Mathematics helps us describe, understand, and predict patterns in nature, art, and even human behavior.

Math is a language for patterns

Infinity comes in many sizes and types, such as countable and uncountable infinities, challenging our intuition about what "bigger" means.

Infinity is more than a number

Math is not just about solving problems but creating new ideas and frameworks, much like art or music.

Math models creativity

Math focuses on patterns, relationships, and structures beyond numbers, exploring concepts like shapes, symmetry, and logic, making it a universal language of understanding.

Numbers are not the essence of math

Topology focuses on properties of shapes that remain constant through stretching or bending, teaching us to look beyond rigid definitions.

Topology redefines shape

Mathematical symmetry, seen in nature and art, connects balance and aesthetics, highlighting the underlying harmony between the abstract and tangible worlds.

Symmetry explains beauty

Abstraction simplifies problems, revealing universal patterns and solutions. It fosters creativity and cross-disciplinary applications, turning math into a versatile tool for innovation.

The power of abstraction

Beyond physical space, dimensions can describe anything with variables, like color or taste, opening up new ways of thinking.

Dimensions can be abstract

Probability challenges instincts, revealing surprising patterns and empowering informed decisions in uncertain situations like forecasting, finance, or medicine.

Probability defies intuition

Game theory analyzes strategic interactions in economics, politics, and biology, offering frameworks for optimizing outcomes in complex, competitive systems.

Game theory models decision-making

Graphs model relationships in social media, transportation, and communication networks, uncovering structures that drive interconnected systems.

Graphs explain networks

Math transcends technical skills, inviting curiosity and discovery, showing its relevance to everyday life and universal accessibility.

Math is for everyone

Chaos theory finds order in randomness, explaining phenomena like weather and market fluctuations, revealing patterns in complex systems.

Chaos is structured

Imaginary numbers, rooted in abstraction, enable solutions in engineering and physics, expanding math's scope to tackle previously impossible challenges.

Imaginary numbers solve real problems

While many associate math exclusively with numbers, the subject is far broader and more profound. Numbers are just one of the tools mathematicians use to explore relationships, patterns, and abstract structures. Mathematics focuses on the "why" behind the numbers—examining connections, logical systems, and symmetries.

Proofs provide timeless certainty, transcending cultures and eras, offering logical clarity and unshakable truths in an ever-changing world.

Mathematical proof is universal truth

Math fields like geometry and algebra interweave, demonstrating unity and revealing new insights by applying concepts across disciplines, mirroring the interconnectedness of our world.

Everything is interconnected

'The whizz-kid making maths supercool. . . A brilliant book that takes everything we know (and fear) about maths out of the equation - starting with numbers' The Times 'A cheerful, chatty, and charming trip through the world of mathematics. . . Everyone should read this delightful book' Ian Stewart, author of Do Dice Play God? The only numbers in this book are the page numbers. The three main branches of abstract math - topology, analysis, and algebra - turn out to be surprisingly easy to grasp. Or at least, they are when our guide is a math prodigy. With forthright wit and warm charm, Milo Beckman upends the conventional approach to mathematics, inviting us to think creatively about shape and dimension, the infinite and the infinitesimal, symmetries, proofs, and all how all these concepts fit together. Why is there a million dollar prize for counting shapes? Is anything bigger than infinity? And how is the 'truth' of mathematics actually decided? A vivid and wholly original guide to the math that makes the world tick and the planets revolve, Math Without Numbers makes human and understandable the elevated and hypothetical, allowing us to clearly see abstract math for what it is: bizarre, beautiful, and head-scratchingly wonderful.