Book

Taming the infinite : the story of mathematics / Ian Stewart.

Stewart, Ian, (Author).
  • ISBN: 9781847247681 (pbk.)
  • ISBN: 1847247687 (pbk.)
  • ISBN: 9781847241818
  • ISBN: 1847241816
  • Description: 394 p. : ill. ; 20 cm.
  • Edition: Pbk. ed.
  • Publisher: London : Quercus, 2009, c2008.

Available copies

  • 5 copies at NOBLE (All Libraries).

Current holds

0 current holds with 5 total copies.

Library Location Call Number Status Due Date
Gloucester Adult Nonfiction 510.9/Stewart (Text to phone) Available -
Marblehead Adult Nonfiction 510.9 STEWART 2009 (Text to phone) Available -
Peabody Main Adult Nonfiction QA 21 .S836 2009 (Text to phone) Available -
Phillips OWHL Stacks 4 510.9 ST28T (Text to phone) Available -
Salem Adult Non-Fiction 510.9/STEWART (Text to phone) Available -

Contents: Tokens, tallies, and tablets -- The logic of shape -- Notations and numbers -- Lure of the unknown -- Eternal triangles -- Curves and coordinates -- Patterns in numbers -- The system of the world -- Patterns in nature -- Impossible quantities -- Firm foundations -- Impossible triangles -- The rise of symmetry -- Algebra comes of age -- Rubber sheet geometry -- The fourth dimension -- The shape of logic -- How likely is that? -- Number crunching -- Chaos and complexity.
Summary: "In his famous straightforward style, Ian Stewart explains each major development--from the first number systems to chaos theory--and considers how each affected society and changed everyday life forever. Maintaining a personal touch, he introduces all of the outstanding mathematicians of history, from the key Babylonians, Greeks, and Egyptians, via Newton and Descartes, to Fermat, Babbage, and Godel, and demystifies math's key concepts without recourse to complicated formulae. Written to provide a captivating historic narrative for the non-mathematician, this book is packed with fascinating nuggets and quirky asides, and contains plenty of illustrations and diagrams to illuminate and aid understanding of a subject many dread, but which has made the world what it is today." [From the Publisher]
Notes: Originally published: 2008.

Search for related items by subject

Subject: Mathematics > History.
Mathematicians > History.

Link to this record:

http://catalog.noblenet.org/eg/opac/record/3168099