Angles+Equations=Tears of Mathematical Misery

I'm not going to claim I understand trigonometry any better but I definately have more of an appreciation for it, and for the author who made a book about Maths readable and, even quite enjoyable :D

"Fun" Maths book about all things triangular from "recreational" maths writer and maths stand Up comedian, Matt Parker. This is a great book to dip into. Matt cleverly shows how triangles are everywhere in our lives and gets in a comprehensive course in Trigonometry from Pythagoras' Theorem that we all learnt at school ending with a delve into The Fourier series. It is all light hearted and fun but has serious maths underpinning it all. Watch Matt first on Youtube to see hwat he is about an if his style is for you. Matt's previous book "Humble Pi" is also a great read.

LOVE TRIANGLE is a humorous romp through the role triangles and the maths derived from them (like trig) plays in our world.

The book covers the discovery of these shapes and rules, including the surprisingly modern discoveries of new shapes. Then there are the applications from maps to molecular structure to dinosaur extinction. There's such a diversity of topics covered showing all the ways a seemingly simple shape (and some trig you might not have enjoyed at school) influences daily life.

The progression through the topics also allows for a cheeky (refresher) course on geometry and trigonometry. It's an accessible way of brushing up on your maths classes - and so much fun you won't notice it if maths was a drag at school (and if you did, then you can chuckle at how easily the curriculum is being slipped in.)

Matt Parker's trademark wry humour comes through well in this book. The photo and diagram caption are pun-tackular (I also appreciated the acknowledgment in the rainbow section that the pictures were not ideal given it's all printed grey-scale.)

If Calvin and Hobbes were about a mathematician and his triangle

There are so many things I could say about this book, but that would probably take a book as long again to explore what’s going on in Parker’s very readable and very funny (and not necessarily in that order) triangle fan biography. And the maths puns are terrible/fantastic [delete as appropriate]. Case in point: “I could go on about fractals forever.”

Parker has done something unusual, and possibly unasked for: he’s made maths fun. Triangles and trigonometry and even quantum physics can be fun examples of the power of maths. There’s an unalloyed joy on every page of this book that will equally tickle fans of Robin Ince or Dave Gorman, of slightly unhinged adventures in triangular mathematics territory, which I never ever imagined might be a thing. Read this and get all triggy with it.

Five stars.

As you should be able to tell from the title - but let me just confirm it - this really is a book all about triangles. Do not buy it if you are not remotely interested in these shapes with three sides! But if you like popular science books, are intrigued by the shapes that make up the universe, don't mind a little mathematics in your reading, or are actually a triangles-big-time-fan, then this book could be for you.

As for me, I like dabbling in a bit of popular science-type reading, but I'm not a mathematician or anywhere near it.

Essentially, the book explores all the ways triangles are used or can be found in the world, with plenty of illustrations and examples to go with it. The writing style is fun and engaging and you can learn a lot! The slight downside to me is that I didn't really find a narrative thread to follow, it was simply interesting a few pages at a time. So I'd read a section and then come back to it later, but there was no desperate urge to read more right away. Saying that, I think that can work well for a non-fiction book. I read it on Kindle, but I think it would be best in physical form where you can leave it somewhere handy and then pick it up for a short read now and then.

Plus, if you know anyone into maths/science/triangles, this would be an awesome gift.

This was interesting and a lot of fun. Who would have thought someone could write an interesting and numerous book about triangles. Who would know that the wake behind a duck is always at a 39 degree angle? Big duck, small duck, fast duck or slow duck it doesn’t matter. This fact alone made the book worthwhile but there are others that are just as good.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Trigonometry can be fun

If you know Matt Parker from his youtube videos or podcasts, this book contains all you would expect from him: a range of maths topics clearly explained in a simple but precise language, real world applications, a smattering of puns, the occasional innocuous self-deprecation and inevitable references to his scientist wife Lucy.

The topics range from practical methods to measure large distances, the physics behind rainbows, what we can learn by smashing asteroids, and much more, with the connecting thread of angles and trigonometry (figuratively, but also quite literally, as page nunbers are not integers but the result of a trigonometric formula left as exercise to the reader to figure out).

All in all, this book will not be for everyone, but a must if you're a fan of Matt's style, recommended if you're interested in understanding practical applications of math concepts learned in school and promptly forgotten, and I'd go as far as suggesting that this could be a good introductory book for the ones who think they cannot understand maths, but are willing to give it a go.

Note: I received this book for free as an ARC from #NetGalley but the opinions above are mine and unbiased.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - it was informative, funny, and had a great direction through the book. I have a mathematical background and still learnt a lot, and was also pleased when some of my favourite triangle mathematics (Heron’s formula) made it into the book. It started out with the Pythagorean theorem, something everyone will remember from school, and ended up with a brief overview of Fourier analysis, something I never saw in my degree but enjoyed reading about in this book. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about how important triangles are in our world, no matter what mathematical background they have.

Matt Parker is a man who is very excited by triangles and he wants you to be excited by triangles too! The book skips along with humour and enthusiasm which is just so infectious.

I had fun and I learned stuff - what more could you want?

I love this authors work and knew that this book was going to be a good time. It did not disappoint. As a maths fan and humor enjoyer (and who isn't, really), I am definitely part of the target audience for this book. It talks a lot about the real world applications of trigonometry, from making buildings to measuring the distances to faraway stars. It goes over the concepts in a way that's understandable for everyone, but what I appreciate is that he also includes the specific maths and the science-y terms used for people who know what he's talking about.
Overall, this was a great read, I'm always excited to read another book by an old favourite. Matt Parker did not miss. I read this book in a day both because I have too much free time right now and also because I really enjoyed it. 4.75/5 stars simply because it pains me to call any book perfect, and this one didn't necessarily have any emotion attached, but it's still a wonderful book, would recommend.

What an absolutely joyous book. I never expected to be so charmed by a book about triangles, but here we are. Matt Parker's writing style is easy to follow, comprehensive and comprehendible, and all-out fun to read.

Here are some of my absolute favourite stand-out facts from this wonderful book. I hope if you choose to read this book, you find more of your own. Trust me - you'll be repeating snippets from this book for weeks!
- "A rainbow is always directly opposite the sun from your point of view. In fact, everyone sees a unique rainbow."
- "The wake behind a duck on a pond always forms an angle of 39 degrees."
- "The metre is defined as one 10-millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the equator."

There were also moments in this book which made me laugh out loud - certainly not what I was expecting from this book on maths.

So all in all, this is acute book, and you should read it.

Thank you to Net Galley and Matt Parker for an advanced copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

He's done it again! This time with a book about triangles.

Matt Parker's books are always factual, fun and funny, this is no different.

His writing makes you feel you're chatting to a friend rather than reading and learning!

At some points I did feel like I was going through my A-Level physics/maths lessons but that didn't put me off due to the presentation of the examples.

Loved every page and cannot wait for more books by Matt.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and Matt Parker for an eARC of Love Triangle.

Here's a secret between you and me - I am not generally a fan of love triangles. There was a time during my teens when there was a major insurgence in love triangles in literature, TV and film, particularly in the Young Adult genre, so my fatigue was pretty inevitable. There are books I've rated and reviewed favourably on this site which technically contain love triangles in a subtle way, so there are clearly exceptions, but the term itself makes me recoil.

That's why I really laughed when I read the title for this non-fiction book. Well-played, Matt Parker! This book, 'Love Triangle', is really about loving triangles, and appreciating their use in everyday life.

I am no mathematician so I'm going to leave it there for the moment. Parker takes us through the magical world of triangles and all their myriad uses in our everyday life. His book is impressively accessible, considering how complicated advanced geometry can be. I must admit, I did struggle with certain sections, but that's less about Parker's style and more about my sorely lacking prior mathematical knowledge.

If you love maths, I'd venture to say you'd enjoy this book. If you don't love maths, I'd wager you'd still have a good time reading this. And if, like me, you're not a massive fan of love triangles - have fun in the safe knowledge that this term is being used in a unique and refreshing way. Oh, and if love puns, please do enjoy the amazing number of them in this book!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Penguin Press UK for the ARC!

Love Triangles is a very well-written book by Matt Parker.

Our education system does not do proper justice to mathematics and the wonders of it. Matt Parker tries to unpack the key ideas involving triangles (after all almost everything is a triangle) and the science behind it. If you have never loved mathematics as a kid, this book would probably give you some insight into the world behind that 'tedious' trigonometry or the 'tedious' trigonometry behind the world.

It is amazingly written in a conversation style with trademark Matt Parker humor.

Thanks Netgalley and Penguin Press for providing an ARC.

I loved Love Triangle with all the facts about triangles and the way we can find them in nature, it just made me fall in love with triangles. If you're curious about the world and how maths and triangles and trigonometry make up our world then this is the book for you. I, definitely, need it on my shelves so I can read it again or to just recommend it to friends.

This is a well-written and well-presented non-fiction book about triangles.
I was the right audience for this, and learnt many new things about triangles and maths.
Written in a conversational style, this book contains interesting information about triangles, such as the use of them in every day life, facts about rainbows, historical facts, friction (physics), art, law - I need to read some parts again. It is a gem.