

chapter 2|29 pages

The Imaginary

chapter 3|42 pages

The Horizon

chapter 4|30 pages

The Infinitesimal

chapter 5|39 pages

Curved Space

chapter 6|34 pages

The Fourth Dimension

chapter 7|32 pages

The Ideal

chapter 8|29 pages

Periodic Space

chapter 9|21 pages

The Infinite