The Biggest Number in the World: A Journey to the Edge of Mathematics
Written by David Darling and Agnijo Banerjee
Narrated by Rick Adamson
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
From cells in our bodies to measuring the universe, big numbers are everywhere
We all know that numbers go on forever, that you could spend your life counting and never reach the end of the line, so there can’t be such a thing as a ‘biggest number’. Or can there?
To find out, David Darling and Agnijo Banerjee embark on an epic quest, revealing the answers to questions like: are there more grains of sand on Earth or stars in the universe? Is there enough paper on Earth to write out the digits of a googolplex? And what is a googolplex?
Then things get serious.
Enter the strange realm between the finite and the infinite, and float through a universe where the rules we cling to no longer apply. Encounter the highest number computable, infinite kinds of infinity and ask whether one infinity can be greater than another. At every turn, a cast of wild and wonderful characters threatens the status quo with their ideas, and each time the numbers get larger.
David Darling
David Darling is a science writer, astronomer and tutor. He is the author of nearly fifty books, including the bestselling Equations of Eternity. He lives in Dundee, Scotland. Together with Agnijo Banerjee, he is the co-author of the Weird Maths trilogy, and The Biggest Number in the World.
Related to The Biggest Number in the World
Related audiobooks
The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved: How Mathematical Genius Discovered the Language of Symmetry Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Prime Number Conspiracy: The Biggest Ideas in Math from Quanta Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World's Most Astonishing Number Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Is God a Mathematician? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A History of Pi Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Infinite Powers: How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Origins of the Universe: The Cosmic Microwave Background and the Search for Quantum Gravity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Weird Math: A Teenage Genius and His Teacher Reveal the Strange Connections Between Math and Everyday Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dark Matter & Dark Energy: The Hidden 95% of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5At the Edge of Time: Exploring the Mysteries of Our Universe's First Seconds Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lightness Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Exoplanets (Goldsmith): Hidden Worlds and the Quest for Extraterrestrial Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chandra's Cosmos: Dark Matter, Black Holes, and Other Wonders Revealed by NASA's Premier X-Ray Observatory Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ripples in Spacetime: Einstein, Gravitational Waves, and the Future of Astronomy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Significant Figures: The Lives and Work of Great Mathematicians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cosmic Revolutionary's Handbook: (Or: How to Beat the Big Bang) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Does E=MC² and Why Should We Care? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them: A Cosmic Quest from Zero to Infinity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Little Book of Black Holes: Science Essentials Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Universe: The book of the BBC TV series presented by Professor Brian Cox Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Knowledge Machine: How Irrationality Created Modern Science Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love and Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Number Theory: A Very Short Introduction Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alien Perspective: A New View of Humanity and the Cosmos Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Origin of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Light in the Darkness: Black Holes, the Universe, and Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Mathematics For You
Infinite Powers: How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Game Theory and Strategy Explained Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sacred Geometry: Unlocking the Spiritual Meaning of Various Shapes and Symbols Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Game Theory Basics Explained Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Basics of Statistics Explained Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quantum Physics for Beginners Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mastering Logical Fallacies: The Definitive Guide to Flawless Rhetoric and Bulletproof Logic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Freakonomics Rev Ed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It's a Numberful World: How Math Is Hiding Everywhere Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Game Theory: Understanding the Mathematics of Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Once Upon an Algorithm: How Stories Explain Computing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Simply Nietzsche Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Bang of Numbers: How to Build the Universe Using Only Math Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How To Lie With Statistics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mathematics for Human Flourishing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Standard Deviations: Flawed Assumptions, Tortured Data, and Other Ways to Lie with Statistics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Machinery of the Mind (An Interview) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Measurement Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chancing It: The Laws of Chance and What They Mean for You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Math of Life and Death Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Love and Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Biggest Number in the World
5 ratings0 reviews