How Mathematics Happened: The First 50,000 Years
Anyone who has ever wondered why an hour is divided into 60 minutes has much to learn from Rudman, student of the ancient mathematics of the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Mayans. Behind the base-60 number system that survives on a clock face, Rudman discerns the fascinating history of how numbers evolved beyond the finger- and stone-counting of hunter-gatherer societies. It all started with the Babylonians, who fit very old body-part measurements into a powerful new arithmetic of squares and square roots. Rudman also probes the physiological logic that equipped the Mayans with base-20 numbers for mapping the heavens, and he scrutinizes the brilliance of Egyptian mathematicians who calculated complex volumes without calculus. Readers can deepen their understanding of ancient feats by working out the numerous "Fun Questions" Rudman has embedded in his text to provide practical experience with key concepts. Such experience leads eventually to the conceptual threshold the Greeks crossed 2,500 years ago when they began developing proofs for their mathematical theories. Even readers casually interested in mathematics will enjoy traveling the road that leads to Pythagoras.Bryce ChristensenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved