Numbers: Their Tales, Types, and Treasures

by Alfred S. Posamentier, Bernd Thaller

Overview

Did you grow up thinking math is boring? It's time to reconsider. This book will teach you everything you ever wondered about numbers-and more.How and why did human beings first start using numbers at the dawn of history? Would numbers exist if we Homo sapiens weren't around to discover them? What's so special about weird numbers like pi and the Fibonacci sequence? What about rational, irrational, real, and imaginary numbers? Why do we need them? Two veteran math educators explain it all in ways even the most math phobic will find appealing and understandable.You'll never look at those squiggles on your calculator the same again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633880306
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	08/11/2015
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	501,913
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 6.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Alfred S. Posamentier is dean of the School of Education and professor of mathematics education at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, New York. Previously, he had the same positions at the City College of the City University of New York for forty years.  He has published over fifty-five books in the area of mathematics and mathematics education, including, most recently, Mathematical Curiosities: A Treasure Trove of Unexpected Entertainments (with Ingmar Lehmann). 

Bernd Thaller is associate professor for applied mathematics at the Institute for Mathematics and Scientific Computing at the University of Graz in Austria. He is the author or coauthor of four books in mathematics.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 9

Chapter 1 Numbers and Counting 11

Chapter 2 Numbers and Psychology 51

Chapter 3 Numbers in History 77

Chapter 4 Discovering Properties of Numbers 105

Chapter 5 Counting for Poets 129

Chapter 6 Number Explorations 161

Chapter 7 Placement of Numbers 183

Chapter 8 Special Numbers 221

Chapter 9 Number Relationships 245

Chapter 10 Numbers and Proportions 287

Chapter 11 Numbers and Philosophy 329

Appendix: Tables 367

Notes 383

Index 387

Editorial Reviews

06/15/2015
Two veteran math educators team up to produce a lighthearted, informal look at "the thing behind the symbol"—the history and weirdness of numbers. Posamentier (Mathematical Curiosities) and Thaller begin with a look into the origins of counting and number properties before examining numbers across history. Their timeline begins approximately 5,000 years ago with the Babylonians (who were the first to use a place-value system), advances through the Egyptians with their base-10 system, and reaches the invention of zero in India around 1,500 years ago. In addition to the expected coverage of special numbers, which includes the Fibonacci series, primes, pi, and the Golden Ratio, Posamentier and Thaller offer routes down odder mathematical byways to explain "perfect" and "amicable" numbers as well as the peculiarities of magic squares. Something that sets the book apart from other popular math titles is its exploration of the psychology of numbers and the fact that the human brain seems to be hard-wired for using them, whether keeping score of a game or setting a poetic meter. Posamentier and Thaller's entertaining volume never sacrifices depth for accessibility, and proves that math is much more than abstract calculation. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Offers an incredible variety of number facts and oddities, showing there can be lots of fun in mathematics. Be prepared to enjoy yourself.”—Charlotte K. Frank, Phd, senior advisor, McGraw-Hill Education, former director of curriculum and instruction, New York City Board of Education, and regent emerita, University of the State of New York “Numbers takes the reader from elementary number theory through the psychological theories of Piaget to the subtleties of brain development, numbers in history, and some of the arcane properties of numbers.. .. Comprehensive and enticing. There is much to learn here for everyone.”—Harold Levy, executive director, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, and former chancellor, New York City public schools “Finally, we have a book that tells how numbers were developed in ancient cultures and how they evolved into the many ways numbers are used today. Wonderful entertainment!”—Harry Phillips III, regent emeritus, University of the State of New York “A delightful ramble through the topic of numbers, from the beginning question, ‘What is a number?' through the general question, ‘Why is mathematics so useful?'. .. A pleasant read for anyone.”—David Singmaster, Phd, professor of mathematics, retired, London South Bank University and University College–London “Posamentier and Thaller are gifted writers, and their wonderful book can serve as a means of motivating even the most reluctant learner to study numbers. In a unique and magnificent way, Numbers is accessible. .. and certainly will be appreciated by a vast number of readers.”—Rudolf Taschner, phd, professor of mathematics, Vienna University of Technology, and Austrian Scientist of the Year, 2004 “A wonderful book.. .. Even the most well-informed readers will find something here that they did not already know. [Numbers] is. .. especially well suited for anyone who may not already know a lot of mathematics but is open to being charmed and fascinated by the history and cultural significance of numbers, as well as their myriad strange and unexpected properties.”—Robert Geretschläger, phd, Austrian International Mathematical Olympiad team leader and author of Geometric Origami“

From the Publisher