This book offers a multifaceted perspective on mathematics by demonstrating 99 different proofs
of the same theorem. Each chapter solves an otherwise unremarkable equation in distinct
historical formal and imaginative styles that range from Medieval Topological and Doggerel
to Chromatic Electrostatic and Psychedelic. With a rare blend of humor and scholarly aplomb
Philip Ording weaves these variations into an accessible and wide-ranging narrative on the
nature and practice of mathematics. Inspired by the experiments of the Paris-based writing
group known as the Oulipo - whose members included Raymond Queneau Italo Calvino and Marcel
Duchamp - Ording explores new ways to examine the aesthetic possibilities of mathematical
activity. 99 Variations on a Proof is a mathematical take on Queneau's Exercises in Style a
collection of 99 retellings of the same story and it draws unexpected connections to
everything from mysticism and technology to architecture and sign language. Through diagrams
found material and other imagery Ording illustrates the flexibility and creative potential of
mathematics despite its reputation for precision and rigor. Readers will gain not only a
bird's-eye view of the discipline and its major branches but also new insights into its
historical philosophical and cultural nuances. Readers no matter their level of expertise
will discover in these proofs and accompanying commentary surprising new aspects of the
mathematical landscape--Back cover.
