Marcus du Sautoy

â??Du Sautoyâ??s discussion of computer creativity is fascinatingâ?? Observer CAN MACHINES BE CREATIVE?

An Oxford mathematician, playwright, and musician reveals how creative people can harness the profound and productive relationship between mathematics and the arts When Shakespeare has the Three Witches cast Macbeth's lot, he uses something very weird to do it: not simply "eye of newt and toe of frog," but the number seven. And when Hamlet claims, "To be or not to be, that is the question," Shakespeare reaches for eleven. For Shakespeare, prime numbers were magical. And he is not alone. As Marcus du Sautoy showcases in Blueprints, creativity is inseparable from mathematics. The designs of Le Corbusier and Leonardo; the music of Glass, Bach, and Debussy; the wild visions of Dali, the choreography of Laban, the animation of Pixar--all are shot through with mathematics, from primes and fractals to the weirder worlds of Hamiltonian cycles and hyperbolic geometry. And Du Sautoy argues that the relationship runs both ways. Just as mathematics inspires new art, the artistic mindset is a necessity for discovering new mathematics. Blueprints will expand your mind, but more importantly, it shows how to ignite your imagination. Anyone who wants to create needs this book.

*A Financial Times and Waterstones Book of the Year 2025*Many artists are unaware of the mathematics that bubble beneath their craft, while some consciously use it for inspiration. Our instincts might tell us that these two subjects are incompatible forces with nothing in common, but what if we're wrong?

'WHAT TO READ IN 2025' FINANCIAL TIMESMany artists are unaware of the mathematics that bubble beneath their craft, while some consciously use it for inspiration. Our instincts might tell us that these two subjects are incompatible forces with nothing in common, but what if we're wrong? Marcus du Sautoy, acclaimed mathematician and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford, looks to art, music, design and literature to uncover the key mathematical structures that underpin both human creativity and the natural world.Blueprints takes us from the earliest stone circles to the modernist architecture of Le Corbusier, from Bach's circular compositions to Radiohead's disruptive soundscapes, and from Shakespeare's hidden numerical clues to the Dada artists who embraced randomness. Instead of polar opposites we find a complementary relationship that spans a vast historical and geographic landscape.Whether we are searching for meaning in an abstract painting or deciphering poetry, there are blueprints everywhere: prime numbers, symmetry, fractals and the weirder worlds of Hamiltonian cycles and hyperbolic geometry. Nature similarly exploits these structures to achieve the wonders of our universe.In this innovative and delightfully bold exploration of creativity, Marcus explains how we make art, why a creative mindset is vital for discovering new mathematics and how a fundamental connection to the natural world intrinsically links these two subjects.

'WHAT TO READ IN 2025' FINANCIAL TIMES Many artists are unaware of the mathematics that bubble beneath their craft, while some consciously use it for inspiration. Our instincts might tell us that these two subjects are incompatible forces with nothing in common, but what if we’re wrong? Marcus du Sautoy, acclaimed mathematician and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford, looks to art, music, design and literature to uncover the key mathematical structures that underpin both human creativity and the natural world. Blueprints takes us from the earliest stone circles to the modernist architecture of Le Corbusier, from Bach’s circular compositions to Radiohead’s disruptive soundscapes, and from Shakespeare’s hidden numerical clues to the Dada artists who embraced randomness. Instead of polar opposites we find a complementary relationship that spans a vast historical and geographic landscape. Whether we are searching for meaning in an abstract painting or deciphering poetry, there are blueprints everywhere: prime numbers, symmetry, fractals and the weirder worlds of Hamiltonian cycles and hyperbolic geometry. Nature similarly exploits these structures to achieve the wonders of our universe. In this innovative and delightfully bold exploration of creativity, Marcus explains how we make art, why a creative mindset is vital for discovering new mathematics and how a fundamental connection to the natural world intrinsically links these two subjects. ‘Blueprints is an extraordinary book which shows us how mathematics and art are connected through structures. Du Sautoy shows us how to bridge the divide of science and the humanities and proves that we can only face and solve the big challenges of the twenty-first century if we go beyond the fear of pooling knowledge’ Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine Galleries

'BRILLIANTLY CLEAR AND CAPTIVATING PROSE' STEPHEN FRY A WATERSTONES BOOK OF YEAR 2023 An award-winning mathematician explores the maths behind the games we love and why we love to play them. Where should you move first in Connect 4? Which property is best in Monopoly? How can pi help you win Rock Paper Scissors? Crossing oceans, continents and millennia, award-winning mathematician Marcus du Sautoy explores how maths and games have always been deeply intertwined. As well as being integral to human psychology and culture throughout the ages, games provided the first opportunities for deep mathematical insight into the world. This grand adventure teaches us how to strategise, play better and win more often. ‘The subject matter is fun (I mean, isn’t it quite literally the definition of fun?) and du Sautoy’s enthusiasm is infectious’ THE SUNDAY TIMES ‘Lively, creative and humane – exactly as one would expect from Marcus du Sautoy’ TIM HARFORD, author of How To Make The World Add Up 'A delightful and addictive celebration of games. You’ll keep wanting one more go' DARA Ó BRIAIN, author of Is There Anybody Out There? ‘You do not need to be a seasoned player nor a skilled mathematician to relish this enchanting read. However, this book may just encourage you to become one or the other’ REINER KNIZIA, award-winning game designer

Nash biologicheskij vid obladaet neobychajnoj sposobnostju sozdavat proizvedenija iskusstva, kotorye vozvyshajut, rasshirjajut i preobrazujut samuju sut cheloveka. Eti proizvedenija - projavlenija togo, chto Markus dju Sotoj nazyvaet "kodom tvorchestva". Odnako poslednie dostizhenija v oblasti iskusstvennogo intellekta i mashinnogo obuchenija togo i gljadi pozvoljat mashinam uznat, chto znachit byt chelovekom -rasshifrovat nash "kod". Otkrojut li pered nami novye sredstva II drugie vozmozhnosti dlja tvorchestva? Ne privedet li eta novaja tekhnologija k tomu, chto proizvedenija iskusstva budut sozdavatsja ne tolko ljudmi? V svoej knige znamenityj britanskij matematik i populjarizator nauki Markus dju Sotoj rassmatrivaet, k chemu mogut privesti podobnye innovatsii kak v khudozhestvennom tvorchestve, tak i v ego sobstvennoj oblasti, matematike. Ot testa Tjuringa do algoritma AlphaGo - na raznoobraznom materiale avtor issleduet, suschestvujut li predely tomu, chego mogut dobitsja algoritmy, ili zhe oni sposobny na neotlichimoe podrazhanie tvorchestvu cheloveka. "Iskusstvennyj intellekt potrjasaet samye osnovy nashego suschestvovanija, demonstriruja, skol mnogoe iz togo, chem zanimajutsja ljudi, mashiny mogut delat ne khuzhe, a to i luchshe ikh. No eta kniga posvjaschena ne stolko buduschemu s bespilotnymi mashinami i kompjuterizovannoj meditsinoj, skolko voprosu o tom, smogut li algoritmy sostjazatsja s moguschestvom chelovecheskogo koda". (Markus dju Sotoj)

A "fun" and "unexpected" (The Economist) global tour of the world's greatest games and the mathematics that underlies them Where should you move first in Connect 4? What is the best property in Monopoly? And how can pi help you win rock paper scissors? Spanning millennia, oceans and continents, countries and cultures, Around the World in Eighty Games gleefully explores how mathematics and games have always been deeply intertwined. Renowned mathematician Marcus du Sautoy investigates how games provided the first opportunities for deep mathematical insight into the world, how understanding math can help us play games better, and how both math and games are integral to human psychology and culture. For as long as there have been people, there have been games, and for nearly as long, we have been exploring and discovering mathematics. A grand adventure, Around the World in Eighty Games teaches us not just how games are won, but how they, and their math, shape who we are.

'BRILLIANTLY CLEAR AND CAPTIVATING PROSE' STEPHEN FRYA WATERSTONES BOOK OF YEAR 2023An award-winning mathematician explores the maths behind the games we love and why we love to play them.

'Brilliantly clear and captivating prose' Stephen FryA WATERSTONES BOOK OF YEAR 2023An award-winning mathematician explores the maths behind the games we love and why we love to play them.

'BRILLIANTLY CLEAR AND CAPTIVATING PROSE' STEPHEN FRY A WATERSTONES BOOK OF YEAR 2023 An award-winning mathematician explores the maths behind the games we love and why we love to play them. Where should you move first in Connect 4? What is the best property in Monopoly? And how can pi help you win rock paper scissors? Spanning millennia, oceans and continents, countries and cultures, Around the World in 80 Games gleefully explores how mathematics and games have always been deeply intertwined. Marcus du Sautoy investigates how games provided the first opportunities for deep mathematical insight into the world, how understanding maths can help us play games better, and how both maths and games are integral to human psychology and culture. For as long as there have been people, there have been games, and for nearly as long, we have been exploring and discovering mathematics. A grand adventure, Around the World in 80 Games teaches us not just how games are won, but how they, and the maths behind them, shape who we are. 'A delightful and addictive celebration of games. You’ll keeping wanting one more go' DARA Ó BRIAIN ‘Whether your game is Go, Dungeons and Dragons, or Chocolate Chilli Roulette, you'll find this book adorable. It's lively, creative and humane – exactly as one would expect from Marcus du Sautoy’ TIM HARFORD, author of How To Make The World Add Up

A "gifted and tireless mathematical communicator" (Financial Times) shows why math is the ultimate timesaver--and how everyone can make their lives easier with a few simple shortcuts. Success isn't about hard work - it's about shortcuts. Shortcuts allow us to solve one problem quickly so that we can tackle an even bigger one. And according to Marcus du Sautoy, math is the very art of the shortcut. Thinking Better is a celebration of how math lets us do more with less. Du Sautoy explores why calculus is the greatest shortcut ever invented, whether mastery of the violin really takes ten thousand hours, and why shortcuts give us an advantage over even the most powerful AI. Delightful, illuminating, and above all practical, this book is for anyone who has wondered why you should waste time climbing the mountain when going around it is much faster.

Prinjato schitat, chto zalog uspekha - upornyj trud. No podlinnyj uspekh prinosit vovse ne on - ego prinosjat shortkaty: bolee korotkie i vmeste s tem bolee legkie, bolee bystrye i bolee udobnye puti reshenija toj ili inoj zadachi. Blagodarja takim ratsionalnym putjam my dobivaemsja vydajuschikhsja rezultatov. A po slovam odnogo iz velichajshikh v mire matematikov Markusa dju Sotoja, matematika - samoe nastojaschee iskusstvo shortkata i luchshee sredstvo ekonomii vremeni. Kazhdyj iz nas mozhet sdelat svoju zhizn komfortnee pri pomoschi neskolkikh shortkatov. "U vas est vybor. Est ochevidnyj marshrut, dolgij i utomitelnyj, na kotorom nichego krasivogo po puti ne uvidish. Puteshestvie po nemu zajmet massu vremeni i ostavit vas sovershenno bez sil, no rano ili pozdno vy vse-taki doberetes do mesta naznachenija. No est i drugaja doroga. Najti, gde ona otvetvljaetsja ot osnovnogo puti, sovsem ne prosto - prichem kazhetsja, chto ona uvodit vas proch ot tseli, a ne priblizhaet k nej. No zatem vy zamechaete ukazatel s nadpisju "shortkat". On obeschaet bystryj perekhod po peresechennoj mestnosti, kotoryj pozvolit vam dobratsja do tseli za menshee vremja i s minimalnymi zatratami usilij. Vybor za vami. Eta kniga napravljaet vas po vtoromu puti. Eto vash shortkat k luchshemu myshleniju, kotoroe ponadobitsja vam, chtoby projti po etomu nestandartnomu marshrutu i popast imenno tuda, kuda vam khochetsja". (Markus dju Sotoj)

How do you remember more and forget less? How can you earn more and become more creative just by moving house? And how do you pack a car boot most efficiently? This is your shortcut to the art of the shortcut. Mathematics is full of better ways of thinking, and with over 2,000 years of knowledge to draw on, Oxford mathematician Marcus du Sautoy interrogates his passion for shortcuts in this fresh and fascinating guide. After all, shortcuts have enabled so much of human progress, whether in constructing the first cities around the Euphrates 5,000 years ago, using calculus to determine the scale of the universe or in writing today’s algorithms that help us find a new life partner. As well as looking at the most useful shortcuts in history – such as measuring the circumference of the earth in 240 BC to diagrams that illustrate how modern GPS works – Marcus also looks at how you can use shortcuts in investing or how to learn a musical instrument to memory techniques. He talks to, among many, the writer Robert MacFarlane, cellist Natalie Clein and the psychologist Suzie Orbach, asking whether shortcuts are always the best idea and, if so, when they use them. With engaging puzzles and conundrums throughout to illustrate the shortcut’s ability to find solutions with speed, Thinking Better offers many clever strategies for daily complex problems.

One of the world's great mathematicians shows why math is the ultimate timesaver--and how everyone can make their lives easier with a few simple shortcuts. We are often told that hard work is the key to success. But success isn't about hard work - it's about shortcuts. Shortcuts allow us to solve one problem quickly so that we can tackle an even bigger one. They make us capable of doing great things. And according to Marcus du Sautoy, math is the very art of the shortcut. Thinking Better is a celebration of how math lets us do more with less. Du Sautoy explores how diagramming revolutionized therapy, why calculus is the greatest shortcut ever invented, whether you must really practice for ten thousand hours to become a concert violinist, and why shortcuts give us an advantage over even the most powerful AI. Throughout, we meet artists, scientists, and entrepreneurs who use mathematical shortcuts to change the world. Delightful, illuminating, and above all practical, Thinking Better is for anyone who has wondered why you should waste time climbing the mountain when you could go around it much faster.

How do you remember more and forget less?How can you earn more and become more creative just by moving house?And how do you pack a car boot most efficiently?This is your shortcut to the art of the shortcut.

How do you remember more and forget less?How can you earn more and become more creative just by moving house? And how do you pack a car boot most efficiently?This is your shortcut to the art of the shortcut.