The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel
- ISBN-10
- 0199715165
- ISBN-13
- 9780199715169
- Category
- Mathematics
- Pages
- 224
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2008-08-25
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Author
- William Goldbloom Bloch
Description
"The Library of Babel" is arguably Jorge Luis Borges' best known story--memorialized along with Borges on an Argentine postage stamp. Now, in The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel, William Goldbloom Bloch takes readers on a fascinating tour of the mathematical ideas hidden within one of the classic works of modern literature. Written in the vein of Douglas R. Hofstadter's Pulitzer Prize-winning G?del, Escher, Bach, this original and imaginative book sheds light on one of Borges' most complex, richly layered works. Bloch begins each chapter with a mathematical idea--combinatorics, topology, geometry, information theory--followed by examples and illustrations that put flesh on the theoretical bones. In this way, he provides many fascinating insights into Borges' Library. He explains, for instance, a straightforward way to calculate how many books are in the Library--an easily notated but literally unimaginable number--and also shows that, if each book were the size of a grain of sand, the entire universe could only hold a fraction of the books in the Library. Indeed, if each book were the size of a proton, our universe would still not be big enough to hold anywhere near all the books. Given Borges' well-known affection for mathematics, this exploration of the story through the eyes of a humanistic mathematician makes a unique and important contribution to the body of Borgesian criticism. Bloch not only illuminates one of the great short stories of modern literature but also exposes the reader--including those more inclined to the literary world--to many intriguing and entrancing mathematical ideas.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2008-08-25
- 213 pages
- Paperback
- Oxford University Press
-
- 2008-08-25
- 224 pages
- Ebook
- Oxford University Press
Similar books
-
Integral Geometry and Tomography: Proceedings of the AMS-IMS-SIAM Joint Summer Research Conference, Held June 24-30, 1989, with Support from the...
By Eric Grinberg, Eric Todd QuintoIn Section 2 we will deal with the “discrete” case. Let S be a locally finite tree T endowed with the natural integer-valued distance function: the ...
-
Ordinary Differential Equations and Linear Algebra: A Systems Approach
By Todd Kapitula... for in this case [yp](s)=s[yp](s), [yp](s)=s2[yp](s). As we will see in the examples, this assumption also makes it possible to deal with the initial ...
-
Cognition and Intractability: A Guide to Classical and Parameterized Complexity Analysis
By Iris van Rooij, Mark Blokpoel, Johan Kwisthoutx,y∈S δ(x,y) is maximum. u(x) + ADDITIVE SUBSET CHOICE Input: A set X = {x1 ,x2 ... F Tractability cycle Test 8.2 How (Not) to Deal with Intractability 173.
-
Mymathlab -- Standalone Access Card
By Pearson Education, David P Pearson Education, Hall H Pearson EducationSeveral versions of Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products exist for each title, including customized versions for individual schools, and registrations are not transferable.
-
Mymathlab Student Acc Kit + Intro Alg Wrkshts
By Inc. Pearson EducationMymathlab Student Acc Kit + Intro Alg Wrkshts
-
Pearson Mathematics 7: H.P
By Pearson Education Australia StaffPearson Mathematics homework program for Year 7 provides tear-out sheets which correspond with student book sections, providing systematic and cumulative skills revision of basic skills and current class topics in the form of take-home ...
-
Worksheets for Classroom Or Lab Practice for Intermediate Algebra: Graphs & Models
By Addison-WesleyWorksheets for Classroom Or Lab Practice for Intermediate Algebra: Graphs & Models
-
Pearson Mathematics New South Wales 8 Student Book: Australian Curriculum
By Pearson Education Australia Staff, Gael McLeod, David CoffeyThe Student Book provides an easy-to-use 'nuts and bolts' book at each year level.
-
Matrix Iterative Analysis
By Richard S. Varga... partial differential equations have received a great deal of attention. For excellent bibliographical coverage, see Todd (1956), Richtmyer (1957), ...
-
Mathematical Modelling: Education, Engineering and Economics - ICTMA 12
By C Haines, P Galbraith, W BlumTodd, P. A., McKeen, .l. ... ANALYTICAL SUPPORT PROBLEM SOLVING Cognitive Perspectives on Modelling HOW DO STUDENTS AND TEACHERS DEAL Sodhi and Son 219 NOTE ...