Mathematics is a subject we are all exposed to in our daily lives, but one that many of us fear. Timothy Gowers's entertaining overview of the topic explains the differences between what we learn at school and advanced mathematics, and helps the math phobic emerge with a clearer understanding of such paradoxical-sounding concepts as “infinity," “curved space," and “imaginary numbers." From basic ideas to philosophical queries to common sociological questions about the mathematical community, this book unravels the mysteries of space and numbers.