Reaching for the Extreme: How the Quest for the Biggest, Fewest and Weirdest Makes Maths
Feb 2026 · Profile Books
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infoThis book will become available on February 12, 2026. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this ebook
FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF PROFESSOR STEWART'S CABINET OF MATHEMATICAL CURIOSITIES
'Britain's most brilliant and prolific populariser of maths' ALEX BELLOS
What is the maximum land you can enclose inside a given border?
What is the minimum number of colours you can use to colour in a map so that no region shares a shade?
And how do you calculate the shortest route between two cities?
These questions may not sound related, but they have this in common: they all explore extremes: shortest lines, greatest areas, fewest colours. They have also given rise to some of the most important areas of mathematical study and have resulted in a myriad of applications - from the legend of Dido's founding of the city of Carthage to contemporary satellite navigation systems.
From soap bubbles to the cosmos, Britain's most beloved mathematician tells the fascinating stories of the people and ideas pushing the very bounds of mathematics - and the discoveries that have changed our lives.
'Britain's most brilliant and prolific populariser of maths' ALEX BELLOS
What is the maximum land you can enclose inside a given border?
What is the minimum number of colours you can use to colour in a map so that no region shares a shade?
And how do you calculate the shortest route between two cities?
These questions may not sound related, but they have this in common: they all explore extremes: shortest lines, greatest areas, fewest colours. They have also given rise to some of the most important areas of mathematical study and have resulted in a myriad of applications - from the legend of Dido's founding of the city of Carthage to contemporary satellite navigation systems.
From soap bubbles to the cosmos, Britain's most beloved mathematician tells the fascinating stories of the people and ideas pushing the very bounds of mathematics - and the discoveries that have changed our lives.
About the author
Ian Stewart is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at the University of Warwick. He is the author of the bestseller Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities, as well as What's the Use?, Do Dice Play God?, Significant Figures, Incredible Numbers, Seventeen Equations that Changed the World, Professor Stewart's Casebook of Mathematical Mysteries and Calculating the Cosmos. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society.
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