I Wish They'd Taught Me That
Overlooked and Omitted Topics in Mathematics
Robin Pemantle author Julian Joseph Gould author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Published:25th Nov '25
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£31.99(9781032870342)

I Wish They'd Taught Me That: Overlooked and Omitted Topics in Mathematics concerns the topics which every undergraduate mathematics student "should" know but has probably never encountered. These topics are not the ones which dominate every syllabus, but those magnificent secrets that are beautiful, useful and accessible but which are inexplicably hidden away from the mainstream curriculum.
Each chapter of this book concerns a different topic which students will almost certainly be unfamiliar with. Written in a lively, conversational style, by the end of each section the reader should feel equipped with the knowledge to explore the area more fully elsewhere.
Features
- Topics from a variety of areas of mathematics, including geometry, logic, analysis, algebra, numerical analysis, and topology
- Numerous examples, diagrams, and exercises
- Collections of resources where an interested reader can learn more about each topic
- Nontechnical introductions to each chapter. <
“…[A]n invaluable, exceptional, unique, and unreservedly recommended contribution to personal, professional, and college/university library Algebraic Studies and Mathematics Analysis collections and supplemental Advanced Mathematics curriculum studies lists.”
—Midwest Book Review
"This is a light undergraduate textbook with rather more text than would be common in a maths book, introducing some genuinely interesting topics: irrationality, generating functions, polynomial systems, transfinite induction, Brownian motion (and its application to option pricing), approximation by polynomials, public key cryptography, asymptotic analysis, fractional dimensions, ultrafilters, scissors congruence, and Brownian motion take 2."
—Brian Clegg, Popular Science
ISBN: 9781032870366
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 840g
346 pages