Unequal

The Maths of When Things Do and Don't Add Up

By: Eugenia Cheng

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Paperback | 4 June 2026

At a Glance

Paperback
400 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
19.6 x 12.8 x 2.8

Paperback

$34.75

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A NEW SCIENTIST BOOK OF THE YEAR

'Clear, clever and friendly...even at her most whimsical, she is rigorous and insightful' ALEX BELLOS
'Eugenia Cheng has humour, grace and a natural gift' DANIEL LEVITIN
'Playful and deeply serious ... shows how exploring equality in maths may help the real world' NEW SCIENTIST

When we see an equals sign, we usually see something clear cut: problem on one side, solution on the other.
We might need to shuffle some things around - balance the equation - to get there, but it's all pretty clear cut...isn't it?
As it turns out, between those parallel lines lies something far more exciting than questions and answers. An equals sign is an invitation to a mathematical playground of choice and abstraction.
By opening your mind to different mathematical choices and perspectives, you can unlock far greater insight than you could have dreamed.

Eugenia Cheng explores the rich and rewarding interplay between sameness and difference, and offers us a new way to see the world based on the choices and interpretations we make. A glorious celebration of mathematics, Unequal will change the way you think - in maths, and in life.

Eugenia Cheng has opened up my mind to the wondrous world of pure mathematics in a way that I never thought was possible -- Willow Smith

[This] is more than a regurgitation of the many formulas you may recall learning in school; Cheng argues that an equation - in its barest sense, a declaration that two things are equal - can be a profound statement on the choices we make about what is or is not the same. -- Katrina Miller â New York Times

Eugenia Cheng has done it again! With her usual brilliance she has caused us to question all that we thought was true about mathematics -- Jo Boaler, author of Math-ish

You might think things are either equal orthey aren't, but for mathematician Eugenia Cheng, some things are more equal than others - in maths and in life. Her clever exploration of the meaning of "equals" helps us grasp its mathematical complexities - and the everyday dangers of assuming, for example, two people who score the same on an IQtQ test are equally intelligent . â New Scientist Books of the Year

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