Is Maths Real?

A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2023.

A NEW SCIENTIST BEST BOOK OF 2023.

WINNER OF THE LA TIMES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023 BOOK PRIZE.

A generous tour of mathematics for anyone whose instincts tend less towards "Just tell me the answer" and more towards "Wait, but why?" - Jordan Ellenberg

To many, maths feels like an unmapped wilderness. Between abstract concepts like imaginary numbers and infinity, it can sometimes feel like a lot of maths is just made up. Why, for example, is 1 not a prime? Why do two negatives cancel each other out? Where does trigonometry come from? Is maths even real?

Abstract mathematician Eugenia Cheng shows that curiosity is the best teacher. Is Maths Real? takes us on a scintillating tour of the simple questions that provoke mathematics' deepest insights.