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The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets

Written by: Simon Singh
Narrated by: Lexie McDougall
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Publisher's Summary

Bloomsbury presents The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets by Simon Singh, read by Lexie McDougall.

The brainy book by the best-selling author of Fermat’s Enigma - a must for anyone interested in numbers and mathematics, as well as for the millions of Simpsons fans worldwide.

You may have watched hundreds of episodes of The Simpsons (and its sister show Futurama) without ever realizing that cleverly embedded in many plots are subtle references to mathematics, ranging from well-known equations to cutting-edge theorems and conjectures. That they exist, Simon Singh reveals, underscores the brilliance of the shows’ writers, many of whom have advanced degrees in mathematics in addition to their unparalleled sense of humor.

While recounting memorable episodes such as 'Bart the Genius' and 'Homer3', Singh weaves in mathematical stories that explore everything from p to Mersenne primes, Euler’s equation to the unsolved riddle of P v. NP; from perfect numbers to narcissistic numbers, infinity to even bigger infinities and much more. Along the way, Singh meets members of The Simpsons’ brilliant writing team - among them David X. Cohen, Al Jean, Jeff Westbrook, and Mike Reiss - whose love of arcane mathematics becomes clear as they reveal the stories behind the episodes.

With wit and clarity, displaying a true fan’s zeal, and replete with images from the shows, photographs of the writers, and diagrams and proofs, The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets offers an entirely new insight into the most successful show in television history.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2013 Simon Singh (P)2021 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

What the critics say

"Mathematical concepts both useful and obscure explained via the antics of America's favorite yellow family!" (Mental Floss)

"Plenty of solid, vest-pocket profiles of both the show's writers and great mathematicians of the past.... A fun trip with the ultimate TV vehicle for pop culture mathematics.'' (Kirkus Reviews)

"Simon Singh's excellent book blows the lid off a decades-long conspiracy to secretly educate cartoon viewers." (David X. Cohen, writer for The Simpsons and Futurama)

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