David Acheson is an Emeritus Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. After a career of teaching and research in applied mathematics, specialising in dynamics and fluid mechanics, he now writes and lectures on mathematics for young people and the general public. He was President of the Mathematical Association for 2010-11 and in 2013 he was awarded an Honorary D.Sc. by the University of East Anglia for his outstanding work in the popularisation of mathematics. He is the author of several OUP books, including The Wonder Book of Geometry in 2020 and The Spirit of Mathematics in 2023.

In this book, David J. Acheson invites readers on a lively journey through mathematics and mechanics, where simple curiosities open onto deep and beautiful ideas. From Galileo and Newton's Principia to Euler, Bernoulli, Hamilton, and Poincaré, amongst many other scientific luminaries, the story unfolds through chiral tippy-tops, double pendulums, vortex rings, waves of every kind, and the Golden ratio appearing in an unexpected place. Enriched by hand-drawn sketches and historical gems-from 15th-century manuscripts, to clapping insect wings and earthquakes at Dogger Bank-the book is written with warmth, wit, and clarity. With concise notes for each chapter, it presents mathematics as a creative, human adventure: surprising, illuminating, and a pleasure to read.

David Acheson is an Emeritus Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. After a career of teaching and research in applied mathematics, specialising in dynamics and fluid mechanics, he now writes and lectures on mathematics for young people and the general public. He was President of the Mathematical Association for 2010-11 and in 2013 he was awarded an Honorary D.Sc. by the University of East Anglia for his outstanding work in the popularisation of mathematics. He is the author of several OUP books, including The Wonder Book of Geometry in 2020 and The Spirit of Mathematics in 2023.

In this book, David J. Acheson invites readers on a lively journey through mathematics and mechanics, where simple curiosities open onto deep and beautiful ideas. From Galileo and Newton's Principia to Euler, Bernoulli, Hamilton, and Poincaré, amongst many other scientific luminaries, the story unfolds through chiral tippy-tops, double pendulums, vortex rings, waves of every kind, and the Golden ratio appearing in an unexpected place. Enriched by hand-drawn sketches and historical gems-from 15th-century manuscripts, to clapping insect wings and earthquakes at Dogger Bank-the book is written with warmth, wit, and clarity. With concise notes for each chapter, it presents mathematics as a creative, human adventure: surprising, illuminating, and a pleasure to read.

David Acheson is an Emeritus Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. After a career of teaching and research in applied mathematics, specialising in dynamics and fluid mechanics, he now writes and lectures on mathematics for young people and the general public. He was President of the Mathematical Association for 2010-11 and in 2013 he was awarded an Honorary D.Sc. by the University of East Anglia for his outstanding work in the popularisation of mathematics. He is the author of several OUP books, including The Wonder Book of Geometry in 2020 and The Spirit of Mathematics in 2023.

In this book, David J. Acheson invites readers on a lively journey through mathematics and mechanics, where simple curiosities open onto deep and beautiful ideas. From Galileo and Newton's Principia to Euler, Bernoulli, Hamilton, and Poincaré, amongst many other scientific luminaries, the story unfolds through chiral tippy-tops, double pendulums, vortex rings, waves of every kind, and the Golden ratio appearing in an unexpected place. Enriched by hand-drawn sketches and historical gems-from 15th-century manuscripts, to clapping insect wings and earthquakes at Dogger Bank-the book is written with warmth, wit, and clarity. With concise notes for each chapter, it presents mathematics as a creative, human adventure: surprising, illuminating, and a pleasure to read.