The Man of Numbers: Fibonacci's Arithmetic Revolution - Softcover

"A must-read for anyone interested in the history of math, including undergraduates, mathematicians, and amateur historians." "- Library Journal

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"The author...is adept at explaining esoteric concepts at the heart of old arithmetic problems, allowing readers to peer into the mind of a medieval Italian businessman." "- The Wall Street Journal"

"A wonderful and vivid tale about the father of modern mathematics" - "Shelf Awareness"

"Devlin illuminates one of the most remarkable and underappreciated episodes in cultural history... A surprising visit to a forgotten well-spring of modern thought." - "Booklist

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"Three cheers for Leonardo Pisano... A wonderful book for history-of-science buffs." "- Kirkus Reviews"

Leonardo of Pisa-better known today as Fibonacci-was the first Westerner to recognize the power of the Hindu-Arabic number system (featuring the numerals 0 through 9), which offered a much simpler method of calculation than the finger reckoning and cumbersome Roman numerals used at the time. His book Liberabbaci (The book of Calculation) remade the West as the dominant force in science, technology, and large-scale international commerce. Leonardo of Pisa is best known today for discovering the Fibonacci sequence of numbers appearing in biological structures throughout nature, but despite the ubiquity of his discoveries, he has largely slipped from the pages of history. Keith Devlin re-creates the life and enduring legacy of this brilliant yet overlooked mathematician.