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"The Story of Mathematics - From creating the pyramids to exploring infinity" by Anne Rooney

A very gentle and friendly introductory text talking about the history of Mathematics!

Along with Collins Dictionary of Mathematics, this book was also one of the first we have purchased as our excitement for Math began to blossom. That's right: This was originally bought back in 2009, so why did it take so long for us to read and review? Life, jumping back and forth with my career path that's why, but now that we're fully settled, it's about time. Given that this book received low reviews only to be met with more reasonable, fair ones, it's a Godsend that this very platform of ours we can discuss without coming off as some bot or spam of some kind. Why, yes, this entire website and its contents are done and operated by a real human being and no emphasis on anything "artificially generated."

Cool, so why even read a story/history about Mathematics? While its history has had moments where some information were not saved and preserved leaving many discoveries to be approximated, that should tell you how muddled Math History is, despite the on-going efforts to research and secure the dates of many of its findings. Author Anne Rooney has done a great job diligently talking about the history of a subject that many don't often read about. In the Introduction, Rooney spoke about the beauty of numbers and what role it plays in our everyday lives—an example of something we take for granted. And because of the general public's low opinion about Math overall, this introductory page alone was written enough to get the reader curious. In other words, I thought it was a great opening to start the book.

Right away, starting with the birth of numbers, the book reads like something you'd find in a school textbook/encyclopedia. That's not a bad thing, but from how the page is laid out, it reads like one all while being engaging and holding the reader's interest, adding some snippets of visuals and facts that will entice. The reader learns about how early humans recorded their tallies and kept track of their herds, bills, taxes and so on. Along the way, Rooney also introduces some names, big and small, who have contributed and did the brain-work in making Math something of a discipline that ought to be taught to students of all. You will learn why the word "many" was common, and the names of numbers themselves didn't come until much later. The fact that early civilization couldn't count up higher than three or four was an interesting bit; Makes you wonder how much work and collaboration was needed in order to do something we rarely think about, like counting.

The reader then learns about countries like India and Egypt working on tallying and adding names to these numbers, alongside further developing the discipline in what goes into "number crunching," if you will. In other words, they all learned you can obtain new numbers if you get them added, subtracted, multiplied etc. Overall, Math wasn't something the early people did because of boredom or because it was a "job." They did so to get things done and to better organize the transactions they had back then and even today. We wouldn't be where we are if it weren't for Math, and Rooney has provided a friendly amount information for the reader to know about its growth, findings and development.

Going through the chapters, the reader learns about advanced practices and development that help create the studies of today, such as Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry and yes, also Calculus, including the higher-level studies like Number Theory. Once again, these were all done with the intent of getting things to where they are, being applied to wherever the research requires it. As someone who used to dislike Math greatly, all this has made more sense and has truly made us appreciate the workings, its growth and the rigorous work into making these studies and practices possible. However, you do get a bit of a laugh once you learn about Archimedes, as we won't spoil that part.

As for the notations used in Math, many of them are still used today while some were odd-looking and plain confusing. In fact, the plus sign (+) used for Addition didn't happen until the 1400s, along with the others that slowly followed. Some that are no longer used today are a bit tricky even to replicate here on this webpage but makes you know and wonder all that went into expressing the numbers being calculated.

For the master minds who made contributions to the problem-solving art, you get a brief biography about them as you read along. Some lived regular, normal lives while some were talented and gifted, and a few had some rough patches even during their childhoods. Nevertheless, their contribution(s) to Math is/was key and you learn of their perspectives in approaching the problem(s) on hand. Mentioning Algebra earlier, that discipline was named after the Arabic mathematician himself, al-Khwarizmi. When the disciplines matured, they were applied in areas such as Astronomy and Electrodynamics. Why did it take this long to do so? Believe it or not, people like the early Greeks did not accept nor associate with the number zero and there were very little acceptance and beliefs about infinity and complex numbers. Imagine a mathematical development so advanced that it couldn't be accepted, only to learn that many years later, it was crucial in solving tougher problems that Algebra and Geometry alone couldn't solve. Anyway, that's what happened which explains why mathematical growth was sparse in its heyday, then masterminds of the later centuries pushed the study further resulting in what we now have today. (I'd be scared to admit that had that growth not take place with these, we'd barely have searched the wheel by now.)

Lastly, you get a taste of the higher level mathematics like our personal favorite Probability; You also learn the rise of Game Theory and Statistics which work hand-in-hand with Probability. It was here where Rooney made mention of Pascal's Wager—something we didn't know about previously—talking about the likelihood of God existing. While the reader learns about this, one name to remember is Abraham de Moivre noted for recognizing the famous "bell curve."

I found this book to be a great precursor to the thicker books that go more in-depth, but honestly, the information provided is enough for the layperson wanting a neat survey and overview on the history of Math. For us, this is enough to encourage us to extend and further our knowledge and research of the subject! One reviewer complained about the lack of depth on the chapter about Set Theory, we thought it was enough and not too rigorous to the point where it would sway the reader's attention (set theory is an advanced study in Mathematics as the average person may not grasp its concept on the fly given its semantics). We thought it was a fair discussion about the subject, and if you think it wasn't explained properly, we dare those to try and understand Category Theory.

Sorry it took us this long, but we loved the book! We recommend this book for schools to get young students curious and excited about Math. As a matter of fact, we believe learning Math History is a great way for students and learners to better understand the subject, making it less intimidating. (Believe us, we used to hate Math with a passion, but thanks to computer programming, it all makes sense, leading us to love and admire the subject!)

Highly recommended!

CONTENTS5/5

COVER5/5

WRITING5/5

PRICE5/5

PLUSES
  • Writing is gentle and friendly for the layperson.
  • Lots of information, facts and presented well without coming off too overwhelming.
  • A great introduction to those wanting to deepen and further their learning and research on Math History.
  • Inexpensive!
MINUSES
  • No newer edition with updated or additional information.
100% (A+)
Fan Rating
PROFILE
Title The Story Of Mathematics

From creating the pyramids to exploring infinity
Author(s) Anne Rooney
Description [FRONT FLAP]

Beginning with simple counting, we have made mathematics central to our civilations. The Story of Mathematics recounts how numbers have come to shape our lives.

CHAPTER 1
Starting with numbers

CHAPTER 2
Numbers put to work

CHAPTER 3
The shape of things

CHAPTER 4
In the round

CHAPTER 5
The magic formula

CHAPTER 6
Grasping the infinite

CHAPTER 7
Numbers at work and play

CHAPTER 8
The death of numbers

CHAPTER 9
Proving it

[BACK FLAP]

Anne Rooney gained a degree and then a PhD in medieval literature from Trinity College, Cambridge. After a period of teaching medieval English and French literature at the universities of Cambridge and York, she left to pursue a career as a freelance writer. She has written many books for adults and children on a variety of subjects, including science and history. She lives in Cambridge and is Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Anglia Ruskin University.





'In order to understand the universe you must know the language in which it is written. And that language is mathematics.'
Galileo (1564-1642)


For hundreds of thousands of years, we have sought order in the apparent chaos of the universe. Mathematics has been our mosh valuable tool in that search, uncovering the patterns and rules that govern our world and beyond. The Story of Mathematics traces humankind's greatest achievements, plotting a journey from innumerate cave-dwellers, through the towering mathematical intellects of the last 4,000 years, to where we stand today.

Topics include:
• Counting and measuring from the earliest times
• the Ancient Egyptians and geometry
• working out the movement of the planets
• algebra, solid geometry and the trigonometric tables
• the first computers
• how statistics came to rule our finances
• impossible shapes and extra dimensions
• measuring and mapping the world
• chaos theory and fuzzy logic
• set theory and the death of numbers

The fascinating personalities behind world-changing discoveries in mathematics are profiled, including Euclid, Apollonius, Pythagoras, Brahmagupta, Aryabhata, Liu Hui, Omar Khayyam, al-Khwarizmi, Napier, Galileo, Pascal, Newton, Leibniz, Gauss, Riemann, Russell and many more.

Beautifully illustrated throughout in full color
Acknowledgements With thanks to those of my Facebook friends who have helped in various ways, particularly Michael Anti [Zhao Jing] (Harvard Faculty/Cambridge Faculty/Boston MA), Gordon Joly (London), John Naughton (Cambridge Alum '68, The Open University Faculty), Jack Schofield (London/Guardian News and Media) and Bill Thompson (London/Cambridge Faculty/City UK Faculty).

Additional thanks to Professor Robin Wilson, The Open University.
ISBN-13 / ISBN-10 978-1-84193-940-7
9 781841 939407
Book Dimensions Width: 6.5″ (6½″)
Height: 9″
Depth: 0.5″ (½″)
Page Count 208
Contents Introduction: The Magic of Numbers 6, Chapter 1 Starting with numbers 8 Where do numbers come from? • Numbers and bases • More numbers, big and small, Chapter 2 Numbers put to work 34 Putting two and two together • Special numbers and sequences • Unspeakable numbers, Chapter 3 The shape of things 60 The measure of everything • Early geometry • Trigonometry, Chapter 4 In the round 92 Curves, circles and conics • Solid geometry • Seeing the world • Other worlds, Chapter 5 The magic formula 120 Algebra in the ancient world • The birth of algebra • Writing equations • Algebra comes into its own • The world is never enough, Chapter 6 Grasping the infinite 144 Coming to terms with infinity • The emergence of calculus • Calculus and beyond, Chapter 7 Numbers at work and play 166 Cheer up, it may never happen • Samples and statistics • Statistical mathematics, Chapter 8 The death of numbers 186 Set theory • Getting fuzzy, Chapter 9 Proving it 194 Problems and proofs • Being logical • What were we talking about?, Glossary 204, Index 206
Jacket Design --
Author Photograph --
Published 2009
Book Number ???
Publisher ARCTURUS
This edition published in 2009 by Arcturus Publishing Limited
26/27 Bickels Yard, 151-153 Bermondsey Street,
London SE1 3HA
Copyright Copyright © 2008 Arcturus Publishing Limited
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person or persons who do any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
Printed in Singapore
Picture Credits Corbis: 8, 12, 16, 21, 23, 29, 30, 34, 37, 40, 43, 58, 60, 64, 67, 70, 71, 73, 86, 87, 106 (2), 120, 127, 138, 140, 147, 149, 157, 162, 166, 173, 174, 189, 190

Bridgeman: 7, 77

Mary Evans: 10, 62

akg Images: 36, 38, 79, 80, 102, 110, 122, 127

The Art Archive: 104

Science Photo Library: 114, 115, 137, 139, 143, 148, 154, 155, 159, 162, 199

Topfoto: 133

Walter Callens: 18; Davy G: 28;
Daniel Modell: 58; Alan D Thompson: 70;
Sanaa Al-Falasi: 89; Emily Harlow: 103;
Dr James R Warren: 131
Book Format Paperback, Kindle, Hardcover
Genre History - Mathematics
Quoted Reviews --
Best Seller's List --
Other We have made every attempt to contact the copyright-holders of the photographs and illustrations within this book. Any oversights and omissions will be corrected in future editions.
Library of Congress
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