How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics

What is math? How exactly does it work? And what do three siblings trying to share a cake have to do with it? In "How to Bake Pi," math professor Eugenia Cheng provides an accessible introduction to the logic and beauty of mathematics, powered, unexpectedly, by insights from the kitchen. We learn how the bechamel in a lasagna can be a lot like the number five, and why making a good custard proves that math is easy but life is hard. At the heart of it all is Cheng s work on category theory, a cutting-edge mathematics of mathematics, that is about figuring out how math works.Combined with her infectious enthusiasm for cooking and true zest for life, Cheng s perspective on math is a funny journey through a vast territory no popular book on math has explored before. So, what is math? Let s look for the answer in the kitchen.

Mobius bagels, Euclid's flourless chocolate cake and apple pi - this is maths, but not as you know it.In How to Bake Pi, mathematical crusader and star baker Eugenia Cheng has rustled up a batch of delicious culinary insights into everything from simple numeracy to category theory ('the mathematics of mathematics'), via Fermat, Poincare and Riemann.Maths is much more than simultaneous equations and pr2 : it is an incredibly powerful tool for thinking about the world around us. And once you learn how to think mathematically, you'll never think about anything - cakes, custard, bagels or doughnuts; not to mention fruit crumble, kitchen clutter and Yorkshire puddings - the same way again.

Stuffed with moreish puzzles and topped with a generous dusting of wit and charm, How to Bake Pi is a foolproof recipe for a mathematical feast.

Previously published under the title "Cakes, Custard & Category Theory".