Details

Number Story


Number Story

From Counting to Cryptography

von: Peter Michael Higgins

19,99 €

Verlag: Copernicus
Format: PDF
Veröffentl.: 01.01.2008
ISBN/EAN: 9781848000018
Sprache: englisch
Anzahl Seiten: 323

Dieses eBook enthält ein Wasserzeichen.

Beschreibungen

<P>Peter Higgins distills centuries of work into one delightful narrative that celebrates the mystery of numbers and explains how different kinds of numbers arose and why they are useful. Full of historical snippets and interesting examples, the book ranges from simple number puzzles and magic tricks, to showing how ideas about numbers relate to real-world problems. This fascinating book will inspire and entertain readers across a range of abilities. Easy material is blended with more challenging ideas. As our understanding of numbers continues to evolve, this book invites us to rediscover the mystery and beauty of numbers.</P>
<P>Numbers have fascinated people for centuries. They are familiar to everyone, forming a central pillar of our understanding of the world, yet the number system was not presented to us "gift-wrapped" but, rather, was developed over millennia. Today, despite all this development, it remains true that a child may ask a question about numbers that no one can answer. Many unsolved problems surrounding number matters appear as quirky oddities of little account while others are holding up fundamental progress in mainstream mathematics.</P>
<P>Peter Higgins distills centuries of work into one delightful narrative that celebrates the mystery of numbers and explains how different kinds of numbers arose and why they are useful. Full of historical snippets and interesting examples, the book ranges from simple number puzzles and magic tricks, to showing how ideas about numbers relate to real-world problems, such as: How are our bank account details kept secure when shopping over the internet? What are the chances of winning at Russian roulette; or of being dealt a flush in a poker hand?</P>
<P>This fascinating book will inspire and entertain readers across a range of abilities. Easy material is blended with more challenging ideas about infinity and complex numbers, and a final chapter "For Connoisseurs" works through some of the particular claims and examples in the book in mathematical language for those who appreciate a complete explanation.</P>
<P>As our understanding of numbers continues to evolve, this book invites us to rediscover the mystery and beauty of numbers and reminds us that the story of numbers is a tale with a long way to run...</P>
Preface; The First Numbers; Discovering Numbers; Some Number Tricks; Some Tricky Numbers; Some Useful Numbers; On the Trail of New Numbers; Glimpses of Infinity; Applications of Number: Chance; The Complex History of the Imaginary; From Imaginary to Complex; The Number Line Under the Miscroscope; Applications of Number: Codes and Public Key Cryptography; For Connoisseurs; Further Reading.- Index
<p>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.</p>
<P>Numbers have fascinated people for centuries. They are familiar to everyone, forming a central pillar of our understanding of the world, yet the number system was not presented to us "gift-wrapped" but, rather, was developed over millennia. Today, despite all this development, it remains true that a child may ask a question about numbers that no one can answer. Many unsolved problems surrounding number matters appear as quirky oddities of little account while others are holding up fundamental progress in mainstream mathematics.</P>
<P>Peter Higgins distills centuries of work into one delightful narrative that celebrates the mystery of numbers and explains how different kinds of numbers arose and why they are useful. Full of historical snippets and interesting examples, the book ranges from simple number puzzles and magic tricks, to showing how ideas about numbers relate to real-world problems, such as: How are our bank account details kept secure when shopping over the internet? What are the chances of winning at Russian roulette; or of being dealt a flush in a poker hand?</P>
<P>This fascinating book will inspire and entertain readers across a range of abilities. Easy material is blended with more challenging ideas about infinity and complex numbers, and a final chapter "For Connoisseurs" works through some of the particular claims and examples in the book in mathematical language for those who appreciate a complete explanation.</P>
<P>As our understanding of numbers continues to evolve, this book invites us to rediscover the mystery and beauty of numbers and reminds us that the story of numbers is a tale with a long way to run...</P>
<p>Written by the author of Mathematics for the Curious and Mathematics for the Imagination and inventor of Circular Sudoku</p><p>An accessible look at the history and development of numbers written in an easy-to-read style, covering topics from popular subjects such as chance and probability, and codes and cryptography</p><p>Will appeal to readers across a range of abilities: the use of recreational puzzles and real-world examples both stimulate and entertain, while a final chapter provides the mathematical detail for those who would like to know more</p><p>Ideal background reading for high-school students interested in studying mathematics at university, and an invaluable source of material for school teachers and lecturers</p>
<P>This is an entertaining introduction to the development of numbers and their applications. The book is written in the same user-friendly style that characterises the author’s previous books. It 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. The book 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.</P>

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