
The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets
Simon Singh
From bestselling author of Fermat's Last Theorem, a must-have for number lovers and Simpsons fans
'An entertaining picture of the insanely high-minded nature of the Simpsons’ writers' Sunday Times
'A valuable, entertaining book that, above all, celebrates a supremely funny, sophisticated show' Financial Times
You may have watched hundreds of episodes of The Simpsons (and its sister show Futurama) without ever realising that they contain enough maths to form an entire university course.
In The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets, Simon Singh explains how the brilliant writers, some of the mathematicians, have smuggled in mathematical jokes throughout the cartoon’s twenty-five year history, exploring everything from to Mersenne primes, from Euler’s equation to the unsolved riddle of P vs. NP, from perfect numbers to narcissistic numbers, and much more.
With wit, clarity and a true fan’s zeal, Singh analyses such memorable episodes as ‘Bart the Genius’ and ‘Homer³’ to offer an entirely new insight into the most successful show in television history.
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About Simon Singh
Reviews for The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets
David X Cohen, writer for The Simpsons and Futurama An entertaining picture of the insanely high-minded nature of the Simpsons’ writers
Sunday Times
Singh shows a knack for gliding seamlessly between abstract mathematical concepts and every day life, always seeking out the most engaging, human and topical examples. Singh’s clean prose, detailed research and enthusiasm for the world of numbers are likely to captivate even those for whom maths normally creates feelings of anxiety rather than mirth
The Times
A valuable, entertaining book that, above all, celebrates a supremely funny, sophisticated show
Financial Times
What have Homer and Bart got to do with Euler's equation, the googolplex or the topology of doughnuts? ... Simon Singh has fun weaving great mathematics stories around our favourite TV characters
New Scientist
Singh shows just how addictive maths can be
BBC Focus