Number: The Language of Science | 
| Authors: Tobias Dantzig, Joseph Mazur
Publisher: Plume
Category: Book
List Price: $16.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 92534
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0452288118
Dewey Decimal Number: 510.1
EAN: 9780452288119
ASIN: 0452288118
Publication Date: January 30, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: New Book. Fast Shipping. May have small remainder mark.
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Product Description
Number is an eloquent, accessible tour de force that reveals how the concept of number evolved from prehistoric times through the twentieth century. Tobias Dantzig shows that the development of mathfrom the invention of counting to the discovery of infinityis a profoundly human story that progressed by "trying and erring, by groping and stumbling." He shows how commerce, war, and religion led to advances in math, and he recounts the stories of individuals whose breakthroughs expanded the concept of number and created the mathematics that we know today.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Numbers History November 2, 2008
If you want to know about the history of numbers, this is the book for you! I am finding it a little dry but interesting.
An inferior edition December 7, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a reprint of the author's 1954 fourth edition sandwiched between a new Foreword and Afterword. Neither the editor (Joseph Mazur) nor his brother (Barry Mazur, who wrote the Foreword) nor either of the advertised reviewers (Mario Livio or Charles Seife) apparently actually proofread the text as there are a distressing number of readily apparent typographic errors in the printing, both in the text and figures.
For a volume trumpeted on its title page as "The MASTERPIECE SCIENCE Edition" the many errors belie that mantle. In addition, the Afterword, which attempts to bring the reader up to date on relevant mathematical developments that occured after the fourth edition, fails to mention "undecidability" and the immense impact it has had on the issues discussed in the chapter entitled "The Anatomy of the Infinite."
Dantzig's Number continues to be accessible and generally insightful, but it is a shame that no one at Plume Books took due care and responsibility for its production.
 Accessible yet comprehensive October 29, 2007
I hope the few number of reviews for this title is not indicative of its popularity. This accessible, yet deep, book is delightful to read and thought-provoking.
 Review of the 4th revised edition (not the new 2007 edition) August 26, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I am a mathematics teacher and have used this book as either a required reading or suggested supplement for a variety of courses, including math history for liberal arts students, number theory for mathematics majors, etc.
The book (4th edition) is divided into Part I and Part II -- the latter comprising only the last 4th of the book. Any successful college student will find Part I informative, and at times wonderfully enlightening about the development of the concepts of number and measurement. This book was written for the armchair reader, so expect a reader-friendly style of writing. However, I have found that Part II can be quite challenging for liberal arts students -- and quite stimulating to those whose studies included a more rigorous tour of mathematics. Do not let this bother you! I think Part I is worth the price of the book on its own.
If you wish to learn more about the history of mathematics and mathematicians, you might wish to examine Notable Mathematicians: From Ancient Times to the Present edited by Robyn V. Young and Zoran Minderovic.
Fantastic April 16, 2007
Just finished reading the entire narrative of the book up to the appendicies. I learned so much about the connection of disparate branches of mathematics. Reading it again while attempting to work through some related problems is my next step.
Written by an author who died the year I was born, this book is still fresh, alive & compelling. I'd be interested if there is a sequel that incorporates new developements.
It was the Einstien quote that stimulated my impulse to buy the book.
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