''On Numbers and Games,  by JohnHortonConway. 

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1568811276.01._PE_PI_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

[ISBN: 1568811276]

Conway explores the strengths of various positions in several games and arrives at a new class of numbers, called surreal numbers, which include both real numbers and ordinal numbers; these surreal numbers are applied in the author's mathematical analysis of game strategies

Is it good?

ItDepends on what you're looking for. I enjoyed it, especially his derivation of a new system of numbers that can do all the usual kind of arithmetic. The way in which he derives all reals I thought was interesting too. The game stuff I thought got a little tedious towards the end, but has real-world applications to, for example, the GameOfGo. -- AndyPierce

ItDepends on what you're looking for. I loved it, especially his derivation of a new system of numbers that can do all the usual kind of arithmetic. Opened a whole new world of abstraction for me.

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See SurrealNumbers

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CategoryBook