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Mathematics

Why exploring "equality" in a new maths book may help the real world

Understanding the meaning of "equals" in mathematics tells us a lot about both the nuance and richness in the field, but also how ideas of equality are used or misused in life

4 June 2025

1.5 Degrees Celsius is the magical border - after that, there's no going back. Fridays For Future, 20.09.2019 in Bonn, Germany — Numbers allow us to focus on one aspect of a situation in detail, but can also oversimplify things
Mika Baumeister/Unsplash

Unequal
Eugenia Cheng (Profile Books (UK, on sale) Basic Books (US, 2 September))

Things are either equal or they aren’t – mathematically speaking, at least, right? Not so fast, says Eugenia Cheng in her new book, Unequal: The maths of when things do and don’t add up. In mathematics, as in life, some things are more equal than others.

Take equations: the really interesting ones assert a sameness where there is also a difference. The equation 180 = 180 tells us…

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