{"product_id":"sleight-of-mind-isbn-9780262542296","title":"Sleight of Mind","description":"\u003cb\u003eThis “fun, brain-twisting book . . . will make you think” as it explores 75+ paradoxes in math, philosophy, physics, and social science (Sean Carroll, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e–bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eSomething Deeply Hidden\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eParadox is a sophisticated kind of magic trick. A magician’s purpose is to create the appearance of impossibility, to pull a rabbit from an empty hat. Yet paradox doesn’t require tangibles, like rabbits or hats. Paradox works in the abstract, with words and concepts and symbols, to create the illusion of contradiction. There are no contradictions in reality, but there can appear to be. In \u003ci\u003eSleight of Mind\u003c\/i\u003e, Matt Cook and a few collaborators dive deeply into more than 75 paradoxes in mathematics, physics, philosophy, and the social sciences. As each paradox is discussed and resolved, Cook helps readers discover the meaning of knowledge and the proper formation of concepts—and how reason can dispel the illusion of contradiction.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe journey begins with “a most ingenious paradox” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s \u003ci\u003ePirates of Penzance\u003c\/i\u003e. Readers will then travel from Ancient Greece to cutting-edge laboratories, encounter infinity and its different sizes, and discover mathematical impossibilities inherent in elections. They will tackle conundrums in probability, induction, geometry, and game theory; perform “supertasks”; build apparent perpetual motion machines; meet twins living in different millennia; explore the strange quantum world—and much more.1 Infinity 11\u003cbr\u003e2 Zeno's Paradoxes of Motion 45\u003cbr\u003e3 Supertasks 61\u003cbr\u003e4 Probability 75\u003cbr\u003e5 Social Choice 123\u003cbr\u003e6 Game Theory 139\u003cbr\u003e7 Self-Reference 167\u003cbr\u003e8 Induction 243\u003cbr\u003e9 Geometry 275\u003cbr\u003e10 Operations 301\u003cbr\u003e11 Classical Physics (by N. Laurita) 321\u003cbr\u003e12 Special Relativity (by A. Chatwin-Davies) 343\u003cbr\u003e13 Quantum Mechanics (with M. Coughlin, A. Chatwin-Davies)389\u003cbr\u003e14 Invented or Discovered? 423Matt Cook, PhD, is an economist, bestselling author, and magician. Among his works are the thriller novel \u003ci\u003eSabotage\u003c\/i\u003e and entrepreneurial success book \u003ci\u003eThe Startup Star\u003c\/i\u003e, which he wrote at Stanford University. Trained at the world-famous Magic Castle, he has performed across the globe and enjoys infusing talks and lectures with sleight of hand. He cofounded U.S. Common Sense, the country's premiere government data and transparency organization. For his support of the military, he was honored by President George W. Bush with the Call to Service Award. He is an accomplished pianist and musical composer, has executive produced for film, and earned his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania.Exploring more than seventy-five well-known paradoxes in mathematics, philosophy, physics, and the social sciences showing how reason and logic can di","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300790227173,"sku":"NP9780262542296","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262542296.jpg?v=1767736763","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/sleight-of-mind-isbn-9780262542296","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}