The Secret Lives of Numbers: A Hidden History of Mathematics (UK)
Publisher,Viking UK
Publication Date,
Format, Paperback
Weight,
No. of Pages, 320
Shelf: Professional Books / Stats/Maths/Qltative Anal / Stat/Math/Qualitat
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A revisionist, completely accessible and radically inclusive history of maths
'Lively, satisfying, good at explaining difficult concepts' The Sunday Times
Mathematics shapes almost everything we do. But despite its reputation as the study of fundamental truths, the stories we have been told about it are wrong. In The Secret Lives of Numbers, historian Kate Kitagawa and journalist Timothy Revell introduce readers to the mathematical boundary-smashers who have been erased by history because of their race, gender or nationality.
From the brilliant Arabic scholars of the ninth-century House of Wisdom, and the pioneering African American mathematicians of the twentieth century, to the 'lady computers' around the world who revolutionised our knowledge of the night sky, we meet these fascinating trailblazers and see how they contributed to our global knowledge today.
Along the way, the mathematics itself is explained extremely clearly, for example, calculus is described using the authors' home baking, as they pose the question: how much cake is in our cake? This revisionist, completely accessible and radically inclusive history of mathematics is as entertaining as it is important.
About the Author
Dr Timothy Revell is a journalist and lapsed mathematician. He is currently the Deputy US Editor for New Scientist and is based in New York. As a reporter and editor, he specialises in technology and mathematics, covering everything from artificial intelligence to the Abel prize. He appears regularly on WNYC's Science Friday, as well as on other podcasts and radio to talk about the latest developments in science. He has a master's degree in mathematics and a Ph.D. in computer science. His first book was Man vs. Maths.
- Dimensions : 15.2 x 3 x 23.2 cm
