Number: From Ancient Civilisations to the Computer - Softcover

McLeish, John

 
9780006544845: Number: From Ancient Civilisations to the Computer
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0006544843 ISBN 13: 9780006544845
Verlag: Flamingo, 1992

Inhaltsangabe

"Number" reassesses conventional views of civilization. It seeks to challenge, provoke and fascinate as it takes the mystery out of the world of number. Ranging from prehistoric times through the world's main civilizations, John McLeish demonstrates that one of the main skills which marks out humans from animals is their ability to calculate. We visit the bed-chambers of the Chinese Emperor as his officials allocate his bed-mate according to a strict mathematical rota. We get to know the people who have shaped numbers - world famous mathematicians such as Pythagoras and Newton, and the lesser known Greek woman mathematician Hypatia who was martyred for her views on logic. The book also looks at the development of the computer and the people behind it, and reassesses today's society in terms of the numbers which rule our lives.

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Von der hinteren Coverseite

In this lucid and accessible book, John McLeish reveals the fascinating history of mankind’s struggle to shape the world through numbers. Demonstrating how the ability to calculate underpins all human endeavour, 'Number' encompasses a vast historical and geographical span, tracing mathematical advances across the globe from the earliest times to the present day. From Sumeria and Babylon to ancient China, from Moghul India to the native cultures of Central and North America, from the Valley of the Kings to Silicon Valley, from the Mayan calendar to the pocket calculator, this enlightening study gives an oblique and unconventional view of the cultural richness and diversity of human civilisation.

‘Charming, intriguing and fascinating.’
THE TIMES

‘John McLeish knows how to make maths amusing. To read his explanation of the Mayan 'qui-pu' bead-strings, or the ancient Babylonians’ algorithms based on sixty, is rather like listening to strains of rare music. His culturally comparative approach is provocative… a liberating, broad-minded history.’
INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

‘One of the delightful features of McLeish’s book is that he spells out in comprehensible detail how each culture performed its mathematical calculations, and this alone makes the book worth buying. Lively and completely fascinating.’
TIMES EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT

‘Enjoyable provocative’
OBSERVER

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Verlag
Flamingo
Erscheinungsdatum
1992
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0006544843
ISBN 13 
9780006544845
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
272
Kontakt zum Hersteller
Nicht verfügbar
Verantwortliche Person
Nicht verfügbar

Weitere beliebte Ausgaben desselben Titels

9780747509219: Number: From Ancient Civilisations to the Computer

Vorgestellte Ausgabe

ISBN 10:  0747509212 ISBN 13:  9780747509219
Verlag: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 1991
Hardcover