The Mathematics Tarot Handbook

THE
MATHEMATICS
TAROT
1
An Anchorite Studios Production
The Mathematics Tarot

by Karen West
Unless otherwise noted, all images in this deck are Public Domain or
used under a Creative Commons license. Please check the source
image and attributions before using these images for your own
projects, as the licenses and permissions are subject to change.
Thank you for your support!
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This deck is dedicated to my madgirl Spark of a sister, without whom it

would not exist. Adolina, no matter what time of year it is when you read
this...Merry Christmas! This one's for you.
I would like to thank Kyle for being a precogniscant bastard and telling me
that I'd fall in love with math...eventually. The odds were against you, mate,
but you were right in the end.
No acknowledgement would be complete without thanking my parents for

their unfaltering support, and for not murdering me when I blathering about
the magnificence of the Fibonacci sequence for the five hundred and eleventh
time.
And lastly, I would like to thank Mike Greenwood, my Calculus teacher.

Although I finished the deck proper before taking his class, Mr. Greenwood
was the first teacher I encountered who stressed the importance of
understanding instead of memorization; of real and profound knowledge,
rather than a checklist of academic requirements. Thank you for making the
world fall in love with numbers, one class at a time.
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Contents
Page 5: Contents
Page 9: Introduction
Page 15: Majors
Page 43: Minors
Page 45: Cups
Page 55: Coins
Page 65: Wands
Page 75: Swords
Page 85: Courts
Page 103: Spreads
Page 107: Games and Tricks
Page 111: Further Reading
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Forward to the
Second edition
This project has provided me with a lot of opportunities to say, I never thought
I'd find myself doing that! Case in point: I never thought I'd find myself writing
a forward to a second edition of the Mathematics Tarot, let alone the first edition,
let alone creating it at all. I still harbour a nagging suspicion that I awoke in
Bizarro Universe at some point in 2012, and have yet to return to my own, rather
more mundane dimension.
The reception for the Mathematics Tarot has utterly blown me away. I
produced the limited first edition fully expecting it to be a humpbacked, red-
headed stepchild of a deck, lagging behind my other offerings in sales and
reviews. The reality, to my surprise and delight, has been quite the opposite.
It is a writer's prerogative to devour valuable page real-estate with missives of

gratitude. I have an Acknowledgements page; I shall not alter it. But furthermore,
I would like to thank the members of Aeclectic Tarot for their support and
enthusiasm, as well as everyone who purchased the limited first edition on Etsy.
Your kind words and purchases, as inconsequential as they seemed to you, were
honest and profound life-changers. Your dollars paid for amenities, tuition, and
textbooks during a time in which my family had never been poorer. What
acknowledgements page can hold that much thankfulness?
Whether you are familiar with the Mathematics Tarot, or have just discovered
it, I wish you many years of happy reading!
Karen West
March 2013
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INTRODUCTION
to the first edition
It is the last day of the semester, and I am fifteen years old.
When a counsellor approaches me and asks me why I'm crying, I despairingly

tell her that I'm certain I've failed the semester on account of my math course, and
shall have to take the year over.
She takes me to her office, gives me a cup of tea and some tissues, and says,
"Now, I'm really not supposed to do this, but we'll make an exception in this case,
so that you don't give yourself a heart attack with all this worry." She proceeds to
check the exam results on her computer.
I passed that course at 51%.
"I hate math," my fifteen year old self hisses in that office, with all the impotent
passion of a child, echoing the sentiments of a thousand others.
After that summer, I dropped out of public schooling for medical reasons, and
spent the next five years trying to complete my education through distance
education programs with varying levels of success. It wasn't until I was twenty-
one that I finally came close to graduation, with only one barrier standing between
me and my future.
Yes, you guessed it.
A math course.
This time, I was mature enough to realize that there was only one way through
this: if I could make myself like math, if I could find some redeeming quality or
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interesting fact about it, then I could convince myself to finish that damnable
course and get on with my life. I embarked upon a mission to the internet, where I
found documentaries: first on particle physics (which was interesting enough) and
then later, on mathematics.
I was utterly astounded by what I found.
I felt like someone had hit me upside the head with a brick and involved me in
a vast, absurd conspiracy, intended to convince the world that math was useless
and frustrating and uninterestingwhen in reality, math is none of those things.
The history of mathematics is full of enough weirdness, murder, intrigue, and
triumph to inspire ten seasons of soap operas and docu-dramas. It was staffed with
magnificently flawed geniuses who worshipped numbers, or duelled with pistols;
men who turned down million-dollar prizes and the women who programmed the
first computers; palaces built as love letters to symmetry and mysteries that would
remain forever unsolved. Even the rough beast of practical mathematics was itself
deep and sanguine and fascinating, if you knew where to look, and knew why the
numbers did what they did.
I got angry, then.
When I had taken mathematics in school, many students, including myself, had
asked the perennial question: what good was all this rubbish? What was it for?
What good would it do us? And the answer, of course, was put forth to us again
and again, by different teachers over the years: "Well, you won't use any of this
unless you become a rocket scientist, but you have to learn it anyway." Generation
upon generation of students, taught that the class they're taking has no purpose
beyond receiving an arbitrary slip of paper at the end of the year. Only one teacher
I studied under ever attempted to make mathematics fun, or taught us any of the
vibrant history, or explained the whys behind the theory. I blame the system and
not the teachers for thiswith often thankless jobs, overlarge classes and
unwieldy schedules, it's a miracle that insanity isn't more prevalent in academia.
Needless to say, if you're a teacher, you're a hero and a gentleperson, and never
forget it.
As I worked my way through that final math course, shocking myself with an A
grade after a lifetime of C-'s and near-failures, I tried to cure the people around me
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of their hatred for mathematics. I focused more on the women in my life, since the
girls in my classes had been especially picked out as superfluousgirls don't
become mathematicians, of course! I shared my new-found love of mathematics
with my foster sister, who was rapidly working her way through calculus and
physics courses of her own, aiming for a position as a naval engineer in the
Canadian Forces. We spent many evenings with mixed drinks and mixed
company, exasperating our friends by swapping obscure mathematics jokes back
and forth for hours, and excitedly talking over each other about the most recent
book we'd read on prime numbers.
And then one fateful day, after a tiny, ridiculous light-bulb flashed on above my
head, I sent my sister a text message which read: "I'm thinking of making a
mathematics tarot deck. SAVE ME FROM MYSELF."
Her wildly enthusiastic response (and possibly a handful of death threats if I

didn't go through with it) is why I'm here today, writing a handbook for the
Mathematics Tarot.
It's an incredibly surreal experience for me, to be honest. A few years ago, if
you'd suggested that I would so much as appreciate math, let alone love it and
receive top grades in advanced classes, I would probably have called the
sanatorium. And if you'd told me I would be publishing a math-themed tarot deck,
I would have fainted in a pile of petticoats. As I write this, the deck has not yet
been released for sale, but the online response to the concept and images has
blown me away. A huge thank-you goes to everyone who has liked or commented
upon my silly work-in-progress posts about the deck. You all helped keep me
sustained and inspired throughout the whole crazy process, and allayed my fears
about creating this deck, despite being an amateur enthusiast instead of an
authoritative expert.
Whether you're a tarot collector with no particular love for mathematics, or

whether you're a curious mathematician, I hope you enjoy this weird little deck. I
sincerely hope that I've done both the maths itselfand the tarot format
sufficient justice. Thank you so much for purchasing it and supporting a self-
employed student.
Happy reading!
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The Cards
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The Majors
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16
The Fool
Lorenz System
The Math: A series of equations known to have chaotic solutions

given certain initial values and conditions. The image is the
visualized plot of a Lorenz attractor, arguably the most famous
Lorenz solution, and often referred to as the Butterfly. If you type
"Lorenz attractor" into the search engine of your choice, you can find
many beautiful images of the chaotic forms these equations create, as
well as applets which allow you to create your own.
Interpretation: Mania, chaos, eccentricity, transcendence, original

impulses, strangeness, insanity.
Image Source: Public Domain.
17
The Magician
Uncertainty Principle
The Math: Often confused with the Observer Effect of quantum

physics, the uncertainty principle states that the more precisely one
measures the position of a particle, the less precisely one is able to measure
its momentum (and vice versa). One cannot know both the position and
momentum of a particle simultaneously. This frustrating bit of probability
lead to Einstein's famous remark, loosely translated as "I am convinced
that God does not play dice," to which Bohr replied, "Einstein, don't tell
God what to do."
Interpretation: Subtlety, spooky action at a distance, skill, cunning,

transaction, interference, deceit, elasticity.
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The Popess
Sine Wave
The Math: Also called a sinusoid, the sine wave is much simpler
than the complex waveforms produced by musical instruments, and
illustrates a smooth, repetitive oscillation. All waves can be built by
sine waves, and are behind many mathematical and physical
phenomena: sound, light, radio, aquatic, seismic. Sine waves, in a
term, are natural sway.
Interpretation: Fluctuation, purity, change, alternation, increase and

decrease, balance.
Image Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sine_wave_amplitude_wavelengt
h.svg
19
The Empress
Potential Energy
The Math: The energy of an object or system which is conserved

and transferred by position or state; in other words, an object can
store energy as a result of its position. The elastic you draw back
between your hands to ping your best friend in class holds a great
deal of potential energy, as your friend is about to discover. Although
potential energy can exist in relation to other fundamental forces, the
equation here is for gravitational potential energy; m for mass, g for
the gravitational constant, and h for height.
Interpretation: Potential, activity, gravity, earthiness, completeness,

love, beauty, simplicity.
20
The Emperor
Mass-Energy Equivalence
The Math: Arguably the most famous and well-known piece of

mathematics in history, Einstein's equation states that the mass of an
object and its energy are connected by a fixed constant; the faster an
object goes, the greater its mass and energy, and vice versa. Einstein
put forth the Mass-Energy Equivalence along with four other
groundbreaking papers in 1905, while still working as an examiner at
a patent office after several years of fruitless attempts to find a
teaching job. These four papers granted him a professorship six years
later, while his fame slowly and deservedly began to spread.
Interpretation: Solidity, energy, a firm foothold on reality, fixed

proportions, ambition, originality, reality.
21
The Hierophant
Pythagorean Theorem
The Math: As famous as E=mc2 but not quite as iconic in pop

culture, this theorem was discovered algebraically as many as 4000
years ago, and is a fundamental part of Euclidean geometry. It states
that for any right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is
equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. Although most
well-known for its use in geometry, this simple equation can be used
for any shape or formula in which a square number is used, and can
even be used to measure distance, ratings, or personal taste.
Interpretation: Wisdom, orthodoxy, authority, goodness, endurance,

strength, teaching, manifestation, peace.
Image Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pitagorasteorema.svg
22
The Lovers
The Mandelbrot Set
The Math: Loved outside of mathematics for its visual appeal, this
set is a dynamical system in which the output of a function is fed back
into the equation as its input, resulting in an infinitely detailed
boundary with a central void. If you zoom into any area of the set,
you will find the same shapes repeated in new and more complex
arrangements the deeper you go.
Interpretation: Development, duality, self replication, alchemy,

connection, choice, harmony, divergence.
23
The Chariot
Inflation
The Math: Cosmic inflation is the widely-accepted theory of rapid

exponential expansion put forth to explain the mysteriously flat,
homogeneous appearance of our universe, when according to Big
Bang cosmology it should be appear curved and heterogeneous.
Interpretation: Victory, authority under authority, obedience,

traditionalism, swiftness, fame.
Image Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Horizonte_inflacionario.svg
24
Justice
Entanglement
The Math: Information appears to be able to pass instantaneously

between two particles or molecules, irrespective of distance; therefore
measuring one particle of the pair has a correlating effect on the state
of the other particle, even if it is absurdly far away from the first. This
seeming paradox lead Einstein to call quantum mechanics incomplete,
but Bell later proved it to be inarguable.
Interpretation: Equilibrium, impartiality, fundamental laws,

adjustment, agreements, treaties, suspension of action.
25
The Hermit
Minkowski Spacetime
The Math: A setting in which the three regular dimensions of

space are combined with one dimension of time, forming a spacetime
manifold. The diagram for this is fairly widely recognized as a "light
cone" or "time cone" in which the bottom of the hourglass shape
represents the converging past, and the top represents the ever-
widening future.
Interpretation: Time, introspection, analysis, movement,

illumination, light.
26
The Wheel of Fortune
Pi
The Math: Simply put, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its

diameter, represented by the Greek letter of the same name. Pi is a
favourite number of many, having a great deal of fun properties: it is
in irrational number, as its decimal representation never ends or
repeats, and is also transcendental, as you cannot make a whole
number from it no matter what you add, subtract, multiply, or divide
into it. Memorizing and reciting the digits of pi is a popular hobby
among mathematics enthusiasts and record-breakers.
Interpretation: Eternal change, revolutions, unexpected events, good

fortune, abundance.
27
Strength
Curie's Law
The Math: The law that the magnetization of a substance is

inversely proportional to its temperature. While gravity works over a
longer distance, magnetism is by far the stronger force, as one can
easily test by "levitating" a paper clip from a table with a simple fridge
magnet.
Interpretation: Force, strength, controlled power, resolve, tenacity,

energy, action, courage, overcoming weakness.
28
The Hanged Man
The Higgs Boson
The Math: A massive particle, once considered hypothetical,

predicted by the Standard Model to explain why fundamental
particles have mass. Scientists have been searching for the Higgs
since the 1960's, but given the difficulty of detecting unstable particles
in the accelerator before they decay, it was not until 2012 that a
particle which matches the expected signature for the Higgs was
discovered. While not conclusively the eponymous Higgs, its
behaviour is consistent with scientific predictions about the boson and
its place in the Standard Model. Its nickname, the God Particle, is
widely disliked by scientiststhough its namer, Leon Lederman, once
joked that he would rather have called it the Goddamn Particle, given
the level of frustration and expense it has caused the scientific
community.
Interpretation: Trials, devotion, defeat, sacrifice, re-evaluation,

perspective, suspension.
29
Death
Binary
The Math: Also called a base-two numerical system, binary

notation has only two symbols: zero and one. Developed as early as
the 5th or 2nd century for linguistic use, similarly to Morse Code, as
well as being a vital component of I Ching hexagrams, binary is now
used in modern computing and in the realms of logic and ciphers.
Interpretation: Duality, choice, yes/no, on/off, life/death, change,

transformation, development.
30
Temperance
Euler's Formula
The Math: Widely felt to be the most beautiful formula in

mathematics, Euler's equation links five fundamental constants of
mathematics (zero, one, pi, i, and e), as well as using the three basic
arithmetic operations once each (addition, multiplication, and
exponentiation). It is generally written as ei + 1 = 0.
Interpretation: Unity, ideas, accommodation, good combinations,

calculation, realization.
Image Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Euler%27s_formula%28vi
%29.svg
31
The Devil
Maxwell's Demon
The Math: The Demon is a character in a thought experiment

regarding the Second Law of Thermodynamicswhich asserts that in
an isolated system, entropy never decreasesand shows how to
hypothetically violate that law. The Demon controls a door between
two insulated containers, and carefully opens the door to allow only
faster, hotter particles to enter one container, while isolating slower,
cooler particles in the other, thereby decreasing entropy.
Interpretation: Disorder, temptation, obsession, the taboo, forbidden

knowledge, discontent, secret plans, ambition, unscrupulous
behaviour, power.
32
The Tower
Fermat Conjecture
The Math: For three hundred and fifty-eight years,

mathematicians around the world struggled to prove Fermat's Last
Theorem, which Fermat himself scribbled a reference to in the
margins of a book in 1637, saying that the proof itself was too large to
fit. It was finally solved by Andrew Wiles in 1995, after six years of
secret work. It states that given an equation a n + bn = cn, no integer
value of n greater than 2 can satisfy the equation, hence the
Pythagorean equation is the limit (a2 + b2 = c2).
Interpretation: Frustration,purgatory, redemptive suffering,

quarrel, escape from imprisonment, truth.
33
The Star
The Riemann Hypothesis
The Math: The mathematician David Hilbert famously said, "If I

were to awaken after having slept for a thousand years, my first
question would be: Has the Riemann hypothesis been proven?" The
hypothesis is a conjecture regarding the location of nontrivial zeros of
the zeta function, but in practical terms, implies answers to the age-
old conundrum about the distribution of prime numbers. It occupies
a healthy place on Hilbert's list of unsolved problems, and is one of
only three problems remaining that are considered both unresolved
and potentially possible to solve.
Interpretation: Faith, hope, immortality, bright promise,

possibilities, insight, clarity of vision, disappointment if ill dignified.
34
The Moon
Divide By Zero
The Math: Anyone who has taken high school or college algebra
knows what happens when you accidentally (or intentionally) divide
by zero on your calculator: you get an error message. In mathematics,
dividing by zero can range from mildly frustrating, in the case of a
small algebraic error, to catastrophic, in the case of the USS Yorktown
incident, in which a database field error caused the ship's propulsion
system to fail. Dividing by zero has become a meme in popular
culture on the internet, and is often used to humorous effect on
photographs of sinkholes and bell-mouth spillways. Dividing by zero
can also produce the 2=1 fallacy, given some simple algebraic
tweaking.
Interpretation: Error, deception, danger, illusion, calumny,

bewilderment, madness, falsehood.
Image Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hyperbola_one_over_x.svg
35
The Sun
The Golden mean
The Math: Famous in both mathematics and art, the golden mean,
or golden ratio, states that two quantities are in the golden mean if the
ratio of the sum of the quantities to the larger quantity is equal to the
ratio of the larger quantity to the smaller oneor, in simpler terms,
a+b is to a as a is to b. The diagram is of the Fibonacci spiral, a related
piece of maths; if you take a Fibonacci number and divide it by the
previous Fibonacci number, you get closer and closer to the golden
mean. The Fibonacci sequence and the golden mean appear
everywhere in maths, art, architecture, nature, music, finances, and
design.
Interpretation: Happiness, glory, beauty, truth, triumph, pleasure,

recovery, pleasant surprise.
36
Judgment
Isometries
The Math: Also known as translations, isometries are movements

of an object on a plane without distorting the object in question. If
you've taken high school math, you'll remember moving shapes and
parabolas about on a graph: rotations, slides, reflections, and glides.
Interpretation: Transformation, change of position, renewal, definite

steps, decisions.
37
The World
Theory of Everything
The Math: While the theory itself is simply an umbrella term for
various theories that attempt to unite disparate areas of physics, the
concept has high aims. Currently, although both work perfectly well
while separate, the theory of general relativity and the theory of
quantum mechanics don't quite mesh, and the sticky issue is gravity.
Many theories have been put forward, some more promising than
others, but so far none have come close to answering the penultimate
question of science: is there a theory that links the entirety of physical
phenomena? Can science ever explain the whole universe?
Interpretation: The universe, large and lofty issues, synthesis,

crystallization, victory, the end of the matter, celebration,
independence.
38
The Empty Set
The Math: A seemingly useless piece of mathematics, the empty

set is exactly what it sounds like. It is not the same as nothing, but is
rather a set with nothing in it; an empty bag still exists in and of itself.
This concept is surprisingly useful in a few niche areas of
mathematics, but it's more commonly known for its philosophical
curiosities. D.J. Darling describes the empty set as "the set of all
triangles with four sides, the set of all numbers that are bigger than
nine but smaller than eight, and the set of all opening moves in chess
that involve a king."
Interpretation: apparent absurdity, paradox, void, potential,

curiosity.
39
Mbius
The Math: Most of us have made a moebius strip by taking a long

strip of paper, twisting one end, and taping it to the other end, and if
we haven't, we've probably seen the diagram in which an ant walks
around the strip forever without coming to an edge. It's one of those
shapes that seems impossible in the real world at first glance, and
later is found to be deceptively simple. A similar object is the klein
bottle, a beautiful and somewhat miraculous glass object with one
continuous surface which contains itself.
Interpretation: What goes around comes around, infinity, everything

is connected, ordinary miracles.
Image Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moebius_strip.svg
40
The Mathematician
Interpretation: This card may be used in the deck proper as a

regular card, or removed for use as a significator, representing the
reader or querent. In general readings, this card represents skill, craft,
vocation, the things you are good at, and the similarities between your
career and your hobbies. If the Mathematician comes up while you're
procrastinating your homework... well. You know what to do.
41
42
The Minors
43
44
Ace of Cups
Strong Interaction
The Math: Also called the strong nuclear force, this fundamental
interaction is much stronger than electromagnetism at an atomic level.
Carried by gluons, it binds protons and neutrons together to form the
nucleus of an atom, and at a lower level, binds quarks together to
form protons, neutrons, and hadrons.
Interpretation: Attraction, peaceful interaction, productiveness,

beauty.
Image Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pn_scatter_pi0.png
45
Two of Cups
Euler-Euclid Theorem
The Math: Mersenne numbers are any positive integer that is one
less than a power of two. Mersenne primes, by extrapolation, are
Mersenne numbers that are prime, of which there are currently only
47 known. A perfect number is any positive integer that is equal to
the sum of its factors (for instance, 6 is a perfect number, as you can
add 1+2+3 to reach it). The connection between Mersenne primes and
perfect numbers is mysterious and fascinating: if M is a Mersenne
Prime, [M(M+1)] 2 will be an even perfect number every time.
Discoveries of new Mersenne primes immediately result in new
perfect numbers.
Interpretation: Harmony, unity, combination, marriage, pleasure.
46
Three of Cups
Sierpinski Triangle
The Math: Also called the Sierpinski gasket or Sierpinski sieve,

this aesthetic fractal is constructed in a deceptively simple way. Draw
a triangle, then draw the largest possible reversed triangle in the
centre. Continue filling up the largest available space with upside-
down triangles until the size of your pen nib limits you. Like the
Mandelbrot set, this is a self-similar fractal, meaning that you can
magnify infinitely and find the same patterns. While this fractal can
be drawn with other shapes, such as squares, the triangle is the most
attractive and clean result; it can also be formed in three dimensions,
making a beautiful lacy pyramid.
Interpretation: Abundance, plenty, success, kindness, new

perspective, liberality.
47
Four of Cups
The Center of a Triangle
The Math: If I give you a piece of paper with a circle or a square

on it, and ask you to find the centre, I imagine you'd point it out
without hesitationbut if I gave you a triangle and asked you to find
the centre, you might hit a stumbling block. In fact, according to the
Encyclopedia of Triangle Centers, there are over five thousand answers
to this fiendish question, a number which is growing all the time.
Taking one triangle, you can pick from handfuls of different points to
measure from, and each will give you a centre ever so slightly
different from all the others you tested.
Interpretation: Acquisition via struggle, stationary happiness,

pleasure but not without discomfort, pursuit.
48
Five of Cups
Continuum Hypothesis
The Math: Some areas of mathematics seem specifically designed

to send people mad; cardinal numbers are one of those things. Cantor
demonstrated that there are infinitely many levels of infinity, and
insisted that for every set of numbers, of which there are infinitely
many, there was a cardinal number to go with it. The Continuum
Hypothesis, rumoured to have driven Cantor to severe depression,
asks whether there is another cardinal number in between that of the
integers and the real numbers. It was the first of Hilbert's list of 23
unsolved problems, and was later determined to be fundamentally
unprovable.
Interpretation: Disappointment, an end, engagements broken off,

trouble from unexpected sources, unexpected loss.
Image Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ContinuumHypothesis.svg
49
Six of Cups
Newton's Second Law
The Math: While the First Law simply states that force is required
to accelerate an object, the Second Law answers the question about
how much force is required. The necessary force is directly
proportional to the object's mass; the larger the mass, the more force is
required.
Interpretation: Smooth increase, beginnings, patience, advancement,

steadfastness.
50
Seven of Cups
Principle of Explosion
The Math: This principle has nothing to do with gunpowder and

everything to do with logic. If you translate the logic symbols on the
face of this card, it reads "if something is claimed to be both true and
untrue, you can derive any conclusion," also known as "from a
contradiction, anything follows," similar to the way you can prove
that two equals one using division by zero.
Interpretation: Lies, promises unfulfilled, error, vanity, selfish

dissipation, deception.
51
Eight of Cups
Unstable Equilibrium
The Math: While stable equilibrium is represented by a ball in a

ditch, which will return to its resting position despite small
perturbations, unstable equilibrium can be upset by the slightest of
disturbances. Imagine the difference between a marble resting at the
bottom of a funnel, and a pencil balancing on its tiplike a house of
cards which crumples when you breathe on it, the system is primed
for collapse.
Interpretation: Instability, decline, temporary success, things which

do not last.
52
Nine of Cups
Mean Value Theorem
The Math: Simply put, given an arc between two endpoints, there
is at least one point at which the tangent to the arc is parallel to the
secant through its endpoints. In other words, at some point the slope
of a curve must equal its average slope. You can imagine this using
the analogy of a car travelling down a highway: if its average speed
throughout the trip was 100km/h, at some point the car must have
been travelling at exactly 100km/h, even if the rest of the trip was
taken at slower or faster speeds. Though it seems simple enough, this
theorem had widespread and mind-shattering consequences
throughout mathematics, especially in the realm of real numbers and
continuous functions, as well as being essential to proving the
fundamental theorem of calculus.
Interpretation: Success, pleasure, not being satisfied with small

ideas, fulfilled wishes, lovability.
Image Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mvt2.svg
53
Ten of Cups
Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic
The Math: Also known as the unique-prime-factorization theorem,

this theorem states that any integer greater than one can be written as
a unique product of prime numbers. It also says two important things
about number theory: first, that any positive whole number can be
broken down into prime factors, and secondly, that this can only
happen in one way. Notably, these rules do not apply to rational
numbers (fractions). These simple points are the underlying structure
of the whole of mathematics.
Interpretation: Permanent and lasting success, happiness, quiet

victory, heavenly inspiration.
Image Source: Public Domain
54
Ace of Coins
Gravity
The Math: Though we generally think gravity to be the strongest

force in the universe, it is in fact the weakest of the four fundamental
forces! Without it, however, there would be no universe, no planets,
and no us. Gravitation is the phenomenon by which objects attract,
with a force proportional to their mass. It gives weight to everything
within its field, which is why you would weigh less or more on a
planet with a different mass. Gravity is less-well understood than
laymen assume, with a long list of anomalies attached to it, and is also
the main bone of contention in the attempt to merge general relativity
with quantum mechanics.
Interpretation: earthiness, reality, things which are hard to grasp,

Goldilocks zone.
Image Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NewtonsLawOfUniversalGravitatio
n.svg
55
Two of Coins
Hailstone numbers
The Math: The main element of the Collatz Conjecture, hailstone

numbers are fun to play with. Start by choosing any whole number
and apply these rules: if it is even, halve it, and if it is odd, triple it and
add one. Continue to apply this rule until you go down to 1 . Therein
lies the magic, because it appears as though you can use these two
rules to get to 1 regardless of which number you start withhence the
name "hailstone" numbers, for they always fall to the ground no
matter how high you toss them. The Collatz Conjecture asks whether
this is true for every whole number, which is just as hairy as asking
how many digits there are in pi; Paul Erdos allegedly said of this
conjecture, "Mathematics is not yet ripe for such problems."
Interpretation: Change, alternate gain and loss, wandering, journeys

which end well, waffling.
56
Three of Coins
Perfect Magic Cubes
The Math: Magic cubes in themselves are curious enough; they

take the basic idea from magic squares, which function a little like
sudoku, and go up one dimension to a cube. Perfect magic cubes take
it further than that: not only the columns, rows, pillars and regular
diagonals add up to the same number, but so do the cross section
diagonals. Interestingly, perfect cubes with two to four orders aren't
possible, but cubes of five orders and up have been discovered as
early as the 1800's and as late as the 2000's. The image on the card is a
cube with an order of five; if you were to cut out the pieces and slot
them behind each other, you would create the cube itself.
Interpretation: Cleverness, creation, building, constructive force,

work, seeking after impossibilities.
57
Four of Coins
Perelman's Theorem
The Math: Also called the Poincare Conjecture after its originator,
it remained a conjecture for nearly a century, and made the list of
seven Millennium Problems. While unsolved, it was arguably the
most important question in topology, the study of continuous
deformations of objects without tearing them (source of the old joke
about how topologists are mathematicians who don't know the
difference between a donut and a coffee cup). In topology, if you can
make a loop on an object and tighten it to a point continuously, then
the object is considered a sphere, which is the only simply connected
surface known in topology. The conjecture asked whether the same
was true if you went up a dimension to three-dimensional spheres.
Between 2002 and 2003, Grigori Perelman solved the conjecture,
proving that the same is indeed true for 3-spheres, but famously
turned down both the $1,000,000 prize and the Fields Medal.
Interpretation: Success, rank, gain of money or influence,

completion, endings.
Image Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:P1S2all.jpg
58
Five of Coins
Ultrafinitism
The Math: This mathematical philosophy, which comes in a variety

of flavors, denies the existence of the infinite set of natural numbers,
on the basis that it is impossible to complete a list and therefore it
should not be attempted. Many ultrafinitists also deny extremely
large numbers, since they are considered so unwieldy as to be useless.
An extreme offshoot of constructivism, some varieties of ultrafinitism
go so far as to state that mathematical objects do not exist unless
constructed from natural numbers in a finite number of steps. Of
course, the problem is, where do you draw the line? If 2 raised to the
power of 100 is too large, then what about 2 raised to the power of 99?
98? 54?
Interpretation: Obstinance, lack of imagination, trouble regarding

material objects, poverty, anxiety, loss.
59
Six of Coins
Perfect Numbers
The Math: A whole number is considered perfect if all its factors

(not including the number itself) add up to reach it. 28, for instance, is
a perfect number: 1 + 2 + 4 + 7 + 14 = 28. Mathematically inclined
cultures have often attached spiritual significance to these numbers, of
which there are only 47 known to date. As discussed in the Two of
Cups, perfect numbers and Mersenne primes are intimately
connected, so there are as many known perfect numbers as there are
known Mersenne primes. Currently all known perfect numbers are
even, and while no odd perfect numbers have yet been discovered, the
possibility that they are simply exceedingly rare still exists.
Interpretation: Material success, prosperity, good business deals,

influence, nobility, justice.
60
Seven of Coins
Hilbert's 4th Problem
The Math: This problem is simply the search for new non-
Euclidean geometries (or geometries that stand outside of the non-
Euclidean area of geometry) through geodesics, which is the study of
which sort of lines are the shortest distance between two points. The
answer isn't always as easy as it soundstry making a straight line on
a torus. While something of a solution to the general concept was
given by Georg Hamel, the original statement has been considered too
vague to answer fully.
Interpretation: Disappointment, little gain for much labour, loss of

promising future, isolated gain.
61
Eight of Coins
The frivolous theorem of arithmetic
The Math: Like Discordianism, which is a religion disguised as a

joke disguised as a religion, this theorem is serious mathematics
disguised as wit disguised as a theorem. It goes like this: "Almost all
natural numbers are very, very large." No matter how large the
numbers we discover happen to be, they are shadowed into miniscule
absurdity by all the numbers beyond them. There will always be
bigger numbers. This theorem, as silly and trivially self-evident as it
seems, had important implications for the realm of data compression.
Interpretation: Skill, cunning, hoarding, a lack of enterprise, great

things disguised as trivial ones, focus on the small at the expense of
the large.
62
Nine of Coins
1 2 + 3 4 + . . .
The Math: A series comprising all positive integers using alternate

signs, this sequence is notable for visiting every integereven zero
and the negatives numbers!exactly once. It does not tend towards a
finite limit; it is, in fact, an infinite set.
Interpretation: Complete material gain, goods, riches, increase,

treasure, inheritance.
Image Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pm1234_Ground.png
63
Ten of Coins
Sporadic Groups
The Math: Some consider the classification of finite simple groups

the most incredible achievement in mathematics, and some consider
that mathematicians have too much time on their hands. A finite
group is a group which has a finite number of elements, and this
classificationa worldwide group effort comprising 500 papers by
over a hundred mathematiciansstates that every finite simple group
belongs to one of four categories. It also states that there are only 18
countably infinite families and 26 sporadic groups in total, from
which all other finite groups are built, which is a spectacularly
remarkable achievement. The largest sporadic group has been
fittingly dubbed the Monster, and has in its claws a mind-boggling
808,017,424,794,512,875,886,459,904,961,710,757,005,754,368,000,000,000
elements.
Interpretation: Completion of gain, ultimate fortune, pinnacle of

success, cleverness, heaviness, loftiness.
Image Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Finitesubgroups.svg
64
Ace of Wands
Electromagnetism
The Math: Once upon a time, electricity and magnetism were

viewed as two separate forces, and both were used in exclusion of the
other by both sideshow entertainers and serious scientists. Then, one
day, the current of a battery was observed to interfere with the needle
of a compass, and the rest is history. Far from simply the spark
behind electric motors, electromagnetism is present in our everyday
lives in surprising waysin fact, nearly all physical phenomena
except those under the umbrella of gravity are caused by
electromagnetism. From binding electrons into their orbits to
chemical processes, electromagnetism is the fundamental force that
makes everything tick.
Interpretation: Energy, the spark of creation, creativity, natural

force, harmonious combination.
Image Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Feynmann_Diagram_Coulo
mb.svg
65
Two of Wands
Venn Diagram
The Math: Named after the man who invented them in the late
1800's, Venn diagrams are used to show the relations between two
sets. They aren't relegated to the realm of mathematics, but are
heavily used in linguistics and other social sciences. Although the
most common Venn diagram has two spheres that overlap in the
centre, Venn diagrams can easily compare five or more sets, given a
complex arrangement of shapes invented by Venn and Edwards.
Interpretation: Authority, boldness, courage, resolution, ambition,

power over the unknown.
66
Three of Wands
Tupper's Self-Referential theorem
The Math: While it has little practical purpose, this formula is an

interesting exercise in graphing. If one inserts the inequality formula
and an absurdly large given value for n into a graphing program, the
graph will be an exact, if somewhat pixelated replica of the original
formula. Altering the formula slightly to give it more height
simultaneously improves the resolution, to the point where the
pixelation disappears and a clean font emerges on the graph.
Interpretation: Proudness, self-assertion, success after struggle,

nobility, inward focus.
67
Four of Wands
adding up 1 to 100
The Math: A charming story is told of this bit of mathematics.

Carl Friedrich Gauss, as a wee small boy, was in math class one day
when his teacher asked the class to count to 100 using all the previous
numbers: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4, and so on to 100. Expecting a restful, quiet
class while his students added away, the teacher was baffled when
little Gauss stood up within moments, the answer in his hand. You
can do this clever trick yourself with any number by replacing n in the
equation with whatever number you wish to add up toin this case,
to 100. (The answer, by the way, is 5050.)
Interpretation: Cleverness, reasoning, wit, rest after labour,

completion of a project, helpful shortcuts.
68
Five of Wands
Leibniz-Newton Calculus Controversy
The Math: Begun in the late 1600's and only moderately wound up
by the time Leibniz died in near anonymity in 1716 (his grave
remained unmarked for fifty years), the Controversy began when
these two scientific giants apparently independently discovered
calculus. Debate raged fiercely for years over who had been first, and
whether Leibniz had simply come up with a different method of
notation, while Newton invented the core idea. In an age without
digital records and timestamps, the only evidence was the word of
each man. At first, it appeared as though the matter would end
peacefully, but an anonymous tract suggesting that Newton had
stolen Leibnizs ideas created an inferno. While neither man wished
for fame, both wished to retain their dignity and integrity before the
scientific world, and were unable to back down without losing their
standing. Today, it is generally accepted that each invented the
calculus independently.
Interpretation: Quarrelling, fighting, strife, indignity, boldness,

prodigality, genius, desire.
69
Six of Wands
Schrdinger equation
The Math: As Newton's Laws are to classical mechanics,

Schrodinger's Equation is to quantum mechanics. It describes how
the quantum state of a system changes over time, and its implications
created breakthroughs throughout the world of earth 20th century
physics. Overall, it isn't terribly difficult to understand: the equation
can be read as total energy equals kinetic energy plus potential energy. It
has additional implications in the realm of particle measurement:
when measured, a particle's properties are randomly taken from a
"smear" of probabilities, and while the equation cannot predict exact
results (this is, in fact, fundamentally impossible), it can still predict
what the probability distributions will be. Hence, it also has a great
deal to do with the incredible particle-wave behaviour which is most
famously visible in the double-slit experiment.
Interpretation: Pleasure gained by labour, success after strife, gain,

carefulness, victory, important matters.
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Seven of Wands
Newton's Third Law
The Math: While this equation can be quoted by every schoolchild

as "every action has an equal and opposite reaction," this statement
can be misleading. When dealing with some activities, such as
bouncing a ball, it makes sense, but what about hitting a nail with a
hammer? Does the nail effect the hammer with the same force the
hammer exerts on the nail? Indeed it does! If you're adventurous,
you can test this out by stepping out of a boat without taking much
care; as you push out of the boat, the boat pushes back, leaving you
somewhat damp and bedraggled between canoe and beach. Similarly,
the reason we don't collapse to the floor under the effects of gravity is
because the ground responds with the same upward force.
Interpretation: Influence, equality, wrangling with equal victors, the

courage to meet difficulties.
Image Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BookNormal.svg
71
Eight of Wands
Speed of Light
The Math: Measured in the universal metres per second, this

number is so large as to be difficult to understand; it may be easier to
envision the imperial version of 186,282 miles per second. On second
thought, perhaps not! However you measure it, light travels at mind-
bogglingly extraordinary speeds, such that it takes only a little over
eight minutes for light from the sun to reach us, despite the
intervening 149,597,870 miles. While light can travel through glass
and air easily, its speed is slowed ever so slightly by passing through
them. A strange thing to think about while laying on your lawn after
sunset is that you're looking back in time; the light from stars takes
thousands, millions, even billions of light-years to reach our eyes.
This is partly how scientists are able to study events which happened
in the universe's deep past. To give you an idea of the sheer brain-
breaking size of the universe, consider that in a single Earth year, light
can travel nine thousand, four hundred and sixty one billion miles.
Multiply that by four to get to the closest star, Proxima Centauri.
Interpretation: swiftness, speed, travel, hasty communications,

sudden force, generosity.
72
Nine of Wands
Octonion
The Math: Octonions require a little back-story, as they are

wonderfully quirky. First off, to get a complex number you must add
imaginary numbers to real numbers. Complex numbers form the end
of what we consider the evolution of numbers; they're the pinnacle of
Everest, and hold the world of numbers on their metaphorical
shoulders. 6 + 2i, is, for example, a complex number. Now, evolution
doesn't have to stop. It isn't necessarily logical, but you can keep
goingwhich resulted in quaternions. These strange numbers are the
next evolution of complex numbers, and contain four terms instead of
two: 6 + i2 + j4 + k5, for example, the squares of which equal -1. This
discovery made some areas of mathematics more complex, as it is
now not always true that AxB = BxA. The octonion is an even greater
leap, and consists of eight terms instead of two or four, and the
squares of all the terms still, magnificently, equal -1. The octonion,
really, despite its usefulness in Lie groups and quantum logic, is the
crazy uncle no one lets out of the attic. He's just a little too much for
everyone to handle.
Interpretation: questions, intractability, unexpected strength, steady

yet quiet force, unexpected success, eccentricity.
Image Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FanoMnemonic.PNG
73
Ten of Wands
Black hole
The Math: Ask a gathering of children about these, and at least

one of them will probably tell you, with gruesome glee, about how
you'd be spaghettified if you floated near one. (The real theory is only
slightly less horrifying.) In any case, black holes are widely agreed to
be strewn liberally around the universe, and many scientists have
reason to believe that a massive one exists at the centre of every
galaxy. In layman's terms, a black hole is an area of space with a
gravitational field strong enough to devour even light, caused by the
collapse of a star. For a few decades, black holes were merely a
mathematical curiosity, but recently they have become the subject of
major investigation, especially in the realm of entropy, which the
card's equation is about. The Hawking-Bekenstein equation confirms
that black hole entropy is proportional to the area of its event horizon
the point of no returndivided by the Planck area. This was a
necessary piece of mathematics, given that if black holes had no
entropy, interaction with them would violate the second law of
thermodynamics.
Interpretation: overbearing force and energy, opposition too strong

to be controlled, selfish ends, failure, defeat, futility.
74
Ace of Swords
Weak Nuclear force
The Math: Also called weak interaction, this fundamental force is

the impetus behind radioactive decay. Called "weak" because of its
exceedingly short range of influence, it is nevertheless a powerful
force, which effects fermions and is responsible for hydrogen fusion in
stars. It is unique among the forces for being able to change the
properties of one quarkknown as its "flavour"into that of another.
Although radioactive decay is often exceedingly dangerous, and
something most of us would rather not play with, radiocarbon dating
of ancient artifacts would be impossible without it, as would the
existence of the universe itself.
Interpretation: Repellance, decay, weakness, short-sightedness,

asymmetry, the centre cannot hold, danger.
75
Two of Swords
Strange equality
The Math: In a seeming contradiction that has defied logic (and

the patience of math students) for untold years, the repeating decimal
0.999 is actually the number 1. Now, you might say, "Well, of course it
is! You round up!" But in fact, the mystery remains, because you
don't. By some quirk of mathematics, the two numbers are actually
equal, and there exist a huge list of proofs (of varying rigour and
believability) of this odd truth. Some summarize that the proof exists
simply to drive future generations of students to drink, but so far, no
one has been able to ask the great mathematician in the sky whether
that was the intention.
Interpretation: Truth and untruth, debate, repeating affronts,

quarrels settled yet tensions remain, uneasy truce.
76
Three of Swords
Schrdinger's cat
The Math: What appears at first glance to be an extraordinarily

complex attempt at animal torment is actually a thought experiment
based on entanglement and quantum mechanics. The thought
experiment, which is now famous, places a cat in a box with a
radioactive source and a vial of poison; if an internal Geiger counter
detects radiation, it smashes the vial, thus killing the cat. Or does it?
Similar to the age-old question of whether a tree makes a sound if it
falls when no one is around to hear it, the experiment suggests that if
the box remains unopened, the cat remains in a permanent liminal
stateboth living and dead simultaneously. When the box is opened,
the wave function collapses, and the experiment is decided one way
or the other. Until the flap is lifted, all the possibilities are smeared
out in probability distribution, and only an observer will force them to
settle into a frustratingly definite state, leaving little information
about the in-between distribution.
Interpretation: Interruption, disruption, quarrelling, discord, strife,

mischief-making, sadistic pleasures.
77
Four of Swords
Trachtenberg arithmetic
The Math: The Trachtenberg systems are forms of rapid mental

calculation, but not for any old numbersthese brilliant systems
work best for multiplying extremely large numbers with great ease.
Each number from 3 to 12, excepting 10, has an easily memorized set
of calculations attached to it, which make multiplying them by
unwieldy, six-figure (or more!) numbers quick and simple, by means
of addition, carrying, and simple rules. Trachtenberg himself was a
Russian Jew during the age of Nazism, a mathematician and an
engineer and, obviously, a genius, who developed these systems to
entertain his brain during his seven-year imprisonment in a
concentration camp. He later founded the Mathematical Institute of
Zurich, one of the most famous schools of mathematics in modern
history.
Interpretation: Peace after war, recovery, good from sorrow, change

for the better, redemption.
78
Five of Swords
Seven Bridges of knigsberg
The Math: Look at the image on the card. Now imagine that each
of those white arches are bridges in a city, and you have been charged
with the task of moving through the city while only crossing each
bridge once. You can't go over a bridge twice, or backtrack, or fly. Can
you do it? The answeralthough I don't blame you if you try a few
times regardlessis no. It is a fundamentally unsolvable problem.
(Unless, of course, you take the advice of my fey young cousin who,
upon being faced with this problem, said with absolute dignity and
assurance, "Just build another stupid bridge.")
Interpretation: Defeat, contest lost, thanklessness, trouble, loss,

anxiety, insomnia, pity.
Image Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:7_bridges.svg
79
Six of Swords
Mersenne Primes
The Math: Mersenne primes are named after their discoverer, a

French monk. A Mersenne number is any positive number which is
one less than a power of two (thirty-one, for example). A Mersenne
prime, of course, is simply a Mersenne number which is also prime,
which is any natural number greater than one which has no positive
divisors other than 1 and itselfthirteen, for example, is prime. Many
of the Mersenne primes have been discovered by the mighty efforts of
the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (affectionately abbreviated
GIMPS), which has been run on exponentially more powerful
computers since its release in 1996. Not only has the project
discovered thirteen of the Mersenne primes, but eleven of those
thirteen were also the largest discovered prime number at the time,
breaking records on many occasions.
Interpretation: Good labour, work, journeys, success after effort,

victory after trouble, patience, beauty.
80
Seven of Swords
String theory
The Math: String theory is one of the most controversial areas of

modern physics. Some feel it to be the leading contender for the
Theory of Everything which ties together general relativity and
quantum mechanics, while others feel it to be a lost cause, and many
have staked their career and reputation on it. The basic concept
behind string theory is this: at the very bottom of reality, deeper and
tinier than anything we know, are not particles, but oscillating lines
(or strings). It assumes many extra "curled up" dimensions in order to
work. Although it is indeed among the leading contenders for a so-
called final theory, it has its troubles. The major criticism lies in the
inability to test string theory experimentally, given the unbelievably
miniscule proportions of the strings themselves, and it is unlikely that
we will ever be able to build a particle accelerator that is able to see
the strings, even if they do exist. String theory also has the curse of
the cornucopia: there are too many solutions and dimensions, instead
of not enough. String theory is extraordinarily compelling, but may in
the end be too impractical to answer our fundamental questions.
Interpretation: Partialsuccess, unreliability, unwieldy plans,

ambition, love of abundance, yielding before victory.
81
Eight of Swords
zeno's paradox
The Math: The first recorded instance of reductio ad absurdum, this

paradox pits Achilles against the humble Tortoise in a footrace. The
Tortoise reasonably asks for a head start, since of course he is slower
than the mighty Achilles, and Achilles, being a upright gentleman,
courteously allows thisto his cost. For once Achilles reaches the
point at which the Tortoise started, the Tortoise has already moved on
another percentage, and once Achilles reaches that point, the Tortoise
is already slightly more ahead...and so on. Poor Achilles must run a
gamut of infinite points, each decreasing in length as he proceeds,
evermore chasing a Tortoise. More a mathematical problem dealing
with progressively smaller fractions than a workable philosophical
conundrum, Zeno's Paradox is based on the ancient idea that motion
is merely an illusion, and that everything is one.
Interpretation: Narrowness, futility, restriction, too much attention

to detail, a prison.
82
Nine of Swords
Millennium Prize problems
The Math: Based on Hilbert's list of twenty-three unsolved

problems, the Millennium Prize problems are a list of seven fiendish
problems that remain unsolved to this dayand, notably, have the
potential to be solvedwith the notable exception of the Poincare
Conjecture (also called the Perelman Theorem after the man who
solved it). If you come up with the solution to any of these problems,
you will be awarded a whopping $1,000,000 by the Clay Mathematics
Institute. These are the most difficult, wicked issues in mathematics,
the worst of the worst and the greatest of the great, each of which
would have groundbreaking implications in other realms of science if
solved. Don't wait around; these beasts might be solved tomorrow, or
they might take another hundred years.
Interpretation: Despair, burden, pitilessness, labour, craft, patience,

faithfulness.
83
Ten of Swords
Uncountable sets
The Math: The natural numbers are all the practical ones we use in
daily life: 0, 1, 2, and so forth on to infinity. The real numbers, on the
other hand, comprise every single decimal expansion and whole
number, on to infinity. While the natural numbers are all whole, the
real numbers contain all the numbers in between the natural numbers,
as well as the natural numbers themselves. Remember the frivolous
theorem of arithmetic, which states that most natural numbers are
very, very large? Well, the real numbers are beyond the scale of
human comprehensionso large an infinity dwells innocently
between 0 and 1 that it dwarfs the natural numbers into absurdity.
Don't think about it too hard, or your brain might melt.
Interpretation: Ruin, defeat, failure, repetition, insanity, obsessive

behaviour, despair.
Image Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Latex_real_numbers.svg
84
The Courts
85
86
Princess of Cups
Zero Simplex
The Math: A 0-simplex is a single point with no dimensions.
Interpretation: Simplicity, seeds, embryonic situations, destiny,

potential.
87
Prince of Cups
One Simplex
The Math: A 1-simplex is a line segment bounded by two points,

with a single dimension.
Interpretation: Equality, beginnings and endings, boundaries, lack

of perspective.
88
Queen of Cups
Two Simplex
The Math: A 2-simplex is a triangle bounded by three line

segments and three points, with two dimensions.
Interpretation: Sharpness, acuity, moving up in the world, learning,

intelligence.
89
King of Cups
Three Simplex
The Math: A 3-simplex is a tetrahedron composed of four

triangles, six line segments, and four points, which has three
dimensions.
Interpretation: Reinforcement, constancy, steadfastness,

preparation, the pinnacle, success.
90
Princess of Coins
Circle
The Math: Euclid's definition of the circle, which has survived the
intervening years of poetic mathematicians, is that a circle will appear
when you mark a spot on the ground and ask ten people to stand
around it at a distance of one metre. We've all dealt with circular
math in our younger years of schooling: the circumference, the
diameter, the arc, the radius, the chord, and of course, the ubiquitous
pi, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.
Interpretation: Connectedness, smoothness, perfection, beauty, yet

instability.
91
Prince of Coins
Square
The Math: A square is generally defined as a regular quadrilateral

with four equal sides and four equal angles. Squares are a favourite
of schoolchildren, as they require less advanced mathematics to
measure than other shapes, given their equal proportions. The value
for the diagonals of a square is also known as Pythagoras' constant,
and was the very first irrational number to be proven.
Interpretation: Stability, groundedness, lack of imagination,

stubbornness, permanence.
92
Queen of Coins
Polygon
The Math: Within the jurisdiction of this Queen's rule are

triangles, quadrilaterals, and pentagons, as they are all two-
dimensional shapes with straight lines that meet at corners. In fact,
you can draw just about any shape with straight lines, and classify it
based on the number of sides it has. The black sheep of the family are
the digon, a polygon with two sides and two corners; that is, a line
and the apeirogon, which is composed of an infinite number of line
segments and has an equally unlimited number of sides.
Interpretation: Abundance, common knowledge, service, vitality,

changeability.
93
King of Coins
polyhedron
The Math: These three-dimensional shapes, while vastly different,

have one thing in common: they are all a collection of two-
dimensional faces with straight edges meeting at corners. The
simplest polyhedron is the pyramid, and the forms move upward
through the cube, the icosahedron pictured on the card face, all the
way up to absurdly complex shapes such as the great disnub
dirhombidodecahedron (known less awkwardly as Skilling's Figure)
which has 360 total edges.
Interpretation: fertility, platonic ideals, complexity, playfulness,

enthusiasm.
94
Princess of Wands
addition
The Math: Addition is one of the very first things we learn to do as

babies. I have one block in front of me, and papa puts another block
in front of mehow many do I have? Two! Addition is simply
counting, one of the most intuitive human skills, and something so
basic that many animals have been observed to do it. Addition is
interesting because it is commutative: order doesn't matter.
Interpretation: Increase, stable growth, growing things, children,

production.
95
Prince of Wands
Subtraction
The Math: Subtraction is slightly more mysterious. All is well and

good at first. I have three blocks and I take one away, leaving me with
two blocks. But what if I have three blocks and take away five?
Suddenly, the blocks in my hands turn into slime and blow
raspberries at me. Of course, in mathematics, we would say the
answer is -2, or negative two, but this is difficult to elucidate with
physical objects. Even stranger, if you minus a negative number (5
minus -10, for example) you actually add it (meaning the answer is
actually 15). The first users of subtraction using negative numbers
either vilified them as wrong and absurd (in the case of the Greeks) or
used them to financial advantage (for calculating debt, in the Arab,
Indian, and Chinese world).
Interpretation: Severance, decrease, anticlimax, low tide phase,

waning.
96
Queen of Wands
Multiplication
The Math: Multiplication is like addition's big sister. If I have three

bags, each of which has three blocks in it, how many blocks do I have? I
could add 3+3+3, but it's much easier to multiple 3x3, both of which give
me the same answer: 9. Basic multiplication is commutive, but the more
complex the equation, especially while dealing with complex numbers, the
order does indeed matter. One of the most famous artifacts in
mathematics, the Ishango bone, which is dated to approximately 18,000
BC, suggests a knowledge of multiplication among peoples we once
assumed to have been far too primitive for mathematical understanding.
Interpretation: ascension, exaggeration, strength, climbing, height,

lofty ideals.
97
King of Wands
Division
The Math: Division asks the inverse question to multiplication:

how many times does this number fit into this other number?
Division immediately leads to the concept of rational numbers, or
fractions, as not all numbers fit easily into one another. Division is
interesting in that it can be performed with a wide variety of methods,
from pushing stones about on a board, to the use of an abacus or slide
rule, to logarithmic tables. Division is generally the most disliked of
the four basic methods of arithmetic among schoolchildren, given
how it is closely connected to fractions, as well as the multitude of
gradually more complex rules of cross-cancelling and synthetic
division which appear in higher maths.
Interpretation: Reduction, tallies, erosion, reservation, leavings,

leftovers.
98
Princess of Swords
integers
The Math: The integers are all the natural numbers (0, 1, 2, 3, etc)
combined with their cousins once removed, the negative numbers, or
everything below zero. They are a subset of real numbers, and are the
numerical basis of all the mathematics you've ever done. There are no
fractions or square roots within their ranks; they are fundamentally
simple.
Interpretation: Comprehensiveness, all your ducks in a row,

abundance, wide choices.
Image Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Integers-line.svg
99
Prince of Swords
imaginary numbers
The Math: The name is slightly misleading; these numbers are

neither "all the numbers you can imagine" nor "numbers which do not
exist." They are, in fact, numbers whose square is less than or equal to
zero, something which generally doesn't happen in good
mathematics, and the whole set is a little bit of a redheaded stepchild.
They have the mysterious quality that if you square the imaginary
symbol i, you get -1 as your answer, which allows you to write
imaginary numbers as real numbers. However, despite their
strangeness, without imaginary numbers, mathematics would not
have passed very far beyond the seventeenth century.
Interpretation: Creativity, imagination, cleverness, eccentricity,

mysteries, tricks.
100
Queen of Swords
rational numbers
The Math: These are, simply put, the fractionsor, as she would
be called if I renamed her, the Queen of Quotients. All integers are
children of fractions, since they can be written as, for example, 2/1, or
two over one. Of course, because you cannot divide by zero, the
bottom number (or denominator) of a rational number can never be
zero.
Interpretation: Simplification, equality, balance, details, lightness,

caution.
101
King of Swords
complex numbers
The Math: A marriage between imaginary numbers and real

numbers, you can imagine the complex numbers as seeds who refused
to stay on the one-dimensional number line and bloomed into a two-
dimensional flower. Used today in a variety of fields from quantum
physics to engineering, fractals to fluid dynamics, the complex
numbers have been variously loathed and sanctified throughout the
centuries.
Interpretation: Blooming, expansion, marriage, agreements,

alchemy, new perspective.
Image Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Complex_number_illustration.svg
102
Spreads
103
104
Dimensions spread:
One Dimension - where you start
Two Dimensions - where you go from here
Three Dimensions - what you will do when you get there
Fundamental Forces spread:

Electromagnetism what inspires you
Weak Force what pulls you apart
Strong Force what holds you together
Gravity what grounds you
Euler's identity spread:

e the core question (the base of natural logarithms)
i deeper insight (imaginary unit of complex numbers)
pi how to solve it (analytical mathematics)
1 what you bring to the situation (the multiplicative identity)
0 the outcome (the additive identity)
Isometries spread:
Rotation what surrounds you
Translation where you are going
Reflection how you see yourself
Glide how to move forward
Entanglement spread:
Draw two cards. You may only look at one of them; when you are finished, replace both
cards into the deck.
Position where you are now
Momentum where you are going
105
T.O.E. Spread:
General Relativity the established situation
Quantum Mechanics the new element, the mystery, the challenge
Final Theory how to bridge the gap or solve the problem
Venn Diagram Spreads:

a) Situation A
Situation B
How they overlap
b) Person A
Person B
How they get along/are similar
c) Desire A
Desire B
How to compromise
d) Situation/project
Querent
Their interaction
106
Games & Tricks
107
108
Nim:
Invented in the seventeenth century, Nim is a great game to play
when you're bored on the beach with a friend. Find yourself a pile of
stones, counters, M&M's, or any other collection of small objects
(between 15 and 40 is good). Each player takes a turn to remove
either one, two, or three counters from the pile. The person to take the
last counter wins.
Magic Squares:
If you're tired of Sudoku and need a new challenge, try to come up
with as many 4x4 magic squares as you can there are over eight
hundred in total. Each row and column must add up to the same
number, as well as the diagonals. If even that fails to challenge you,
try 5x5's there are over two hundred million of those.
The 1089 Puzzle:

Write down any three digit number that does not read the same
backwards and forwards (616, for example, is not allowed). I shall
pick 876. Now, reverse the digits: 678. Now, subtract the reversed
number from the original: 876 678, which equals 198. Reverse this
one: 891. Now add the two new numbers together: 198 + 891. The
answer is 1089 and if you don't cheat and use the illegal numbers,
you will get 1089 every time. Why, I hear you ask in disbelief? It
simply has to do with an interesting quirk in regarding number
columns, in which a number in the form abc will always produce the
same leftover number in this format, no matter what those numbers
are (excepting the palindrome numbers).
109
The 11 Trick:
We all know how to multiply something by ten; you just add a zero to
the end. But how about multiplying by eleven? Surprisingly, it's
almost as easy. Say you want to multiply 52 by 11. Take the 5 and the
2 and add them together to get 7. Then sandwich it between the 5 and
the 2 like so: 572. And there you have your answer! If the number
you add ends up being a two digit number, it's slightly different; say
you want to multiply 85 and 11. 8 + 5 is 13. Put the 3 in the middle to
get 835, then add the 1 to the 8 to get 935, which is your answer.
The 4 & 5 Tricks:

These are brilliant tricks, the sort of thing which makes you wonder
how you didn't think of them before. To easily multiply a number by
four without relying on your times-tables, simply double it, as if
you're multiplying by two, then double it again. 4 x 10 can be done as
20 + 20, which is 40. Similarly, if you want to multiply by 5, just divide
the number in half and then multiply it by ten . 5 x 4 can be done as 2
x 10, which is 20. You can do a similar thing if multiplying by 12.
Let's try 30 x 12 first, multiply 30 by 10, which gives you 300, then 30
by 2, which gives you 60, and after you add those two together, your
answer is 360.
The Fibonacci Trick:

If you need to get a rough estimate of conversion between miles and
kilometres, you can use the famous Fibonacci sequence. Yes, it really
is everywhere. Three miles is approximately equal to five kilometres,
five miles is about eight kilometres
110
Further Reading
111
112
Further Reading:
Elwes, Richard. Mathematics 1001 (Firefly Books Ltd., 2010).
Devlin, Keith. The Language of Mathematics (Henry Holt and
Company, 2000).
Benjamin, Arthur, and Shermer, Michael. Secrets of Mental Math
(Random House, 2006).
Kline, Morris. Mathematics for the Nonmathematician (Dover, 1967).
Livio, Mario. The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved (Simon and
Schuster, 2006).
Berlinski, David. Infinite Ascent: A Short History of Mathematics
(Modern Library, 2005).
Berlinski, David. A Tour of the Calculus (Random House, 1995).
du Sautoy, Marcus. The Number Mysteries (HarperCollins, 2011).
du Sautoy, Marcus. The Music of the Primes (HarperCollins, 2003).
du Sautoy, Marcus. Symmetry: A Journey Into the Patterns of Nature
(HarperCollins, 2008).
Ifrah, Georges. The Universal History of Numbers: From Prehistory to the
Invention of the Computer (John Wiley & Sons 2000).
113
Peterson, Ivars. The Mathematical Tourist (W.H. Freeman and
Company, 1988).
Pickover, Clifford A. The Math Book: From Pythagoras to the 57th
Dimension, 250 Milestones in the History of Mathematics (Sterling, 2009).
Pickover, Clifford A. The Physics Book: From the Big Bang to Quantum
Resurrection, 250 Milestones in the History of Physics (Sterling, 2011).
Enzensberger, Hans Magnus. The Number Devil: A Mathematical
Adventure (Henry Holt and Company, 1998).
Lederman, Leon. The God Particle (Mariner, 2006).
Lindley, David. The End of Physics: The Myth of a Unified Theory
(HarperCollins 1993).
Carroll, Sean. From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory
of Time (Plume, 2010).
Greene, Brian. The Fabric of the Cosmos (Vintage Books, 2004).
Smolin, Lee. The Trouble With Physics (Mariner, 2006).
114
115
116

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THE

The Mathematics Tarot

Thank you for your support!

This deck is dedicated to my madgirl Spark of a sister, without whom it

No acknowledgement would be complete without thanking my parents for

And lastly, I would like to thank Mike Greenwood, my Calculus teacher.

It is a writer's prerogative to devour valuable page real-estate with missives of

When a counsellor approaches me and asks me why I'm crying, I despairingly

I passed that course at 51%.

Yes, you guessed it.

I was utterly astounded by what I found.

I got angry, then.

Her wildly enthusiastic response (and possibly a handful of death threats if I

Whether you're a tarot collector with no particular love for mathematics, or

The Math: A series of equations known to have chaotic solutions

Interpretation: Mania, chaos, eccentricity, transcendence, original

Image Source: Public Domain.

The Math: Often confused with the Observer Effect of quantum

Interpretation: Subtlety, spooky action at a distance, skill, cunning,

Image Source: Public Domain.

Interpretation: Fluctuation, purity, change, alternation, increase and

The Math: The energy of an object or system which is conserved

Interpretation: Potential, activity, gravity, earthiness, completeness,

Image Source: Public Domain.

The Math: Arguably the most famous and well-known piece of

Interpretation: Solidity, energy, a firm foothold on reality, fixed

Image Source: Public Domain.

The Math: As famous as E=mc2 but not quite as iconic in pop

Interpretation: Wisdom, orthodoxy, authority, goodness, endurance,

Interpretation: Development, duality, self replication, alchemy,

Image Source: Public Domain.

The Math: Cosmic inflation is the widely-accepted theory of rapid

Interpretation: Victory, authority under authority, obedience,

The Math: Information appears to be able to pass instantaneously

Interpretation: Equilibrium, impartiality, fundamental laws,

Image Source: Public Domain.

The Math: A setting in which the three regular dimensions of

Interpretation: Time, introspection, analysis, movement,

Image Source: Public Domain.

The Math: Simply put, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its

Interpretation: Eternal change, revolutions, unexpected events, good

Image Source: Public Domain.

The Math: The law that the magnetization of a substance is

Interpretation: Force, strength, controlled power, resolve, tenacity,

Image Source: Public Domain.

The Math: A massive particle, once considered hypothetical,

Interpretation: Trials, devotion, defeat, sacrifice, re-evaluation,

Image Source: Public Domain.

The Math: Also called a base-two numerical system, binary

Interpretation: Duality, choice, yes/no, on/off, life/death, change,

Image Source: Public Domain.

The Math: Widely felt to be the most beautiful formula in

Interpretation: Unity, ideas, accommodation, good combinations,

The Math: The Demon is a character in a thought experiment

Interpretation: Disorder, temptation, obsession, the taboo, forbidden

Image Source: Public Domain.

The Math: For three hundred and fifty-eight years,

Interpretation: Frustration,purgatory, redemptive suffering,

Image Source: Public Domain.

The Math: The mathematician David Hilbert famously said, "If I

Interpretation: Faith, hope, immortality, bright promise,

Image Source: Public Domain.

Interpretation: Error, deception, danger, illusion, calumny,

Interpretation: Happiness, glory, beauty, truth, triumph, pleasure,