Infinite AscentInfinite Ascent
a Short History of Mathematics
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Book, 2005
Current format, Book, 2005, 1st ed., Available .Book, 2005
Current format, Book, 2005, 1st ed., Available . Offered in 0 more formatsIn Infinite Ascent, David Berlinski, the acclaimed author of The Advent of the Algorithm, A Tour of the Calculus, and Newton’s Gift, tells the story of mathematics, bringing to life with wit, elegance, and deep insight a 2,500-year-long intellectual adventure.
Berlinski focuses on the ten most important breakthroughs in mathematical history–and the men behind them. Here are Pythagoras, intoxicated by the mystical significance of numbers; Euclid, who gave the world the very idea of a proof; Leibniz and Newton, co-discoverers of the calculus; Cantor, master of the infinite; and Gödel, who in one magnificent proof placed everything in doubt.
The elaboration of mathematical knowledge has meant nothing less than the unfolding of human consciousness itself. With his unmatched ability to make abstract ideas concrete and approachable, Berlinski both tells an engrossing tale and introduces us to the full power of what surely ranks as one of the greatest of all human endeavors.
The best-selling author of Advent of the Algorithm and A Tour of the Calculus traces the history of mathematics over the course of 2,500 years, profiling ten important developments and figures in math, including Pythagorus, Euclid, Descartes, Leibniz, and Cantor, among others. 30,000 first printing.
Traces the history of mathematics over the course of 2,500 years, profiling ten important developments and figures, including Pythagoras, Euclid, Descartes, Leibniz, and Cantor.
Berlinski focuses on the ten most important breakthroughs in mathematical history–and the men behind them. Here are Pythagoras, intoxicated by the mystical significance of numbers; Euclid, who gave the world the very idea of a proof; Leibniz and Newton, co-discoverers of the calculus; Cantor, master of the infinite; and Gödel, who in one magnificent proof placed everything in doubt.
The elaboration of mathematical knowledge has meant nothing less than the unfolding of human consciousness itself. With his unmatched ability to make abstract ideas concrete and approachable, Berlinski both tells an engrossing tale and introduces us to the full power of what surely ranks as one of the greatest of all human endeavors.
The best-selling author of Advent of the Algorithm and A Tour of the Calculus traces the history of mathematics over the course of 2,500 years, profiling ten important developments and figures in math, including Pythagorus, Euclid, Descartes, Leibniz, and Cantor, among others. 30,000 first printing.
Traces the history of mathematics over the course of 2,500 years, profiling ten important developments and figures, including Pythagoras, Euclid, Descartes, Leibniz, and Cantor.
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- New York : Modern Library, 2005.
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