How do you apply game theory to select who should be on your Christmas shopping list? What equations should you use to decorate the Christmas tree? Will calculations show Santa is getting steadily thinner-shimmying up and down chimneys for a whole night-or fatter-as he munches on cookies and milk in billions of houses across the world? In The Indisputable Existence of Santa Claus, distinguished mathematicians Hannah Fry and Thomas Oléron Evans demonstrate,...

From the mathematics of mazes, to cones with a twist, and the amazing sphericon - and how to make one - Ian Stewart is back with more mathematical stories and puzzles that are as quirky as they are fascinating, and each from the cutting edge of the world of mathematics. We find out about the mathematics of time travel, explore the shape of teardrops (which are not tear-drop shaped, but something much, much more strange!), dance with dodecahedra, and...

"We know that we use numbers pretty often, some of us confidently, others reluctantly. But are you aware of just how essential they are to almost every decision we make? Counting and measuring when we're shopping, travelling, studying or playing are just the beginning; the applications of numbers are seemingly endless, from assessing variables and analyzing data to the predictions of advanced artificial intelligence. 30-Second Numbers explores number...