Clio Cresswell, Mathematics and Sex (Allen and Unwin, 2004)



One doesn't usually think about the terms "mathematics" and "sex" going together. Clio Cresswell is out to change that perception, and her attempt here is a witty, albeit slightly shallow, little book that's definitely worth a look if you enjoy either mathematics or sex (and are there really people out there who enjoy neither?).



Cresswell's approach to the topic is to treat readers like laypersons, which is much appreciated by those of us who are somewhat innumerate. Cresswell dedicates each of the book's chapters to one particular aspect of the dating and mating ritual and expounds upon current mathematical hypotheses that attempt to explain why we do the things we do. Perversely, if there is a failing to this approach, it's that Cresswell sometimes treats us a bit too much like laypersons; some more detail on how the equations scientists have come up with work would have been nice.



Still, it's a game try, and a fun one, worth reading. ***