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The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets
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Description
The brainy book by the bestselling author of Fermat's Enigma-a must for anyone interested in numbers and mathematics, as well as for the millions of Simpsons fans worldwide.
“Simon Singh's excellent book blows the lid off a decades-long conspiracy to secretly educate cartoon viewers.” ?David X. Cohen, writer for The Simpsons and Futurama
You may have watched hundreds of episodes of The Simpsons (and its sister show Futurama) without ever realizing that cleverly embedded in many plots are subtle references to mathematics, ranging from well-known equations to cutting-edge theorems and conjectures. That they exist, Simon Singh reveals, underscores the brilliance of the shows' writers, many of whom have advanced degrees in mathematics in addition to their unparalleled sense of humor.
While recounting memorable episodes such as “Bart the Genius” and “Homer3,” Singh weaves in mathematical stories that explore everything from p to Mersenne primes, Euler's equation to the unsolved riddle of P v. NP; from perfect numbers to narcissistic numbers, infinity to even bigger infinities, and much more. Along the way, Singh meets members of The Simpsons' brilliant writing team-among them David X. Cohen, Al Jean, Jeff Westbrook, and Mike Reiss-whose love of arcane mathematics becomes clear as they reveal the stories behind the episodes.
With wit and clarity, displaying a true fan's zeal, and replete with images from the shows, photographs of the writers, and diagrams and proofs, The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets offers an entirely new insight into the most successful show in television history.
Product details
| Published | Oct 29 2013 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 288 |
| ISBN | 9781620402795 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Publishing |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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Singh blows the lid off a decades-long conspiracy to secretly educate cartoon viewers
David X Cohen, writer for The Simpsons and Futurama
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An entertaining picture of the insanely high-minded nature of the Simpsons' writers
Sunday Times
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Singh shows a knack for gliding seamlessly between abstract mathematical concepts and every day life, always seeking out the most engaging, human and topical examples. Singh's clean prose, detailed research and enthusiasm for the world of numbers are likely to captivate even those for whom maths normally creates feelings of anxiety rather than mirth
The Times
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A valuable, entertaining book that, above all, celebrates a supremely funny, sophisticated show
Financial Times
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What have Homer and Bart got to do with Euler's equation, the googolplex or the topology of doughnuts? ... Simon Singh has fun weaving great mathematics stories around our favourite TV characters
New Scientist
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Singh shows just how addictive maths can be
BBC Focus

























