Professor Stewart's incredible numbers / Ian Stewart.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stewart, Ian, 1945- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Number theory.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (353 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

2015.

New York : Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group, 2015.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

At its heart, mathematics is about numbers, our fundamental tools for understanding the world. In Professor Stewart's Incredible Numbers, Ian Stewart offers a delightful introduction to the numbers that surround us, from the common (Pi and 2) to the uncommon but no less consequential (1.059463 and 43,252,003,274,489,856,000). Along the way, Stewart takes us through prime numbers, cubic equations, the concept of zero, the possible positions on the Rubik's Cube, the role of numbers in human history, and beyond! An unfailingly genial guide, Stewart brings his characteristic wit and erudition to b

Contents:

Preface; Numbers; 1The Indivisible Unit; 2Odd and Even; 3Cubic Equation; 4Square; 5Pythagorean Hypotenuse; 6Kissing Number; 7Fourth Prime; 8Fibonacci Cube; 9Magic Square; 10Decimal System; 0Is Nothing a Number?; -1Less Than Nothing; i-Imaginary Number; Dividing the Indivisible; Approximation to pi; Tower of Hanoi; First Known Irrational; Circle Measurement; Golden Number; Natural Logarithms; Fractals; Sphere Packing; Musical Scale; Apéry's Constant; Euler's Constant; 11String Theory; 12Pentominoes; 17Polygons and Patterns; 23Birthday Paradox; 26Secret Codes; 56Sausage Conjecture

168Finite GeometryFactorials; Rubik Cube; Sudoku; Largest Known Prime; Aleph-Zero: the Smallest Infinity; Cardinal of Continuum; Not Boring at All; Further Reading; Figure Acknowledgements

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-465-04271-6