The Man Who Loved Only Numbers
by Paul Hoffman · first published 1998
67% recommend33% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Warm, funny biography of wandering, eccentric mathematician Paul Erdős, full of quirky anecdotes and collaborators. Light on math, it suits non-mathematicians curious about a working mathematician's life.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"Paul Erdos, the most prolific and eccentric mathematician of our time, forsook all creature comforts - including a hometo pursue his lifelong study of numbers. He was a man who possessed unimaginable powers of thought yet was unable to manage some of the simplest daily tasks." "For more than six decades, Erdos lived out of two tattered suitcases, crisscrossing four continents at a frenzied pace, chasing mathematical problems and fresh talent. Erdos saw mathematics as a search for lasting beauty and ultimate truth. It was a search Erdos never abandoned, even as his life was torn asunder by som
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For a modern popular math book I would recommend The Man Who Loved Only Numbers (by Paul Hoffman) about the life Paul Erdős. Is a great intro to the life of a working mathematician and a bit about proof. The classic text is How To Solve It (by Georg Pólya). A bit antiquated but…
on “Matt Parker – Standup Mathematician” ↗…two that, while light on content (i.e. math), never fail to stimulate the childlike nature of my inner aspiring mathematician: (1) The Man Who Knew Infinity by Robert Kanigel, on Ramanujan and (2) The Man Who Loved Only Numbers by Paul Hoffman, on Paul Erdos.
on “Ask HN: Inspirational Biographies” ↗For those of you unfamiliar with Paul Erdős and who are interested in learning more, I highly recommend the biography "The Man Who Loved Only Numbers", by Paul Hoffman. He was such a quirky and unique character that his story makes a great read (even for non-mathematicians).
on “Erdős number” ↗"The Man Who Loved Only Numbers": http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Loved-Only-Numbers/dp/07868840... A poignant examination of the mathematician Paul Erdős, and his notion of The Book, "an imaginary book in which God had written down…
on “‘The Fractalist,’ Benoit B. Mandelbrot’s Math Memoir” ↗…5. Journey through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics (William Dunham, 1991) 6. Riemann’s Zeta Function (H. M. Edwards, 1971) 7. Gamma: Exploring Euler’s Constant (Julian Havil, 2009) 8. The Man Who Loved Only Numbers (Paul Hoffman, 1999) 9. The Riemann Zeta-Function: Theory and Applications. (Alexander Ivic, 2004) 10. e: The Story of a Number (Eli Maor, 2009) 11. An Imaginary Tale: The Story of √-1 (Paul J. Nahin;…
on “The Riemann Hypothesis, explained” ↗For those of you who wish to read more on Erdos personal life I can recommend the book: The Man Who Loved Only Numbers [0]. Highly entertaining. [0]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/714583.The_Man_Who_Loved...
on “The Erdos Paradox” ↗…Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly Report From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith The Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel Also, I haven't read it yet myself, but I have…
on “Ask HN: What are some good inspirational and uplifting books?” ↗Paul Erdős was quite a character. Read The Man Who Loved Only Numbers for some fun stories about him.
on “A Life that Added Up to Something: Paul Erdos (1996)” ↗The biography of Paul Erdős, The Man Who Loved Only Numbers, is a great read. http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Loved-Only-Numbers/dp/07868636...
on “N is a Number : A Portrait of Paul Erdős” ↗…Care What People Think", both [obviously] by Richard Feynmann "Uncle Tungsten" by Oliver Sacks, mostly about Sacks' early life "The strangest man: The hidden life of Paul Dirac", by Graham Farmelo "The man who loved only numbers: the story of Paul Erdos and the search for mathematical truth" by Paul Hoffman "Subtle is the lord: the science and the life of Albert Einstein" by Abraham Pais "Thesiger", by Michael Asher, providing…
on “Ask HN: what are your favorite biographies/autobiographies of a scientist?” ↗I enjoy math books like: - e; The story of a number (Eli Moar) - An imaginary tale; The story of -1 (Paul Nahin) - The Poincare Conjecture (Daniel O'Shea) - The man who loved only numbers (Paul Hoffman) - Prime Obsession (John Derbyshire) They're part biography, part history, and give a little colour to the subject that isn't available from your typical college textbook.
on “Why do many math books have so much detail and so little enlightenment? (2010)” ↗I seem to remember the man who loved only numbers had some puzzles in and it's an interesting story about the mathematician Paul Erdos: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Man-Who-Loved-Only-Numbers/dp/18570...
on “Ask HN: Books that blend math and fiction” ↗Some "pop"-sci books that have inspired me: 1."Uncle Petros & Goldback's Conjecture" & "Logicomix" (both by Apostolos Doxiadis), 2."Chaos" by James Gleick, 3. "The Man Who Loved Only Numbers" by Paul Hoffman 4. "A Mathematician's Apology" by G.H. Hardy 5. "The Indian Clerk" (fiction) by David Leavitt (about GH Hardy & Ramanujan) 6. "Genius at Play" by Siobhan Roberts (about John Conway).…
on “Ask HN: Books that made you fascinated to learn more mathematics?” ↗For anyone interested in learning more about Erdos, he has a fascinating life story well told in The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdös and the Search for Mathematical Truth by Paul Hoffman. It's available for free on Open Library: https://openlibrary.org/books/OL354306M/
on “Thousands of scientists publish a paper every five days” ↗* The Man Who Loved Only Numbers, by Paul Hoffman https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/714583.The_Man_Who_Loved... * Algorithms to Live By, by Brian Christian & Tom Griffiths (not really a Math book, mostly computer science, but still…
on “Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?” ↗