Paul Hoffman, "Archimedes' Revenge: The Joys and Perils of Mathematics"
English | 1989 | ISBN: 0449217507 | 278 pages | PDF | 10 MB

Now anyone can understand what the mathematical geniuses are thinking . . . .
* How topologists figured out the way to turn a smokestack into a bowling ball — and why.
* How game theorists discovered that to elect the candidate of your choice you must sometimes vote for his opponent.
* How computer theorists intend to create a robot that will think for itself — and do all the housework.
* How cryptographers have been laboring since 1822 to decipher a map that will lead to a buried treasure worth millions of dollars.
Archimedes’ Revenge takes the reader on a guided tour of the world of contemporary mathematics and makes its infinite marvels comprehensible, relevant, and fun.
“A breezy and lighthearted account of a number of topics in and around the periphery of mathematics . . . Mr. Hoffman approaches mathematics as a storyteller, and a good one.” — The New York Times Book Review

Amazon.com Review:

Archimedes’ Revenge is an extremely accessible, lighthearted account of a number of mathematical topics, many with modern interest, such as complexity theory. Hoffman quotes living mathematicians extensively, giving the reader a feel for the nature of the mathematical community and insight into how this community attempts to resolve open questions. This book is low in mathematical rigor, making it suitable for any interested reader.