100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know about Math and the Arts [Paperback]

At first glance, the worlds of math and the arts might not seem like comfortable neighbors. But as mathematician John D. Barrow points out, they have a strong and natural affinityafter all, math is the study of all patterns, and the world of the arts is rich with pattern. Barrow whisks us through 100 thought-provoking and often whimsical intersections between math and many arts, from the golden ratios of Mondrians rectangles and the curious fractal-like nature of Pollocks drip paintings to ballerinas gravity-defying leaps and the next generation of monkeys on typewriters tackling Shakespeare. For those of us with our feet planted more firmly on the ground, Barrow also wields everyday equations to reveal how many guards are needed in an art gallery or where you should stand to look at sculptures. From music and drama to literature and the visual arts, Barrows witty and accessible observations are sure to spark the imaginations of math nerds and art aficionados alike.One of the best popular science writers in the universe.[Barrows] approach opens the whole world to mathematical analysis. . . . Just as there is math in the arts, there is also an art to math.An entertaining and illuminating collection of 100 surprising connectionsbetween math and the arts.