Zero to Lazy Eight: The Romance of Numbers
by By Humez, Alexander, Humez, Nicholas, and Maguire, Joseph
Category: Reference , General

An exploration of the rich world of numbers and the variety of ways we put them into words. Mixing humor with erudition, the authors look at such expressions as "zero sum game" and "odd man out" and reveals the history, culture, and mathematics that lie behind them. The volume comprises 15 chapters, exploring respectively the integers from zero to 13 and the notion of infinity (conventionally represented as an eight lying on its side, which in cattle branding terminology is known as a "lazy eight"). Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.