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The Secret Lives of Numbers

A Global History of Mathematics & its Unsung Trailblazers

Kate Kitagawa Timothy Revell

$36.99

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English
Viking
05 December 2023
"An authoritative, accessible and revisionist history of maths that reveals the vital contributions of mathematicians from across the world and of all genders

The protagonists of this book won't be familiar to most readers. Pythagoras, Newton and Descartes seldom feature. Instead, it highlights the remarkable lives and works of a diverse group of pioneers, who fought millennia of oppression to leave a spectacular legacy of mind-melting ideas and theorems.

Kitagawa and Revell bring to life the stories of mathematicians from every continent, from the brilliant Arabic scholars of the 9th Century 'House of Wisdom'; to the pioneering African-American mathematicians of the 20th Century; from the first female mathematics professor (from Russia); to the ""lady computers"" around the world who revolutionised our knowledge of the night sky.

The authors want passionately to inspire people of every background to believe that mathematics is a subject for them. This ground-breaking book changes how we view our mathematical past, casting fresh light on the possibilities for the future."

By:   ,
Imprint:   Viking
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 232mm,  Width: 152mm,  Spine: 30mm
Weight:   380g
ISBN:   9780241544129
ISBN 10:   0241544122
Pages:   320
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  ELT Advanced ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Tomoko L. Kitagawa (Author) Dr Tomoko L. Kitagawa is a historian specialising in the mathematical cultures of Europe, East Asia, and South Africa at Oxford University. After a stint as a diplomat at the United Nations in New York, she received her PhD in history from Princeton University. She has taught at Harvard University and held research positions at UC Berkeley, University of Cambridge and the Max Planck Institute. Her first book, Japanese History Abroad (2012), was a national bestseller in Japan. She was selected as one of the '100 most influential people in Japan' by Nikkei Business Publishing and one of the '100 most amazing Japanese women' by Japan's leading publisher, Shincho. Based in Oxford, she works as an occasional broadcaster, with appearances on Netflix, CNN, the History Channel, and the BBC. Timothy Revell (Author) Dr Timothy Revell is a science journalist and lapsed mathematician. He currently works as Culture and Comment Editor at New Scientist. As a reporter and editor, he specialises in technology and mathematics, covering everything from artificial intelligence to the Abel prize. He also currently runs New Scientist's diversity internship scheme. He often appears on the BBC radio show 'The Naked Scientists', including in a slot answering listener's questions about mathematics.

Reviews for The Secret Lives of Numbers: A Global History of Mathematics & its Unsung Trailblazers

Lively, satisfying, good at explaining difficult concepts * The Sunday Times * Great and highly accessible read – even for the less numerically gifted * i, ‘Top Non-Fiction’ * A delightful journey through some of the lesser known highways and byways of mathematics -- Ananyo Bhattacharya, author of The Man from the Future


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