Book · 2012 · Mathematics
The Joy of X
A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity
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You tell a story in one of your books called The Joy of x about a time when your second grader asked you for help on a multiplication problem and in the interview rated you because you were using the old school method.
Steve Levitt · People I (Mostly) Admire · Jan 2023 Listen at 40:46 The best things said about it
So in writing the book The Joy of X I was asked by the op-ed page editor of the New York Times can't you write for my readers the people who read the opinion page just an educated smart person who doesn't know anything about math.
Oh, that's a beautiful title. Yeah, Quantum Magazine. So, the story is my friend Steve Strogats, who's the original host of the show. It's a by Quantum Magazine from the Simons Foundation, wonderful science magazine. His book was called The Joy of X Mathematician.
Janna Levin StarTalk Radio · May 2025 Why people recommend it
The Joy of X by Steven Henry Strogatz is an engaging popular mathematics book that guides everyday readers through the hidden beauty and profound everyday relevance of mathematical concepts. The book received discussion across different podcasts, highlighting both its origin and its relatable narrative style. On StarTalk Radio in May 2025, Janna Levin mentioned the book while conversing with the host, noting that her friend and original show host Steven Strogatz wrote the volume for Quantum Magazine from the Simons Foundation, praising its clever title. Additionally, in a January 2023 episode of People I (Mostly) Admire, guest Steve Levitt spoke with Strogatz about the book, recounting a charming story featured inside where Strogatz tried helping his second grader with a multiplication problem and faced critique for using an outdated, old-school method. During the same interview, Steven Strogatz explained the motivation behind writing the book, sharing that an op-ed page editor at the New York Times had challenged him to write accessibly for smart, educated readers who otherwise knew nothing about math. Together, the hosts and author illustrated how the book successfully bridges the gap between rigorous academic discipline and the curious, everyday mind.
Every mention
Steve Levitt you tell a story in one of your books called The Joy of x about a time when your second grader asked you fo… 2
“you tell a story in one of your books called The Joy of x about a time when your second grader asked you for help on a multiplication problem and in the interview rated you because you were using the old school method”
“You tell a story in one of your books, called The Joy of X, about a time when your second grader asked you for help on a multiplication problem.”
Janna Levin Oh, that's a beautiful title. Yeah, Quantum Magazine. So, the story is my friend Steve Strogats, who's the… 1
“Oh, that's a beautiful title. Yeah, Quantum Magazine. So, the story is my friend Steve Strogats, who's the original host of the show. It's a by Quantum Magazine from the Simons Foundation, wonderful science magazine. His book was called The Joy of X Mathematician.”
Steven Strogatz so in writing the book The Joy of X I was asked by the op-ed page editor of the New York Times can't you wr… 1
“so in writing the book The Joy of X I was asked by the op-ed page editor of the New York Times can't you write for my readers the people who read the opinion page just an educated smart person who doesn't know anything about math”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“So in writing the book The Joy of X, I was asked by the op-ed page editor of the New York Times, 'Can't you write for my readers, the people who read the opinion page, just an educated smart person who doesn't know anything about math? What’s it all about?”