'Playful and deeply serious ... shows how exploring equality in maths may help the real world' NEW SCIENTIST

'Eugenia Cheng has humour, grace and a natural gift' DANIEL LEVITIN

'Clear, clever and friendly...even at her most whimsical, she is rigorous and insightful' ALEX BELLOS

When we see an equals sign, we usually see something clear cut: problem on one side, solution on the other. We might need to shuffle some things around - balance the equation - to get there, but it's all pretty clear cut...isn't it?

As it turns out, between those parallel lines lies something far more exciting than questions and answers. An equals sign is an invitation to a mathematical playground of choice and abstraction. By opening your mind to different mathematical choices and perspectives, you can unlock far greater insight than you could have dreamed.

Eugenia Cheng explores the rich and rewarding interplay between sameness and difference, and offers us a new way to see the world based on the choices and interpretations we make. A glorious celebration of mathematics, Unequal will change the way you think - in maths, and in life.

'Playful and deeply serious ... shows how exploring equality in maths may help the real world' NEW SCIENTIST

'Eugenia Cheng has humour, grace and a natural gift' DANIEL LEVITIN

'Clear, clever and friendly...even at her most whimsical, she is rigorous and insightful' ALEX BELLOS

When we see an equals sign, we usually see something clear cut: problem on one side, solution on the other. We might need to shuffle some things around - balance the equation - to get there, but it's all pretty clear cut...isn't it?

As it turns out, between those parallel lines lies something far more exciting than questions and answers. An equals sign is an invitation to a mathematical playground of choice and abstraction. By opening your mind to different mathematical choices and perspectives, you can unlock far greater insight than you could have dreamed.

Eugenia Cheng explores the rich and rewarding interplay between sameness and difference, and offers us a new way to see the world based on the choices and interpretations we make. A glorious celebration of mathematics, Unequal will change the way you think - in maths, and in life.

Read by the author.

At first glance, the concept of equality in maths seems unambiguous. When we see the equality sign, we think of 'solving for x' or balancing two sides of an equation or maybe even the many famous equations that make use of this elegant, innocuous symbol.

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But between those parallel lines lies a mathematical playground of choice and abstraction, leading to far greater insight than you could have dreamed. As it turns out, sameness and difference, equality and inequality, are not nearly as straightforward as they seem.

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Unequal explores the rich and rewarding interplay between sameness and difference, from numbers to manifolds to category theory and beyond in a glorious celebration of mathematics that will change the way you look at maths – and the world around you – forever.

This audiobook has been adapted for audio format. While all essential content is included and fully accessible through listening, a supplemental PDF is provided for additional reference. This material is not required to enjoy or understand the audiobook, but may offer helpful context or be of interest to listeners.