Unequal: The Maths of When Things Do and Don’t Add Up

‘Playful and deeply serious … shows how exploring equality in maths may help the real world’ NEW SCIENTIST

‘Eugenia Cheng has humour, grace and a natural gift’ DANIEL LEVITIN

‘Clear, clever and friendly…even at her most whimsical, she is rigorous and insightful’ ALEX BELLOS

When we see an equals sign, we usually see something clear cut: problem on one side, solution on the other. We might need to shuffle some things around – balance the equation – to get there, but it’s all pretty clear cut…isn’t it?

As it turns out, between those parallel lines lies something far more exciting than questions and answers. An equals sign is an invitation to a mathematical playground of choice and abstraction. By opening your mind to different mathematical choices and perspectives, you can unlock far greater insight than you could have dreamed.

Eugenia Cheng explores the rich and rewarding interplay between sameness and difference, and offers us a new way to see the world based on the choices and interpretations we make. A glorious celebration of mathematics, Unequal will change the way you think – in maths, and in life.