Shape : the hidden geometry of absolutely everything

Includes index.

1. I vote for Euclid

2. How many holes does a straw have?

3. Giving the same name to different things

4. A fragment of the sphinx

5. His style was invincibility

6. The mysterious power of trial and error

A whip-smart, entertaining exploration of the geometry that underlies our world, from the bestselling author of How Not to Be Wrong How should a democracy choose its representatives? How does Covid-19 spread? How do computers teach themselves chess, and why is chess easier for them than analysing a sentence? What should your kids study in school if they really want to learn to think? All of these are questions about geometry. Seriously! Jordan Ellenberg reveals the mathematics behind some of the most important scientific, political and philosophical conundrums we face. The word 'geometry', from the Greek, means 'measuring the world'. If anything, geometry doesn't just measure the world, it explains it. Shape shows us how. Shape reveals the geometry underneath some of the most important scientific, political, and philosophical problems we face. Geometry asks: Where are things? Which things are near each other? How can you get from one thing to another thing? Those are important questions. Geometry doesn't just measure the world-it explains it. Shape shows us how.