A Curious History of Mathematics

by Joel Levy

What links ancient death rays with a naked man in the bath, poisoned apples and rifts in the space-time continuum? Math. Modern mathematics can appear fiendishly complex to the point where many of us believe we are largely ignorant of the subject. However, the truth is that all of us, whether we realize it or not, are “folk mathematicians,” unconsciously relating quantities and magnitudes, angles and vectors. Every time you ponder which muffin is bigger, divide a pizza into equal portions, count your change or even look at a clock, you are being a mathematician. By unraveling the fascinating evolution of mathematics, from its earliest beginnings to the most important modern breakthroughs, this book makes mathematics accessible and enjoyable. By the time you have finished your curious journey, you will understand the difference between a quadratic and cubic equation, be passingly familiar with the limits of infinity and have learned how to construct a level platform for your monumental pyramid. Hopefully, you will have come to agree with the words of John Dee, for whom the allure of mathematics was nothing less than a “ravishing persuasion.”

Genres: Nonfiction, Mathematics, History, Science

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Joel Levy is a writer and journalist specializing in science and history. He is the author of over a dozen books, including The Little Book of Conspiracies and Scientific Feuds: From Galileo to the Human Genome Project. Phobiapedia is his first book for children.

Reviews

[Minjun Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

It lacks flow and feels a bit disjointed as another review noted.
Also, containing more of the actual maths would have been better, as I would think most people who read this book do so more out of interest of mathematics rather than history, or at least that the case for me.
But except for these, I don't find anything lacking from this book and I particularly enjoyed the bit about calculus and that it explain some of the actual maths.

[Eli W. Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good coffee table book but nothing more

[John G · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was illustrated with lots of good drawings and pictures, and with info boxes which were often more interesting for me than the main body of text. I learned quite a few fun things in the info boxes. This was particularly true in the early sections on the origins of ancient math.

The structure of the book was confusing. From the title I expected a chronological development of mathematics however within each of the 5 divisions of the book, the timeline seemed disjoint and the topics disconnected to a large degree. In my view, the actual organization of the narrative seemed to be focused on mini biographies of the players in the field rather than the progression of mathematical ideas.

Some concepts begged for elaboration while other more trivial operations were overly explained. This is not a book with which I could teach however parts could be well used to augment a more even treatment of mathematical development.

I won't complain about Joel Levy's inclusion or exclusion of certain mathematicians in his book, however I am going to complain about the narrative which just seems too desultory to maintain my interest.

On the good side I learned a number of facts. Most surprising to me was the info box on page 91 wherein an illustration of counting angles on Hindu-Arabic numerals was completely unknown to me. This was particularly salient to me because of my interest in vision theory where angles are of prime significance in shape and boundary perception.

[Gino Kutcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but disjointed and in need of editing [typos in this type of work are particularly jarring]. I found that this book seemed to lack any narrative flow- connections between people, time periods and ideas were not always presented in a clear/logical fashion and many of the sections ended abruptly leaving some ideas seemingly undeveloped. There were however numerous interesting tidbits which will probably find some way to be used in math class to showcase the historical growth of math and its contentious nature.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A broad overview of the many contributions to modern mathematics. A bit dry in places, a bit dense in others, and continuing the timeworn tradition of invisible women, but still interesting. Some concepts - trigonometry, calculus - actually make marginally more sense after looking at them from a historical rather than purely mathematical angle.

[Jonny Andres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really interesting stuff.

[Austin Lutterbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish some of the proofs and concepts were explored in more detail, but overall a good book.