Thinking in Numbers

by Daniel Tammet (Hodder and Stoughton)

Tammet lives in a different world. For him, numbers are beautiful and mathematics can illuminate our lives.

Thanks to his autistic savant syndrome, this “Brain Man” of Britain is described as a maths and memory wizard, who says “often we are barely aware of it, but the play between numerical concepts saturates the way we experience the world”.

Savant syndrome is a condition in which a person with serious mental disabilities, including autistic disorder, demonstrates profound and prodigious capacities and/or abilities far in excess of what would be considered normal, such as the character depicted in the film Rain Man.

Incredibly, Tammet sees numbers in his head as colours and shapes and texture, so when he sees a long sequence, it forms landscapes in his mind.

In this, his third book, the aim is to make us think differently about maths.

My own imagination seemed too limited to be completely mesmerised by the 229-page paperback, though. Perhaps people with far more appreciation for the way mathematical concepts cover all aspects of our universe will enjoy this book more.

While there are only 50 true savants alive today, Tammet is different in that he is articulate and self-sufficient. – Carl Peters