Promotional Information

Illustrated book showing that there are few degrees of separation between mathematics and topics that provoke interesting conversations.

About the Author

After training as a commercial artist, John de Phillis earned a Mechanical Engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology. His interests in engineering led him to seek a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley. His research in mathematics and sabbaticals have led him to Italy, England, Norway and Germany. He spent two years in Padua, Italy as Director of the University of California student exchange program. He is currently a private pilot and illustrator in Riverside, California, where he teaches at the University of California.

Reviews

'Instructive, amusing, provocative, and insidiously addictive, 777 Mathematical Conversation Starters serves up ample fodder for feeding mathematics into classroom discussions or even cocktail-party chatter.' Ivars Peterson, Science News Are you looking for a nice quote, poem, or cartoon to adorn your next speech, article or math exam If so, 777 Mathematical Conversation Starters is a great place to start looking. Arthur Benjamin, Harvey Mudd College 'In view of the difficulties with the public perception of mathematics, books like this can only help make the subject more approachable and less scary, and this particular book will be especially helpful to anyone wishing to bring an additional splash of color to a mathematics lecture for a general audience.' David Acheson, Jesus College, Oxford