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Finding Zero - A Mathematician's Odyssey To Uncover The Origins Of Numbers

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Finding Zero - A Mathematician's Odyssey To Uncover The Origins Of Numbers - Thryft
Finding Zero - A Mathematician's Odyssey To Uncover The Origins Of Numbers - Thryft

Origin of numbers.

"Finding Zero" takes you on a thrilling adventure into the origins of our numerals through the eyes of Amir Aczel. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the history and evolution of numbers. Aczel's lifelong obsession to find the original sources of our numerals takes readers on a journey from early Babylonian cuneiform numbers, later Greek and Roman letter numerals, to ultimately uncovering the earliest zero in Cambodia. The book is filled with fascinating characters and stories that will keep you engaged till the very end.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

Finding Zero - A Mathematician's Odyssey To Uncover The Origins Of Numbers

$4.85 Now $3.90 Save 20%
Compare to estimated retail price: S$29.60  

The item you've got your eye on is secondhand. You probably already know that, but just in case!

The estimated retail price shown next to any listed item represents the first-hand prices we've seen elsewhere, or the estimated original retail price of a comparable item of the same quality, construction and material offered elsewhere in new condition.

Condition guide

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ISBN: 9781250084910
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Date of Publication: 2016-02-02
Format: Paperback
Goodreads rating: 3.52
(rated by 784 readers)

Description

The invention of numerals is perhaps the greatest abstraction the human
mind has ever created. Virtually everything in our lives is digital,
numerical, or quantified. The story of how and where we got these numerals,
which we so depend on, has for thousands of years been shrouded in mystery.
Finding Zero is an adventure filled saga of Amir Aczel's lifelong
obsession: to find the original sources of our numerals. Aczel has doggedly
crisscrossed the ancient world, scouring dusty, moldy texts, cross
examining so-called scholars who offered wildly differing sets of facts,
and ultimately penetrating deep into a Cambodian jungle to find a
definitive proof. Here, he takes the reader along for the ride. The history
begins with the early Babylonian cuneiform numbers, followed by the later
Greek and Roman letter numerals. Then Aczel asks the key question: where do
the numbers we use today, the so-called Hindu-Arabic numerals, come from?
It is this search that leads him to explore uncharted territory, to go on a
grand quest into India, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and ultimately into the
wilds of Cambodia. There he is blown away to find the earliest zero—the
keystone of our entire system of numbers—on a crumbling, vine-covered wall
of a seventh-century temple adorned with eaten-away erotic sculptures.
While on this odyssey, Aczel meets a host of fascinating characters:
academics in search of truth, jungle trekkers looking for adventure,
surprisingly honest politicians, shameless smugglers, and treacherous
archaeological thieves—who finally reveal where our numbers come from.


Author: Amir D. Aczel
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: 2016
 

Origin of numbers.

"Finding Zero" takes you on a thrilling adventure into the origins of our numerals through the eyes of Amir Aczel. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the history and evolution of numbers. Aczel's lifelong obsession to find the original sources of our numerals takes readers on a journey from early Babylonian cuneiform numbers, later Greek and Roman letter numerals, to ultimately uncovering the earliest zero in Cambodia. The book is filled with fascinating characters and stories that will keep you engaged till the very end.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.