Number: The Language of Science - Hardcover

Inhaltsangabe

From the rudimentary mathematical abilities of prehistoric manto bizarre ideas at the edges of modern math, here is the storyof mathematics through the history of its most central concept:number.Dantzig demonstrates that the evolution of numbers isinextricably linked with the history of human culture. He showshow advances in math were spurred by the demands of growingcommerce in the ancient world; how the pure speculationof philosophers and religious mystics contributed to ourunderstanding of numbers; how the exchange of ideas betweencultures in times of war and imperial conquest fueled advancesin knowledge; how the forces of history combine with humanintuition to trigger revolutions in thought.Dantzig’s exposition of the foundations and philosophy ofmath is accessible to all readers. He explores many of the mostfascinating topics in math, such as the properties of numbers,the invention of zero, and infinity. First published in 1930, thisbook is, beyond doubt, the best book on the evolution ofmathematics―now again in print.

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