A Most Elegant Equation

Euler’s Formula and the Beauty of Mathematics

By: David Stipp

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

Bertrand Russell wrote that mathematics can exalt "as surely as poetry". This is especially true of one equation: ei(pi) + 1 = 0, the brainchild of Leonhard Euler, the Mozart of mathematics. More than two centuries after Euler's death, it is still regarded as a conceptual diamond of unsurpassed beauty. Called Euler's identity, or God's equation, it includes just five numbers but represents an astonishing revelation of hidden connections. It ties together everything from basic arithmetic to compound interest, the circumference of a circle, trigonometry, calculus, and even infinity. In David Stipp's hands, Euler's identity becomes a contemplative stroll through the glories of mathematics. The result is an ode to this magical field.

©2017 David Stipp (P)2017 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Bravo!

A beautifully accessible book showing the connections between five seemingly unrelated numbers. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys math, even if they’ve forgotten most of it.

High level math

The theme of the book is best absorbed in the first few chapters and the closing one. The middle would be better read, I'm sure, rather than listened to in an audiobook. Still, this book opens our minds to the ideas of Euler and the potential of mathematics. The narrator is fantastic.

super. amazing insight into the equation.

glad i bought it. learned something new and it was great siding a drive. audible

Unfortunately, the math was still above my head.

I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. Unfortunately the math was still love of my head and I couldn’t make sense I have some things he tried to explain. But I really enjoyed many of the human aspect he talked about such as the stories of various peoples lives.

Too dense for Audio only

I love the story and the narration. Very catchy.
However, this audiobook needs an accompanying PDF to follow the mathematical derivations. Euler may have been able to do all that math in his head and visualize the formulae, but I am not Euler and I cannot visualize and follow the derivations at the narrated speed. And rewinding the audio 5 times to write down the formulae by hand so as to retrace the steps of their derivations cannot be the purpose.

The absence of that PDF is the only reason why I am giving this only 3 stars overall. Otherwise, the book is fascinating.

Best and most engaging book on math I've read

Stipp does a great job of explaining the background and relationship between five of the most interesting numbers in math (i, pi, e, 0 and 1). He doesn't overdo the biography of Euler, but sketches a very happy genius all the same. Highly recommended.

Great math book to listen to

Not all math books translate well to audio but in this case it was a really enjoyable listen.
Writing and narration were quite good and the math was approachable even in this format.
The only thing missing is a pdf of the formulas and images from the last few chapters where I found myself wanting to work along with the author. This is not recommended while driving ;) but I may just re-listen to that section with a pad of paper so I can scratch out the ideas on paper

Great book!

Not well suited to audiobook

I don't think that audiobooks are a suitable medium for the algebraic manipulation of trigonometric expressions.

Hard to follow math in audio

hard to follow all the math in an audiobook. great story, good history, but too many verbal equations.

Good treatment of the subject

Overall a good journey through Euler's formula, with nice side trips through intriging relevant stories that were integral to Euler's great, beautiful equation. However, the author, who is a writer who once majored in math, epresses his sometimes fleeting grasp on the subject with the literary awkwardness. He has a journalist's understanding of mathematics, and the journalistic skill of a mathematician.