| Pi: A Biography of the World's Most Mysterious Number Contributor(s): Posamentier, Alfred S. (Author), Lehmann, Ingmar (Author), Hauptman, Herbert A. (Afterword by) |
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ISBN: 1591022002 ISBN-13: 9781591022008 Publisher: Prometheus Books OUR PRICE: $26.09 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: August 2004 Annotation: In this delightful layperson's introduction to one of math's most interesting phenomena, the authors review pi's history from pre-biblical times to the 21st century. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Mathematics | History & Philosophy - Mathematics | Number Theory |
| Dewey: 512.73 |
| LCCN: 2004009958 |
| Physical Information: 0.96" H x 6.32" W x 9.1" (1.27 lbs) 373 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: We all learned that the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter is called pi and that the value of this algebraic symbol is roughly 3.14. What we weren't told, though, is that behind this seemingly mundane fact is a world of mystery, which has fascinated mathematicians from ancient times to the present. Simply put, pi is weird. Mathematicians call it a "transcendental number" because its value cannot be calculated by any combination of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and square root extraction. In this delightful layperson's introduction to one of math's most interesting phenomena, Drs. Posamentier and Lehmann review pi's history from prebiblical times to the 21st century, the many amusing and mind-boggling ways of estimating pi over the centuries, quirky examples of obsessing about pi (including an attempt to legislate its exact value), and useful applications of pi in everyday life, including statistics. This enlightening and stimulating approach to mathematics will entertain lay readers while improving their mathematical literacy. |