Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers
by Jan Gullberg
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jan GullbergEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1997-03
ISBN: 039304002X
Number of pages: 1093
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Book Reviews of Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers
Book Review: A Bit Pricey, but aren't all Math Books?
Summary: 4 Stars
A beautiful written and illustrated gentle, user-friendly reference guide to mathematics from the invention of numbers, counting and reckoning up through linear differential equations, touching on all of the important signposts in between. The explanations are clear, concise and accompanied by excellent diagrams. Elementary calculus is covered especially well. The foray into Topology, fractals, and symbolic logic was an unexpected bonus with a modern touch. The very final section on probability theory with a calculus approach to probability density functions stands out as exceptional.
On the negative side, I expected more on infinite numbers, topology (which was only two pages of diagrams and basic definitions only), and vector analysis, which seems to have stopped at cross products.
But despite these minor points, it is a very useful and up-to-date reference guide for non-mathematicians and others up through the calculus. Four stars.
Summary of Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers
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 LittletonMathematics Books
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