One to Nine : The Inner Life of Numbers

English

ISBN: 039306641X

EAN: 9780393066418

Category: Mathematics / Counting & Numeration

Publisher: Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W.

Release Date: 04/30/2008

Synopsis: What Lynne Truss did for grammar inEats, Shoots & Leaves, Andrew Hodges now does for mathematics. Andrew Hodges, one of Britains leading biographers and mathematical writers, brings numbers to three-dimensional life in this delightful and illuminating volume, filled with illustrations, which makes even the most challenging math problems accessible to the layperson. Inspired by millennia of human attempts to figure things out, this pithy book, which tackles mathematical conundrums from the ancient Greeks to superstring theory, finds a new twist to everything from musical harmony to code breaking, from the chemistry of sunflowers to the mystery of magic squares. Starting with the puzzle of defining unity, and ending with the recurring nines of infinite decimals, Hodges tells a story that takes in quantum physics, cosmology, climate change, and the origin of the computer. Hodges has written a classic work, at once playful but satisfyingly instructional, which will be ideal for the math aficionado and the Sudoku addict as well as for the life of the party. 40 illustrations.

Excerpt: Unknown Property Excerpt

One to Nine : The Inner Life of Numbers

Illustrated: Yes

Format: Hardcover

Height: 1.2 inches

Width: 5.8 inches

Length: 8.3 inches

Weight: 16.58 oz

Pages: 336