The Big Bang of Numbers

PEN/WILSON LITERARY SCIENCE WRITING AWARD FINALIST 2023

'A beautifully written meditation on mathematics: whimsical, thought-provoking and deep' ALEX BELLOS, author of Alex's Adventures in Numberland

'Infinitely fascinating' THE TIMES

Our universe has multiple origin stories, from religious creation myths to the Big Bang of scientists. But if we leave those behind and start from nothing – no matter, no cosmos, not even empty space – could we create a universe using only maths?

In this new mathematical origin story, mathematician and award-winning novelist Manil Suri creates a natural progression of ideas needed to design our world, starting with numbers and continuing through geometry, algebra, and beyond. With evocative and engaging examples ranging from multidimensional crochet to the Mona Lisa’s asymmetrical smile, as well as ingenious storytelling that helps illuminate complex concepts like infinity and relativity, The Big Bang of Numbers charts a playful, inventive course to existence.

Distilled from almost four decades of teaching experience, and offering both striking new perspectives for maths aficionados and an accessible introduction for enthusiastic novices, The Big Bang of Numbers proves that we can all fall in love with maths.

'Who knew numbers could be so charming ... Suri takes us on a light-hearted journey all the way from nothing (zero) to infinity' KAREN JOY FOWLER, Booker-longlisted author of Booth