Pythagoras' Legacy: Mathematics in Ten Great Ideas

by Marcel Danesi

Overview

As the famous Pythagorean statement reads, 'Number rules the universe', and its veracity is proven in the many mathematical discoveries that have accelerated the development of science, engineering, and even philosophy. A so called "art of the mind", mathematics has guided and stimulated many aspects of human innovation down through the centuries. In this book, Marcel Danesi presents a historical overview of the ten greatest achievements in mathematics, and dynamically explores their importance and effects on our daily lives. Considered as a chain of events rather than isolated incidents, Danesi takes us from the beginnings of modern day mathematics with Pythagoras, through the concept of zero, right the way up to modern computational algorithms. Loaded with thought-provoking practical exercises and puzzles, Pythagoras' Legacy allows the reader to apply their knowledge and discover the significance of mathematics in their everyday lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780192593788
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	02/03/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Marcel Danesi is Full Professor of Linguistic Anthropology at the University of Toronto and a Co-Director of the Cognitive Science Network of the Fields Institute of Mathematical Research. He has published extensively in the field of mathematical cognition and in the theory of mathematical puzzles. He also writes a blog for Psychology Today that explore the nature of the puzzling mind.

Table of Contents

• 1: The Pythagorean Theorem: The Birth of Mathematics
• 2: Prime Numbers: The DNA of Mathematics
• 3: Zero: Place-Holder and Peculiar Number
• 4: Pi: A Ubiquitous and Strange Number
• 5: Exponents: Notation and Discovery
• 6: e: A Very Special Number
• 7: i: Imaginary Numbers
• 8: Infinity: A Counterintuitive and Paradoxical Idea
• 9: Decidability: The Foundations of Mathematics
• 10: The Algorithm: Mathematics and Computers

Editorial Reviews

"A pleasant read, with a number of interesting asides" — Alan Stevens, Mathematics today

"...this book is a good one." — Andrew J. Simoson, The Mathematical Intelligencer

"Pythagoras' legacy certainly is a gentle introduction to some paramount ideas of mathematics and can be considered as an appetizer for the reader eager to learn a bit more about one of the greatest endeavors of humanity: Mathematics. It is recommended reading for curious people without mathematical background and also for those professional mathematicians who love enjoying a pleasurable book on the science they are passionate about." — Luis Giraldo Gonzalez, MathSciNet

From the Publisher