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The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel

Name: The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel
Brand: Oxford University Press
SKU: 9780195334579
Price: 38.99 USD
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Contributors:

William Goldbloom Bloch

Publisher:

Oxford University Press

Binding:

Hardcover

Book Category:

Mathematics, Literary Criticism, Science

Book Subcategory:

Caribbean & Latin American, Space Science

Book Topic:

Cosmology

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The product is eligible for a complimentary return within 30 days from the date of purchase. Furthermore, individual items are shipped within 24 hours of receiving the order.

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Specifications +

Release Date:

2008-08-25

ISBN 13:

9780195334579

Weight:

0.85 lbs

Size:

8.40 x 5.80 x 0.90 inches

Pages:

224

Mint Condition +

product description

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.

About the Author
William Goldbloom Bloch is Professor of Mathematics at Wheaton College.

The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel

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