Six Math Essentials
By Terence TaoAbout the Book
In SIX MATH ESSENTIALS, the renowned mathematician and Fields Medalist Terence Tao introduces readers to six central concepts that have guided mathematicians from antiquity to the frontiers of what we know today and now help us make sense of our complex world. This slim, elegant volume explores numbers as the gateway to quantitative thinking; algebra as the gateway to abstraction; geometry as a way to calculate beyond what we can see; probability as a tool to navigate uncertainty with rigorous thinking; analysis as a means to tame the very large or the very small; and dynamics as the mathematics of change. SIX MATH ESSENTIALS—Tao’s first popular math book—provides a glimpse into the workings of Tao’s incomparable mind and how he thinks about the creativity and interconnectedness of the mathematical enterprise. Contrary to popular perception, math, he insists, isn’t magic—it’s a powerful way of thinking that anyone can learn.
Reviews
“Like seeing soccer through Messi’s eyes. Full of piercing insight and genial wisdom, this book made me feel like a kid riding on the shoulders of the world’s smartest grown-up.” —Ben Orlin, bestselling author of Math with Bad Drawings
“Terence Tao is one of the great mathematicians of our time—and also one of the most generous. In these pages, he invites us to spend time at his elbow, sharing what he sees across the mathematical landscape and guiding us on a tour of its central ideas.” —Steven Strogatz, New York Times bestselling author of Infinite Powers and co-host of The Joy of Why podcast
“The best mathematician in the world has written the best math book in the world. Like many great mathematical proofs, it’s a model of simplicity, clarity, and beauty. And like many great books, it reveals deep insight not only into the world but how we understand it.” —John Urschel, former NFL player and author of Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football
“Tao beautifully distills the essence of what math is—from its humblest origins to today’s research frontiers—as only someone with his breadth of knowledge ever could.” —Grant Sanderson, creator of 3Blue1Brown
“We’re all blessed that possibly the world’s best living mathematician is also such a talented communicator.” —Brady Haran, creator of Numberphile
“The Mozart of mathematics invites us to see through his eyes not just mathematics, but the world. For a moment, we are given a glimpse of a luminous clarity—not a simplicity, but a transparency. [SIX MATH ESSENTIALS] is infused with humility and warmth, a generous offering to join Tao for this brief tour of the vista from a lofty perch few can imagine. A rare and gracious experience not to be missed.” —Janna Levin, Claire Tow Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Barnard College of Columbia University
About the Author
Terence Tao is a professor of mathematics at UCLA whose work focuses primarily on harmonic analysis, partial differential equations, combinatorics, and analytic number theory. The recipient of a Fields Medal, a MacArthur Genius Grant, and a Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics, among many other accolades, he is one of the most decorated and prolific mathematicians working today. Tao is the author of several academic books, including Solving Mathematical Problems: A Personal Perspective and Additive Combinatorics. He lives in Los Angeles.