The Loom of God: Mathematical Tapestries at the Edge of Time

The Loom of God takes an entertaining, indeed playful, look at numbers and mathematical patterns and the mystical properties that have often been ascribed to them. Clifford Pickover takes you on a romp through numerological history, introducing both its characters (such as the great mathematician Pythagoras) and its concepts: triangle numbers, "perfect" numbers, Fibonnaci numbers, and more. Pickover describes how ancient--and sometimes no-so-ancient--cultures and religions interpreted the significance of various numbers; he examines the geometry of Stonehenge and considers the probability of earth's annihilation by collision with an asteroid. While many authors could chronicle the history of mathematics and its relationship with mysticism and religion, few could do it with the verve and flair that Pickover manages.