Gamma: Exploring Euler鈥檚 constant by Julian Havil, Princeton, 拢19.95/$29.95, ISBN 0691099839 Reviewed by Ben Longstaff
THE writer Paul Jennings once described quadratic equations as the last station before the mathematics train disappears into 鈥渢he vast country of incomprehensibility, the jagged peaks of the Calculus Mountains standing up, a day鈥檚 journey over its illimitable plains鈥�. Gamma is the natural history of a number whose habitat is, for better and for worse, well into that vast beguiling space. It is defined as the sum, for n = 1 to infinity, of all the series (1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4鈥� 1/n), each minus ln(n). Got that?
This definition goes a long way towards explaining why gamma has never enjoyed the same celebrity status as 蟺. Julian Havil鈥檚 wonderful book is exactly what it has been crying out for. Gamma is a gold mine of irresistible mathematical nuggets. Although the maths is at upper-undergraduate level, Havil鈥檚 emphasis on historical context and his conversational style make this a pleasure to read. Anyone with a serious interest in maths will find it richly rewarding.
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