Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers |
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Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers
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by Jan Gullberg
Sales Rank: 98598
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Discount: 37 %
$13.99
At Amazon
on 6-21-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Paperback with 1093 pages
Published by: W. W. Norton & CompanyEdition: 1st Edition March 1997
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 039304002X
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0393040029
Book Dimensions:
10.1 x 7.2 x 2.2 inches
Weighs: 4.8 pounds
Product Review
What does mathematics mean? Is it numbers or arithmetic, proofs or equations? Jan Gullberg starts his massive historical overview with some insight into why human beings find it necessary to "reckon," or count, and what math means to us. From there to the last chapter, on differential equations, is a very long, but surprisingly engrossing journey. Mathematics covers how symbolic logic fits into cultures around the world, and gives fascinating biographical tidbits on mathematicians from Archimedes to Wiles. It's a big book, copiously illustrated with goofy little line drawings and cartoon reprints. But the real appeal (at least for math buffs) lies in the scads of problems--with solutions--illustrating the concepts. It really invites readers to sit down with a cup of tea, pencil and paper, and (ahem) a calculator and start solving. Remember the first time you "got it" in math class? With Mathematics you can recapture that bliss, and maybe learn something new, too. Everyone from schoolkids to professors (and maybe even die-hard mathphobes) can find something useful, informative, or entertaining here. --Therese Littleton
Scientific American, Donald J. Albers
The book is an enthusiastic and utterly amazing popularization that promises to be in print for decades. It is an important reference and a book that is plain fun to dip into. If a family is to have only one mathematics book on the reference shelf, then this is the one.
Reader Reviews
The author of this book is not a professional mathematician, but rather someone who has deeply fallen in love with math and wants to share his passion. His enthusiasm is infectuous. I came away from this book thinking that perhaps math really is the purest, most profound, most beautiful of all human endeavors. I know that many mathematicians feel that way, but I had never before experienced it myself. Immersion in this book produces a state of total mental engagement that I normally reach only when reading Shakespeare or playing Bach. Be aware, however, that a fairly high level of mathematical competency is required for full comprehension, and that for non-mathematicians like myself the book is only partially accessible. But I don't view that as a drawback: the book makes you want to study and develop your technical understanding sufficiently to truly enjoy the more esoteric topics the book discusses. That's what happened to me. I find myself reading up on calculus and going through old college textbooks of mine. It must be a pretty good book that can accomplish that!
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Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers
Available from Amazon
Price: $13.99
Updated on 6-21-2008.
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