A Wealth of Numbers : : An Anthology of 500 Years of Popular Mathematics Writing / / ed. by Benjamin Wardhaugh.
Despite what we may sometimes imagine, popular mathematics writing didn't begin with Martin Gardner. In fact, it has a rich tradition stretching back hundreds of years. This entertaining and enlightening anthology--the first of its kind--gathers nearly one hundred fascinating selections from th...
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Place / Publishing House: | Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2012] ©2012 |
Year of Publication: | 2012 |
Edition: | Course Book |
Language: | English |
Online Access: | |
Physical Description: | 1 online resource (392 p.) :; 39 halftones. 19 line illus. |
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Other title: | Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- 1. "Sports and Pastimes, Done by Number": Mathematical Tricks, Mathematical Games -- 2. "Much Necessary for All States of Men": From Arithmetic to Algebra -- 3. "A Goodly Struggle": Problems, Puzzles, and Challenges -- 4. "Drawyng, Measuring and Proporcion": Geometry and Trigonometry -- 5. Maps, Monsters, and Riddles: The Worlds of Mathematical Popularization -- 6. "To Ease and Expedite the Work": Mathematical Instruments and How to Use Them -- 7. "How Fine a Mind": Mathematicians Past -- 8. "By Plain and Practical Rules": Mathematics at Work -- 9. "The Speedier Expedition of Their Learning": Thoughts on Teaching and Learning Mathematics -- 10. "So Fundamentally Useful a Science": Reflections on Mathematics and Its Place in the World -- 11. The Mathematicians Who Never Were: Fiction and Humor -- Index |
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Summary: | Despite what we may sometimes imagine, popular mathematics writing didn't begin with Martin Gardner. In fact, it has a rich tradition stretching back hundreds of years. This entertaining and enlightening anthology--the first of its kind--gathers nearly one hundred fascinating selections from the past 500 years of popular math writing, bringing to life a little-known side of math history. Ranging from the late fifteenth to the late twentieth century, and drawing from books, newspapers, magazines, and websites, A Wealth of Numbers includes recreational, classroom, and work mathematics; mathematical histories and biographies; accounts of higher mathematics; explanations of mathematical instruments; discussions of how math should be taught and learned; reflections on the place of math in the world; and math in fiction and humor. Featuring many tricks, games, problems, and puzzles, as well as much history and trivia, the selections include a sixteenth-century guide to making a horizontal sundial; "Newton for the Ladies" (1739); Leonhard Euler on the idea of velocity (1760); "Mathematical Toys" (1785); a poetic version of the rule of three (1792); "Lotteries and Mountebanks" (1801); Lewis Carroll on the game of logic (1887); "Maps and Mazes" (1892); "Einstein's Real Achievement" (1921); "Riddles in Mathematics" (1945); "New Math for Parents" (1966); and "PC Astronomy" (1997). Organized by thematic chapters, each selection is placed in context by a brief introduction. A unique window into the hidden history of popular mathematics, A Wealth of Numbers will provide many hours of fun and learning to anyone who loves popular mathematics and science.Some images inside the book are unavailable due to digital copyright restrictions. |
Format: | Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web. |
ISBN: | 9781400841981 |
DOI: | 10.1515/9781400841981 |
Access: | restricted access |
Hierarchical level: | Monograph |
Statement of Responsibility: | ed. by Benjamin Wardhaugh. |