The prize-winning essays in this book address the fascinating but sometimes uncomfortable
relationship between physics and mathematics. Is mathematics merely another natural science? Or
is it the result of human creativity? Does physics simply wear mathematics like a costume or
is math the lifeblood of physical reality?The nineteen wide-ranging highly imaginative and
often entertaining essays are enhanced versions of the prize-winning entries to the FQXi essay
competition Trick or Truth which attracted over 200 submissions.The Foundational Questions
Institute FQXi catalyzes supports and disseminates research on questions at the foundations
of physics and cosmology particularly new frontiers and innovative ideas integral to a deep
understanding of reality but unlikely to be supported by conventional funding sources.
