Paul Erdõs, one of the greatest mathematicians of the twentieth century, and certainly the most eccentric, was internationally recognized as a prodigy by age seventeen. Hungarian-born Erdõs believed that the meaning of life was to prove and conjecture. His work in the United States and all over the world has earned him the titles of the century's leading number theorist and the most prolific mathematician who ever lived. Erdõs's important work has proved pivotal to the development of computer science, and his unique personality makes him an unforgettable character in the world of mathematics. Incapable of the smallest of household tasks and having no permanent home or job, he was sustained by the generosity of colleagues and by his own belief in the beauty of numbers.
Witty and filled with the sort of mathematical puzzles that intrigued Erdõs and continue to fascinate mathematicians today, My Brain Is Open is the story of this strange genius and a journey in his footsteps through the world of mathematics, where universal truths await discovery like hidden treasures and where brilliant proofs are poetry.

For decades, mathematicians the world over would open their doors to find Paul Erdos--homeless and relying on others while he explored the realm of mathematics. Schechter recounts the fascinating story of this brilliant, unusual man who developed, with pencil and paper, the mathematics behind computer science. photo insert.

Doug Wyatt Savannah Morning News Schechter, with insight, considerable affection, and high humor, admirably intertwines accounts of [Erdõs's] bizarre life with an appreciation of his remarkable achievements.