12-19-2016, 01:46 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-06-2018, 01:14 PM by ZpaceJ0ck0.)
So yesterday I finished reading Malba Taham’s The man who counted.
Basically, it is a little collection of mathematical tales told by a fictional Arabic scribe Malba Taham (also a pen name for the author Júlio César de Mello e Souza, who was actually a contemporary Brazilian), who lived around the 14th century Baghdad, who befriends Beremiz Samir, a wise Muslim mathematician and the epnymous Man Who Counted.
In each story, Beremiz encounters people who either doubt of of his abilities or want his help. They are set up simply with a bit of narrative embellishment to situate them in the larger plot, and followed with a precise solution by Beremiz. This is a great format because you can dive in and start to think about solutions after reading the set up and before reading Beremiz's approach to the problems. There are also many math-related tidbids that even people who aren't into Mathematics can find interesting,
However, I do have some criticisms about this book, two to be more specific. The first one is that not all of the stories or problems he comes across function as strictly mathematics or have mathematical solutions (the first problem about the camels comes to mind). The second one is that at one point, Beremiz is asked to give an example of multiplication where there is only one factor and the solution that he comes up with "is the multiplication of loaves and fishes performed by Jesus, the son of Mary." "In that multiplication" he argues, "there is only one factor: the miraculous power of the will of God". Regardless of what you think of biblical miracles, I don't think they belong in a book about mathematics. I realize the author is trying to make the book both historically and culturally accurate to the Medieval Muslim world which provided a vast amount of knowledge and learning to the world and specifically to the field of mathematics. But I believe it is unnecessary to the overall narrative.
BUT those are just some extremely minor nitpicks (especially the second point). The book it's only a few hundred pages, so give it a read if you're looking for a mostly light-hearted collection of short tales.
Basically, it is a little collection of mathematical tales told by a fictional Arabic scribe Malba Taham (also a pen name for the author Júlio César de Mello e Souza, who was actually a contemporary Brazilian), who lived around the 14th century Baghdad, who befriends Beremiz Samir, a wise Muslim mathematician and the epnymous Man Who Counted.
In each story, Beremiz encounters people who either doubt of of his abilities or want his help. They are set up simply with a bit of narrative embellishment to situate them in the larger plot, and followed with a precise solution by Beremiz. This is a great format because you can dive in and start to think about solutions after reading the set up and before reading Beremiz's approach to the problems. There are also many math-related tidbids that even people who aren't into Mathematics can find interesting,
However, I do have some criticisms about this book, two to be more specific. The first one is that not all of the stories or problems he comes across function as strictly mathematics or have mathematical solutions (the first problem about the camels comes to mind). The second one is that at one point, Beremiz is asked to give an example of multiplication where there is only one factor and the solution that he comes up with "is the multiplication of loaves and fishes performed by Jesus, the son of Mary." "In that multiplication" he argues, "there is only one factor: the miraculous power of the will of God". Regardless of what you think of biblical miracles, I don't think they belong in a book about mathematics. I realize the author is trying to make the book both historically and culturally accurate to the Medieval Muslim world which provided a vast amount of knowledge and learning to the world and specifically to the field of mathematics. But I believe it is unnecessary to the overall narrative.
BUT those are just some extremely minor nitpicks (especially the second point). The book it's only a few hundred pages, so give it a read if you're looking for a mostly light-hearted collection of short tales.