Erik Seligman has written a mathematical book to be enjoyed by a wide audience. It is based on a series of math podcasts produced by the author since 2007. He maintains a written blog about the podcasts at http://mathmutation.blogspot.com/ with links to the audio online. No topic is off limits for the discussions, but they generally seem to be selected based on either how familiar or, to the other extreme, how surprising they are to the readership and listeners. The book introduces each topic with some interesting historical or economic fact or story. Then, the author elaborates on the mathematical consequences of what is discussed, explaining in clear terms under what conditions the concept or theorem is valid.

This book is composed of 13 chapters besides introductory sections and appendices. One hundred thirty podcasts are discussed throughout the book (four sections refer to more than one podcast), and each selection is typically written in one to two pages. Of great help are the references to each selection in the appendix at the back of the book, most with online hyperlinks. The podcast topics are organized into the chapters based on a mathematical theme. For example, chapter 2 entertains the concept of infinity, chapter 3 deals with geometry, and chapter 4 explores different dimensions. Chapter 8 analyzes the arts, chapter 9 considers politics, and chapter 12 investigates paradoxes. Given the chaotic nature of the current economic situation, chapter 10, which evaluates monetary matters, was found to be particularly interesting.

To get a sense of what the treatment of each topic is like, consider the selections of chapter 11, which look “at life.” The first selection there summarizes the interesting historical background of Florence Nightingale, concluding with her statistical work on mortality rates in hospitals depending on room size per patient and cleanliness. Next comes a criticism of Gregor Mendel, who could have quite possibly fabricated his results, even though his theory is correct. This is followed by comparing the width of booster rockets to the rear end of a horse! Considering how fast rabbits procreate, why isn’t the world carpeted with rabbits? The author describes a simple mathematical model that explains this. Migration patterns of birds and bees (swarms) are analyzed; this is used to explain peer pressure to obtain a group consensus. These are only some of the topics found in this chapter.

What audience would appreciate the content of this book? It very much depends on what you are expecting to get out of it. This book is not meant to be an encyclopedia of mathematical derivations, and someone looking for advanced mathematical derivations should seek specialized texts. Indeed, most of the selections do not have formulas written down in the context of the presentation. While there are figures sporadically included throughout the book, there is only one graph (or table) found in chapter 1. Yet, this book is a math book and the sections are quite interesting and “fun.” If you are high school teacher and want to motivate your students, or run a math club, this text is for you. If you are a college teacher and want to spruce up your lectures with interesting and sometimes “weird” mathematical facts, this book is for you. Or, if you are a student and want to expand your knowledge of interesting applications of mathematics, then this book is also for you. And most importantly, if you just wanted to have a fun and interesting read, while increasing your general knowledge of mathematics, then this book is for you. The author should be congratulated for successfully distributing mathematical topics to the general public.

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