Mubeen, Junaid – The Bell Bookshop

Think Like a Mathematician

Emma — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

When we learn about abstract mathematical concepts – from prime numbers and fractals to aspects of calculus – the most common question is often: when on earth will I need this? To many of us, so-called ‘pure’ mathematics is downright baffling. Yet these concepts are what underpin the world we live in, from internet security to the transmission of radio waves. When you start to think like a mathematician, the secrets of technology and modern life suddenly make sense.Junaid Mubeen regards mathematics as a collection of thinking tools that can enrich the way we approach our everyday lives. In Think Like a Mathematician, he presents a catalogue of enlightening mathematical concepts. Some will be familiar from school, but the majority are ideas that readers will not have encountered before. And anyone – from mathematicians to self-proclaimed mathophobes – can learn from them. All of these ideas are easy to grasp, and a few may even reshape the way you see the world.

Mathematical intelligence

Emma — Thu, 09 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

There’s so much talk about the threat posed by intelligent machines that it sometimes seems as though we should surrender to our robot overlords. But Junaid Mubeen isn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. As far as he is concerned, we have the creative edge over machines, because of a remarkable system of thought that humans have developed over the millennia. It’s familiar to us all, but often badly taught in schools and misrepresented in popular discourse – maths. Computers are, of course, brilliant at totting up sums, pattern-seeking and performing mindless tasks of, well, computation. For all things calculation, machines reign supreme. But Junaid identifies seven areas of intelligence where humans can retain a crucial edge. And in exploring these areas, he opens up a fascinating world where we can develop our uniquely human mathematical superpowers.

Mathematical Intelligence

Emma — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

FROM THE PRESENTER OF THE TEDx TALK ‘You weren’t bad at maths – you just weren’t looking at it the right way”Compelling and wonderfully readable’ – Ian Stewart, bestselling author of Seventeen Equations that Changed the World’AI is powerful, but human thinking is differently powerful, and Junaid Mubeen deftly shows us how’ – Eugenia Cheng, author of How to Bake PiThere’s so much talk about the threat posed by intelligent machines that it sometimes seems as though we should surrender to our robot overlords now. But Junaid Mubeen isn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. As far as he is concerned, we have the edge over machines because of a remarkable system of thought developed over the millennia. It’s familiar to us all, but often badly taught and misrepresented in popular discourse – maths. Computers are brilliant at totting up sums, pattern-seeking and performing, well, computation. For all things calculation, machines reign supreme. But Junaid identifies seven areas of intelligence where humans can retain a crucial edge. And in exploring these areas, he opens up a fascinating world where we can develop our uniquely human mathematical superpowers.