Can mathematical ideas—number, infinity, and chance—illuminate everything from atoms to galaxies? In this mid‑century classic, physicist George Gamow leads a witty, sketch‑filled stroll through infinity paradoxes, curved geometry, and probability.

He dives into atomic structure, radioactivity, relativity’s elastic spacetime, and quantum strangeness; then pans out to galaxies, cosmic expansion, and the young universe, with a detour into genes and heredity to show shared logic across life and matter.

His hallmark is method as much as content: back‑of‑the‑envelope estimates, playful thought experiments, and crisp analogies that model how scientists actually think. A few figures may seem dated; the clarity and connective insight will not.

This work gives you a mental toolkit for scale, chance, and time—so modern science starts to feel intuitive, not distant.