Shape

The Hidden Geometry of Absolutely Everything

By: Jordan Ellenberg

Narrated by: Jordan Ellenberg

Brought to you by Penguin.

How should a democracy choose its representatives? How does disease spread? How do computers teach themselves chess, and why is chess easier for them than analyzing a sentence? What should your kids study in school if they really want to learn to think? All of these are questions about geometry.

Jordan Ellenberg reveals the mathematics behind some of the most important scientific, political and philosophical conundrums we face. The word 'geometry', from the Greek, means 'measuring the world'. If anything, geometry doesn't just measure the world - it explains it. Shape shows us how.

© Jordan Ellenberg 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Critic reviews

This mind-bending book will change how you see the world (Five stars) (Simon Ings)

Shape is a triumph of mathematical exposition, exposing profound truths - from the nature of distance to the predictability of randomness - as well as profound mistakes - from historical misattributions to Supreme Court justice hardheadedness - with eloquence and hilarious wit. Ellenberg's evident affection for both his subject and his reader makes us feel like the lucky ones who get to hear him hold forth in an intimate setting about his favorite subject, mathematics (Cathy O'Neil)

Ellenberg's skill as a storyteller, combined with a natural ability to spot otherwise obscure connections, enables him to capitalize on geometry as math's gateway drug... A deeply enjoyable and insightful book (Matt Parker)

Ellenberg, in both his arguments and his enthusiasm, is persuasive (Michael Prodger)

Serious mathematics at its intriguing, transporting best . . . [A] humorous, anecdotally rich dive into numerous mathematical theories

Unreasonably entertaining... reveals how geometric thinking can allow for everything from fairer American elections to better pandemic planning (Parul Sehgal)

Droopy cheese and the curve of the Earth, the everyday and the cosmic, are beautifully interwoven in the mathematician Jordan Ellenberg's new book Shape (Derek Thompson)

Almost anyone is likely to enjoy Ellenberg's prose, and mind

Interesting but not as much as hoped for

The book was quite interesting but not as much as I had hoped for. I have to say I liked the part about the gerrymandering a lot. The other aspects were in part less interesting.