Mathematics Can Be Fun
Mathematics Can Be Fun by Yakov Perelmanby Yakov Perelman
Shares rank 13 of 19 mathematics books by recommenders
Readers remember it as a beautifully printed, hardbound book that was a favourite in childhood and still holds fond memories for them.
4 people recommended Mathematics Can Be Fun by Yakov Perelman in Hacker News comments and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
2 of the 4 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “Round the tree, yes, but not round the squirrel”.
Summary written by Claude from 3 comments.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- mixed feelings
- 0
- warn against or regret it
- 0
The record
Recommended in 3 of 12 months
In 3 different threads.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
- Recommended in 3 threadsNeeds 5 or more, not met.
- The biggest thread supplies 50% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 3 of the 4 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Beautifully printed and hardbound
“I have fond memories of Y. Perelman's Mathematics can be Fun -- beautifully printed and hardbound”
Comment from 4 Jul 2026 in “Mir Books – Books from the Soviet Era” Favourite book from childhood
“was one of my favourite books when I was a kid”
Comment from 3 Jan 2026 in “Round the tree, yes, but not round the squirrel” Awesome, fun introduction to maths
“Mathematics can be fun" is an awesome book”
Comment from 2 Jan 2026 in “Round the tree, yes, but not round the squirrel”
Other mathematics books people recommend
The four most recommended other mathematics books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elements by Euclidby Oliver Byrne | 14 | 2 | 9 | 61% | 8 | — | — |
| Fermat's Last Theoremby Simon Singh | 11 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Gödel's Proofby Nagel and Newman | 9 | 0 | 1 | 90% | 2 | — | — |
| Mathematica: A Secret World of Intuition and Curiosityby David Bessis | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | — |
| Mathematics Can Be Funby Yakov PerelmanThis page | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
3 of the 4 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I have fond memories of Y. Perelman's Mathematics can be Fun -- beautifully printed and hardbound”
“was one of my favourite books when I was a kid”
“Mathematics can be fun" is an awesome book”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.