Number Story

by Higgins, Peter M.

• ISBN13: 9781848000001
• ISBN10: 1848000006
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-02-08
• Publisher: Copernicus Books

Summary

Number Story is an entertaining introduction to the development of numbers and their applications. Written in the same user-friendly style that characterises the authora??s previous books, the book blends easy material with more challenging ideas about infinity and complex numbers and is full of interesting examples ranging from recreational puzzles to very real world scenarios. There are historical notes, which give the mathematics context, and short digressions, while a final chapter, For Connoisseurs, provides the mathematical detail for those who would like to know more about the questions and techniques highlighted. Number Story will appeal to anyone who is curious about the mathematics behind real-life questions. It will inspire and motivate those thinking of studying mathematics at university, and will provide invaluable material for teachers and lecturers.

Author Biography

Peter Higgins is a Professor of Mathematics at Essex University and inventor of Circular Sudoku. His previous books on mathematics include Mathematics for the Curious, Mathematics for the Imagination, and Nets, Puzzles and Postmen: An Exploration of Mathematical Connections.

Table of Contents

The First Numbers	p. 1
Discovering Numbers	p. 17
Some Number Tricks	p. 31
Some Tricky Numbers	p. 61
Some Useful Numbers	p. 85
On the Trail of New Numbers	p. 101
Glimpses of Infinity	p. 117
Applications of Number: Chance	p. 137
The Complex History of the Imaginary	p. 165
From Imaginary to Complex	p. 185
The Number Line under the Microscope	p. 209
Application of Number: Codes and Public Key Cryptography	p. 229
For Connoisseurs	p. 263
Further Reading	p. 315
Index	p. 319
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.