Math Illuminated: A Visual Exploration of Ideas and Applications
Join Ben Orlin, the beloved math blogger and author of the underground bestseller Math with Bad Drawings, on a whimsical and enlightening journey through the world of mathematics. Orlin’s unique blend of humor, storytelling, and unforgettable stick figures brings complex concepts to life, making math accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
From the fundamentals of calculus to the intricacies of game theory, Math Illuminated explores a wide range of mathematical ideas. Discover the hidden beauty of equations, the power of logical thinking, and the unexpected ways math shapes our daily lives. Whether you’re a math enthusiast or simply looking to sharpen your mind, this book offers a fresh and engaging perspective on the subject.
With captivating stories, interactive games, and Orlin’s signature wit, Math Illuminated is a must-read for anyone curious about the fascinating world of mathematics.
Hans de Grys –
I love this book. Orlin leads a playful romp through a universe of mathematical ideas, with interesting stories, anecdotes, and examples. The book is at once profound but also highly accessible. Math-lovers will find a lot of to appreciate about this book, but so will young people, teachers, engineers and scientists, and the math-curious layperson. It’s laugh-out-loud funny in nearly every chapter, but your giggles and chortles will be interspersed with fascinated “hmmm…” and surprised “Ahhh!”s. The “bad drawings” are a highlight, but the clever writing is the real star. I can’t wait for volume 2! There will be a volume 2, right Mr. Orlin??
Reviewer –
I am familiar with the author’s blog and ordered this book thinking a math teacher friend would enjoy the humorous illustrations. I was surprised to see a lot more in the way of math explanation than I had expected. My kids were intrigued by an “Oral History of the Death Star” and why ants have no fear of falling. So we ended up buying one a copy for our family too.
The second half of the book is heavy on probability/statistics/reasoning and makes the ideas very accessible.
Jb –
I pre-ordered the book and was so excited when it arrived! I’m on Chapter 4 and can’t put it down. Ben’s writing style and explanations are engaging, truthful, insightful, and easy to understand. As a math teacher (and a lifelong math student), I especially identified with the chapter on how students see math. I plan to share many of the topics in the book with my high school math students. My wheels are spinning to create activities or discussion topics to weave into my classes from things that I’ve read so far in this book. Can’t wait to see what the rest of the book brings!
mathfordragons –
Is you have read Silver’s signal and the noise, you will recognize the amazing overlap between awesome mathematical ideas and the world around us. I have followed Ben Orlin’s blog for years and he does not disappoint, even though the book is much more intellectual that *some* of his blog posts. Anyone wanting to review this book before buying should check out the amazing work Orlin has done on his blog for explaining math education in our modern age.
James Orlin –
This is a great book! You will love this book! It’s the best book I’ve read all year, and I don’t say this just because the author is my son. You should buy it for yourself and give this book as a gift to anyone you know who loves math, or likes math, or at least isn’t phobic about math. You should definitely give this book as a gift to each your children, assuming that your child is at least 12 years old and isn’t the author. By the way, the author refers to “bad drawings.” I find the drawings cute and endearing. And they are WAY better than anything I can draw.
J. Bassett –
OK, with the title of “Math with Bad Drawings,” I’m not quite sure what I expected, but I’m not disappointed. It is not heavy on the math, meaning there is enough English to make reading it enjoyable.
I haven’t sat down and read the book yet; I’ve done the “let’s check out this part” routine. I plan on starting it this weekend. I don’t have the book in front of me, but there is one chapter about Darth Vader’s Death Star that I’m looking forward to reading.
Once I’m finished, the rating may increase. 🙂
Calico lady –
I found this book to be an enjoyable and informative read, and yes sir, I also read the endnotes. I also was inspired to check out the web sites Mr Orlin provided; well worth the detour. I love his artwork as well, and as someone who is not so talented in math, I found a new level of understanding and appreciation. Many thanks for a delightful read!
Hyacinth –
This book does not contain all that much math. You won’t learn to factor trinomials or do all that stuff from fourth semester calculus that I never quite got a handle on. What the book does contain is loads of fun plus a straightforward review of some of the principles of mathematical research plus more fun plus a bit of math plus fun. All this sums up to a great read, enjoyable by everyone who’s ever opened a textbook and asked, “why the heck is this so boring?!”
Boutros Ghassibi –
Fun to read. A little slow for an adult.
A lot of witty sarcasm; a little too much for me.
MikeyMommy –
I am a middle school math teacher and I cannot say enough great things about this book. It is written with humor and in a style to be understood and appreciated by any adult, math inclined or not. I left it sitting on the kitchen table and my 11-year-old began flipping through it, drawn-in by the cute and quirky illustrations. He became engrossed, reading about complex math topics for longer than I ever would have predicted. If more adults could appreciate math in this way, and pass that appreciation on to their kids, we’d have a more math-literate society. Everyone, please, read this book! You won’t regret it.
R. Sine –
What a fun way to engage my daughter in learning math. She has been so hesitant about doing any type of math because we just really struggled with finding a way to teach it that didn’t leave her in tears of frustration. We haven’t done much with it but she actually picked it up herself and started reading. I have hope!!! I’ll update soon with how she’s doing as far as the actual learning but for now I think it’s pretty great.
Fran R –
this is a great fun way to think about the many ways that math is part of our lives. i’ve been trying to figure out how to incorporate it into middle school math, so if anyone out there has some ideas…
johnK –
It’s a far ranging humorously written math book that is made charming by the clever, truly primitive and subtle drawings. The drawings are an essential part of the story and add a great deal. I’ve a couple of technical degrees and still learned some things. I think a curious non-technical person would be rewarded by reading it. It has formulas but don’t require math skills beyond high school.
Athan –
A Pixar movie of a book: the plot is for the kids; the jokes are for the adults.
With that said, the jokes are AWESOME, the little cartoons much better than the title suggests and the (ninth grade) math is explained so well I wish I had this book in ninth grade. Perhaps these days it’s an eighth grade book, I don’t know. (My kids are still too young.)
Also, rather embarrassingly, I LEARNED STUFF FROM HERE. No, I did not learn math. I learned stuff I ought to have figured out for myself but was too focused on my grades to ponder. Like, why elephants have thick legs: for the same reason the sky is black! I’m serious, it’s the same reason and you can read it here…
Halfway through the book the author actually runs out of amazing things about the natural world and from there he takes you to the mathematics of Wall Street and the IRS, which I did not find as captivating, let us say. It all remains just as funny, though.
So this was a fun book to read. Probably an awesome gift for your friends’ kids. If the little ones don’t read it, the adults will at least get some good laughs out of it.
Alyssa James –
I’m definitely not a mathematician or really all that good at math, but I love so many things about it. This kind of math book is in the same family for me as Vihart videos or xkcd comics/books. This sort of thing makes me happy and reminds me that math is fun and I only hate computation sometimes. Math isn’t just computation and I love good explanations, especially when I didn’t know I didn’t know something. So fun!
James Orlin –
If you liked “Math with Bad Drawings”, then you should buy this book. If you have taken calculus, this book will offer you a rich repertoire of stories, poems, cartoons, and witticisms that will delightfully enhance your understanding of calculus. If you have never taken calculus, this book will offer you a rich repertoire of stories, poems, cartoons and witticisms that will gently and delightfully offer you insights into calculus and how it helps us to understand the world in which we live. Ben Orlin is a wonderfully talented author. In addition, he is a wonderful son.
John Menefee –
Lovely wit, a thorough knowledge of the subject, and a sympathy for those in reader land that may not quite get all of it make the author a shining example of what a good teacher should be. And what is a non-fiction writer but a teacher? Thank you, Mr Orlin. May I sit in the back row of your classroom one day and never be tempted to throw spitballs!
MDauldschool –
I am not facile in math and have no desire to tackle difficult equations. But I do recognize that math is fundamental to the world as we conceive it. This book gave me insight to the underlying principles of mathematics and was both interesting and enjoyable.
Dani Lederman –
Great book, makes calculus as fun as it could probably ever get.
C. Evans –
The author and book does a very good job of balancing the practical applications of derivatives and integrals with their inherent beauty. It’s not a book that someone can use as a textbook, although there is a helpful guide at the back to connect each chapter to what you might encounter in a traditional calculus curriculum. The book is probably best described as a good companion reference for students in the midst of taking calculus or maybe just afterward, the latter to have a broader perspective to be able to fully appreciate the material. It’s also a good reference for calculus instructors; I found myself wishing at several points that I had been exposed in my calculus classes to examples and insight similar to those conveyed in the book, particularly with respect to conceptualizing derivatives and the chain rule.
Venkatesh –
The book does not teach math but presents math in different contexts to help the reader appreciate math. For example, it touches upon lotteries, insurance, genes, 2008 financial crash (yes, indeed!), batting averages, p-hacking (oh yeah!), school ranking, pricing, tax brackets, US election (really?), and also machine learning (kinda) while trying to illustrate how match was (ab)used in these contexts.
The book provides a practical perspective about math to a reader who is starting to learn about geometry, probability, and statistics. While prior knowledge/awareness about the contexts will improve the experience, the book can also serve as a guide/cursor to learn about discussed contexts.
AJ Duckworth –
My son was born in the wrong era. Not many years ago he would’ve worn a pocket protector and carried a slide rule. He has the glasses, but without the strategically placed tape in the middle (so far). He loves math. He very much enjoyed this book.
Dale E Alleshouse –
Change is the Only Constant is a thoroughly entertaining book. There aren’t many authors who could juxtapose humor, history, and mathematical theory into a coherent narrative; however, Ben Orlin does so artfully. While the book clearly states that it won’t “teach you calculus”(p. 17), it does provide the “whys” of calculus that are so often absent from traditional math pedagogy. Mr. Orlin showcases his masterful teaching skills by educating readers without their knowledge. Each analogy is deftly crafted to provide expert insight. The historical accounts and related stories also conspire to make the subject come alive. The final icing on the cake is the comical drawings. There isn’t anything about this book that I didn’t enjoy. In conclusion, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys witty whimsy regardless of their predilection for calculus.
gilroy0 –
This is not a book to teach you how to do calculus. It’s a book exploring why you might want to. Orlin combines a breezy prose with his trademark stick figures to illuminate mathematical stories. It’s wry, engaging, and highly readable.
Kathy W. –
Very clear explanations. Range of topics covered a bit thin for someone with accounting background. i.e. I already knew 50% or more. For general population probably great.
The Polymath –
Calculus is generally viewed as one of mathematics’ most difficult disciplines. I really enjoyed Ben Orlin’s new book. It takes a lot of skill to take a challenging subject and make it accessible to a general audience and fun at the same time. He cleverly compares various areas of life to the concepts of derivatives and integrals. Well done!
Alfonso Gonzalez Orduño –
Simple and understandable ! It is a must reading for all that one that is in the path of fall in love with maths
Marlow –
Definitely not a textbook and not advertised as one; but certainly a great companion to those studying mathematics, and delightfully reminiscence of classroom days of long ago. It’s actually a 3 in 1 book – elements of history, elements of calculus, and great jokes and puns. Just as math gets better the more math one does, this book gets better the further along one reads. At least one good laugh every few pages. Now I must find someone to share this with. Hm….
Tizzy –
Here’s the deal: I’m an engineer.
Here’s the other deal: I despise calculus and suck at it.
Here’s the reason: Colleges teach calculus in absurdly formal, mathematical ways, focusing on having students learn a bunch of formulas rather than on having them understand what any of it means anyway. On top of that, the reliance on the antiderivative as an integral method means students spend years trying to perfect this skill – even when as professionals most won’t use it at all, since we have calculators and software that use paradoxically more reliable numerical methods.
Here’s the detail about this book: It’s written in the same way college classes should be taught. It focuses on helping you understand what a derivative is (other than the calculus 101 definition of “the inclination of the tangent against the curve” that means absolutely nothing) and what an integral means. Then it gives you interesting, fun examples of it.
This book won’t really make you good at maths or formal calculus, since it teaches no formulas or mathematical methods. It will, however, allow you to understand just what it is you’re doing and why.
And if I had known what I was doing and why when I was a student, my career would’ve been much, much, much easier.
I can’t recommend this enough.
Michael P –
Each chapter is essentially a truly excellent calculus lesson. The writing is smart and sharp, and the math is real and valuable. A really terrific companion for any teacher or student of calculus.
Attycat –
I really enjoyed this book. I don’t have a strong math background but I was able to understand and enjoy all of the concepts presented. Strongly recommend.
tinker –
I bought this because I like his first book “math with bad drawings”
I enjoyed this one more. This won’t teach you calculus, but it will teach you ABOUT calculus. Give you an understanding of what it’s about.
Grounded for Reading –
I am a high school student who read this for enrichment while taking Algebra 2. I think this book was a fantastic read. The drawings were humorous and added with the text that corresponded with them, subjects or topics became understandable. The writing itself was smooth and engaging. I also appreciated the careful organization of the book. Not only was this an entertaining book, but the information itself was also interesting, and gave me something to think about after each segment. “Math With Bad Drawings” is perfect when you’re aligning it with highschool math.
Thoughtful Mom –
My 13 year old math whiz son loved it!
Serge Marinkovic MD –
Provides the reader a series of stories of the implementation of calculus to solve problems. With the stories the logic and overall straightforwardness of derivatives and integration can be better understood. Will reread to get continued growth in its understanding
Carlos Eduardo Gonzalez –
This book is ideal for people who want to learn about various topics in mathematics in a fun and enticing way.
If you have a friend, parter or family member that doesn’t like mathematics, recommend them this book, it’s ideal for teaching the fun in mathematics.
Berea drug –
This book does the nearly impossible job of making math fun and interesting. I’m in my late 40’s and a lot of what he discusses is a faint memory to me but it was fun reconnecting with the subject matter in an often hilarious and always interesting manner
Ian Simon –
The first few chapters had specific mathematical concepts. Subsequent chapters seemed to focus on more abstract and broader topics of mathematical applications in society. I was hoping for more interesting mathematical concepts, but it was still very interesting and an enjoyable read.
JM –
I wish chapters from this book accompanied text book readings in various courses while I was in school. Pragmatism and humor make the complex digestible… and entertaining!
{{cid}} –
I used to love STEM, but then found the world doesn’t work like Math class… but then found that the world really does and those who stick with it can climb intellectually closer to the sun.
Oxana K. –
It does not matter if you study math, work in finance, marketing, journalism, anything, you’ll enjoy the book. The clever insights, the forgotten common sense, the wit of the book make it a pure delight to read!
Anonymous –
This book is so good. Completely lives up to expectations. If you love dots and boxes, and are looking to expand your pencil and paper game horizons, it does that and more.
Daniel Finkel –
Funny, beautifully written, informative overview of math games and their deeper relationship to mathematics. A wonderful read!
Daniel Kuck-Alvarez –
The best book I’ve bought this year
elliesan77 –
I originally backed this book on Kickstarter and was pleasantly surprised when I received this hefty tome of games. The games are so much fun and remind me all the old paper games I used to play as a kid. My daughter loves playing them with me and doesn’t believe that any of them are actually math games. I have since bought 3 more copies to give as gifts.
LoRider –
This book is just fun – both the games and the writing! These games involve the deep level logical thinking that is at the heart of mathematics – it is not basic arithmetic games. Even if you don’t play a single game, the book is so witty, entertaining and insightful that it’s worth reading anyway. I found parts laugh out loud funny.
I bought this book the day before our family went on a trip, but I didn’t get to read it as much as intended because my twelve year old son confiscated it and read it cover-to-cover. This book turned out to be a perfect travel companion – my family played games like Quantum Go-Fish, Dandelions, Win-Lose-Banana, Quantum Tic-Tac-Toe and Sprouts in the car and at the airport. Even my eight year old son has requested to play these games again and has gotten our family playing Quantum Go Fish at dinner. Read the book because it’s interesting, play the games because they’re fun, and find yourself smarter in the end – the way all good learning happen.
Karen –
While the title (which includes “math”) made scare some away, this book initiates the non-mathematician to sensible and easy to understand utility and pervasiveness of mathematical principles in our conception of the world around us…it presents the a,b,c’s of how the universal language of mathematics underlies most of what we “know” or at least believe to be true (beliefs can become fact or fiction simply by changing initial assumptions)— acceptance of such truths are another matter. In short—if you love math you’ll enjoy the simplicity with which the author presents it—if you”hate” math (or just have bad memories of head-banging trying to figure out what the point of a, b, and c is anyway), you’ll see that, when presented simple, it actually makes sense!
Heather L Letterle –
This book is suggested for extra reading on the Ambleside Online lists. Enjoyable reading. Go for it. My 13yr old really liked reading it. I found that it influenced and improved my foundational math teaching with his little brothers.
Carol –
My students love the games in this book.
Mustafa EKER –
Bu kitabın Türkçeye mutlaka çevrilmesi lazım. Aynı kalitede aynı ebatlarda ve aynı tasarımla birebir basılması lazım. Matematiği sevdirecek yeni yaklaşımlara farklı eserlere çok ihtiyacımız var. Ben Orlin Hoca inanılmaz işler çıkarıyor. Hayranlıkla takip ediyorum. Tüm kitaplarını da aldım.
K. Hickman –
I have four children ages 6-17 and I also tutor middle school math and these games and explanations are so fun and fantastic for all of them. Truly this book rocks, thank you Mr. Orlin for your work!
Amanda K Olsen –
Fantastic book for math teachers and math enthusists.
Mr. Stephen Holmes –
I teach middle school and high school mathematics. One of my students’ parents mentioned this book to me. It looked intriguing so I got a copy. Spoiler alert: It has been revolutionary in my math teaching.
The games are very easily explained, even to squirrely seventh-graders, who can start playing almost right away but soon discover what appears to be a simple game actually has lots of twists and turns and strategies. I just finished playing one with a group of 30 kids (the combination game “Neighbors”) and it was a huge success. We played three games and the kids’ strategies completely changed by the end of the third game. You could watch their minds take in information, think it over, and come up with new plans. At the end, a student said, “That was so much fun! We should do that every Friday!”
I agree with the author that current math curriculum is dreadfully boring. This book of games brings the beauty and joy of math back into the classroom. I especially love how he relates the games to real-world situations which require similar thought processes.
I feel it should be part of everyone’s math curriculum. Heck, it should be part of every curriculum; it covers ideas in science, statistics, government, physics, and more! If you are a teacher, you won’t be disappointed.
TW –
My middle-school-aged son enjoys math and science, and he has loved the games in this book. I’ve played several with him and the ones I tried out were easy to learn, but challenging to master. I also wanted to point out that the book is a very nice hardcover and quite a bit larger than I expected.
l –
Fabulous. This and especially the book, Math Games with Bad Drawings, were hands-down my 10 year old’s favorite Christmas gifts. We have played at least a dozen games. They are all fun, pleasant “brain teasers”, not difficult.
Lori MacKenzie –
If you are looking for EASY games for your students (or children) to play, this is a GREAT book. I love the humor, great ideas, and background information for each game.
ells –
A really fun and educational game – really interesting different games
Roadrunner At Large –
I read the reviews and was expecting to like this book, but now that I have it, I like it even more than I expected. The first game alone was worth the purchase. The kids had fun with it, and mom and dad did too.
The games are fun for all ages, and are helpful too for those looking to brush up on some math skills.
Note, not all games are directly math-related, however they are STRATEGIC games that have a math bent if you care to look for it.
If you are looking at this, I highly recommend that you buy the hardcover. While I don’t have the “game” format of this game, my sense is that that is a waste. Buy the book, and you have all you need at home to play the games. This book proves you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a lot of fun.
duck –
Kids love it.
Stephanie Koerner –
A wonderful blend of humor, history and of course mathematics. This book provides the “why” that many students miss out on in typical math classes. It lends a sense of wonder, that working through formulas and algorithms cannot do easily on their own. It provides the fuel to start one’s journey into calculus.
Blue Moon –
This is a great collection of games, like an encyclopedia of paper and pencil games. Great resource to have for anyone with kids. Games like this make kids smarter. The author includes interesting historical notes and fun variations of the popular games you might already know.
Martin S Zohn –
This book provides a delightful and entertaining intuitive explanation of many very fundamental ideas in Calculus that textbooks usually deal with inadequately. It fills gaps that may have puzzled people who knew enough calculus to build a bridge or pass their final exam, but who were puzzled and wanted a slightly better explanation of the “why” or “how.” It takes you the “final step” or the critical connection that often was not presented in other Calculus Books. For example, why (really) does that mechanical formula for a derivative or an integral work and make sense intuitively? You may know how to compute it mechanically, and you may have a decent understanding of its derivation, proof and application; but this takes you the rest of the way, often to an ‘aha’ moment. Even the ubiquitous normal curve gets a brief explanation that fleshes out the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of the seemingly obscure, complicated mathematical formula that generates it.
There is plenty of wise-cracking throughout the book — some of it very funny, some of it merely ‘ok’ or even a little distracting from the somewhat ‘world changing’ revelations and insights. But, this sets the tone of this narrative as being like a good humored explanation by your favorite uncle or aunt who is relaxing with a beverage on your porch on a humid summer afternoon, and answering your questions in an unhurried way — but a very insightful, deep, cogent and revealing way.
Edgar G. –
Very happy with this purchase. Can’t yet speak to the quality of the book’s content, but I can say the book seller is reputable.
Connie –
Just what she wanted.
GT –
I really enjoy this book. I am a math professor, but I believe my middle schooler can read the book. It is entertaining and contains various topics in mathematics.
MrsChris –
My 9 year-old and I really enjoy these math games! Even my 4 year-old can play some of them. The handy white boards, markers, and other tools make it an easy, portable learning game. I would recommend!
Dan Beaudry –
The book is an impressive combo of math and the ‘real world.’ I’ve never been particularly good at math, but still find it fascinating as the language of nature. This book speaks to me on that level. The writing is great, the humor is rich, and the ideas are very interesting.
Jolandri –
Bought as a gift for someone who loves math. He loves it! The writer uses readable language, but even someone with a PhD in math would learn from it!
Niche –
This was a pretty slow start for me. The humor didn’t really click, and I didn’t find if particularly engaging until probability and statistics came to the fore about a third in. It mostly argues that math isn’t some esoteric and impractical exercise, but instead a language of logic.
Ava Courtney Sylvester –
Don’t like math? Try reading a book about it.
No, seriously, you should, if it’s this book.
Ben Orlin acts as the ideal teacher, able to explain some of the hardest aspects of his field of study in a way that amateurs and decades-out-of-practice people can comprehend. Along the way, you’ll see how math can be used to understand science, politics, economics, and even history. Whatever your interests are, there’s a way math can apply to them, thereby sparking an interest in math itself.
Final thought: Some of the best jokes are in the endnotes, including a great bit poking fun at the people thirsty enough to read the endnotes. He sees me!
Amy –
Ben Orlin makes math fun and accessible with this collection of games, complete with his clever drawings! This is a great resource for bringing some fun new ideas to math class— excited to get my middle schoolers playing!
James Orlin –
I really like this book. It’s filled with pleasurable “aha moments” where something you know (or knew) in math suddenly becomes clear and interesting. This book will be enjoyed and valued by a wide range of readers with a wide range of math backgrounds. But I’ll single out a very specific group. If you are a parent and want to help your elementary school child with math homework, this book will be will be enormously helpful to you, while also being a pleasure to read. It will provide you with mathematical insights and connections that will make it much easier for you to understand precisely what your child is learning (or should be learning) math. The book will make doing math with your child much more rewarding and pleasurable experience. And even if you are not the parent of an elementary school child, you will find the book to be a joy to read. Ben is a great writer, and he is also a great son.
Hua –
Children like it ! Recommend.
Daniela Tirnovan –
Ben Orlin’s take on math is a must read for anyone
Daniela Tirnovan –
Best book out there for fun math games with an easily digestible background on it