Number Story: From Counting to Cryptography 2008th Edition by Peter Michael Higgins (PDF)

Description

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.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review From the reviews:”The target reader of this book is a senior high school student. It is well suited to such an audience; indeed, it is exactly the sort of work I would myself have devoured some 50+ years ago. … The different topics treated are all described exactly and succinctly.” (Michael A. B. Deakin, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2008 j)“The author gives a history of the development of numbers including the natural numbers, the rational numbers, the real numbers and the complex numbers. The text is written at a level appropriate for any educated person. Throughout the text the reasons for the development of various numbers are given along with a historical view of the intuitive struggles with these new ideas.” (Steven T. Dougherty, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1188, 2010) From the Back Cover 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.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?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.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… About the Author 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. Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐This book has nothing wrong with it except a few typos. It’s a well-written entry into higher math. Every chapter could be the summary of a PhD thesis. Yet, it’s for you and me. I never got further than college statistics, yet, with a willingness to focus, I can roughly follow what Mr. Higgins is talking about. On the other hand, if I really knew my math, I’d be soaring into all sorts of mathematical heights and details. I personally loved the chapter on cryptography. Mr. Higgins tell the story of this fascinating field, which originated from war-time necessity. His simple non-mathematical explanations seduced me into actually delving with him into deeper math. So if you’re like me, this chapter alone was worth the read. If you are a real mathematician, oh man, you’ll follow all the math, and be so glad you read this book.

⭐Ok, so at this point you should know a little about the history of math, maybe some number theory or cryptography, who knows. It doesn’t matter, this book should not be marketed as a test but instead as enjoyable reading for mathematicians. I enjoyed the background on many points that I had not known, the swath is broad but enjoyable. Reminds me of the writing style of Dunham, it is rare to find a mathematician who is such an enjoyable author.As for the material and content, you are not going to be working proofs and trying to understand how he moved from one step to the next but you will enjoy it. I took it on vacation and used it for casual reading. My wife did not like when I tried to share something exciting or interesting but she is not a mathematician either.

⭐As the title says, it walks like a story. Simple non-mathematical explanations made it a very easy and interesting read. The style of this book is very different from textbooks, which usually, and rightfully, have a lot of complex mathematical notations, formulas, proofs and exercises. Neither, it’s a very good reference book.But it’s an interesting book to explore, and taste, pure maths. For that purpose, I highly recommend this one. An enjoyable read for everyone, with or without mathematics major.By the way, I’m a MSc Maths student and a computer software professional.

⭐My wife got this since she is the math nut, but I decided to read it for curiosity sake and it was pretty cool. It’s not going to turn me into a math major like my wife, but the book did have some interesting stuff in it.

⭐Enjoyed the reading… I would recommend this book to anyone who would seek to find out about numerology and how numbers relate to each other.

⭐Very entertaining for someone who likes mathematics or just wants to learn more about math.

⭐Good !

⭐But it was mine. Found this a fascinating read. If math had been presented to me like this when I was in school, I might gave been more interested in it.

⭐Nice hardcover book, good for casual reading.

⭐well worth a read

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