I particularly loved the bit about the secret checking mechanisms in barcodes and VAT numbers (but that's just me) and I'm sure you'll have your own favourites. From interesting ways to cut up pizzas via computers made with dominos (see my blog post on mechanical computing ) and those many dimensional shapes to networks, variants of Möbius strips I've never seen before and an equation that plots as the equation itself there's truly mind boggling stuff. But as long as you accept that not all of it will work for you and you might have to skip a few bits and pieces, it has some absolute gems. Like most rec maths books, while it's clear that the author finds it all fascinating I found some captivating, some vaguely interesting and some a touch 'meh'. I absolutely loved the title, although in a way it's a bit of a let down, as their are relatively few things to 'make and do' here - it is mostly straightforward recreational mathematics - though you certainly can't fault the promise of dealing with the fourth dimension, as well as the fifth, sixth and 196,883rd dimension (and that not one of the joky bits - this is genuinely significant). Anyone who has seen Matt Parker perform standup maths as I have (with the excellent Festival of the Spoken Nerd ) will immediately recognise the style of this entertaining recreational-ish maths book: an easy, if slightly obsessive communication style, warm and friendly and with a slightly groan-making sense of humour.
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