"The leading theoretical physicist and YouTube star Tony Padilla uses nine of the most extraordinary numbers in physics to build a picture of our current best understanding of how the universe works"--

Extremely readable, jargon-free book for general readers traces the evolution of counting systems, from the primitive techniques of antiquity to computers. Text examines the earliest endeavors to count and record numbers, initial attempts to solve problems by using equations, and origins of infinite cardinal arithmetic.

The ancient Greeks discovered them, but it wasn't until the nineteenth century that irrational numbers were properly understood and rigorously defined, and even today not all their mysteries have been revealed. In The Irrationals, the first popular and comprehensive book on the subject, Julian Havil tells the story of irrational numbers and the mathematicians who have tackled their challenges, from antiquity to the twenty-first century. He explains...

Two essays on mathematical theory. The first is about irrational numbers. The second deals with whole numbers and infinity, and with the logical validity of inductive mathematical proofs.

A delightful introduction to the numbers that surround us, from the common (Pi and 2) to the uncommon but no less consequential (1.059463 and 43,252,003,274,489,856,000). Along the way, Stewart takes us through prime numbers, cubic equations, the concept of zero, the possible positions on the Rubik's Cube, the role of numbers in human history, and beyond!