Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst

Nyd den ubegrænsede adgang til tusindvis af spændende e- og lydbøger - helt gratis

  • Lyt og læs så meget du har lyst til
  • Opdag et kæmpe bibliotek fyldt med fortællinger
  • Eksklusive titler + Mofibo Originals
  • Opsig når som helst
Start tilbuddet
DK - Details page - Device banner - 894x1036

Finding Zero: A Mathematician's Odyssey to Uncover the Origins of Numbers

Sprog
Engelsk
Format
Kategori

Fakta

“A captivating story, not just an intellectual quest but a personal one . . . gripping [and] filled with the passion and wonder of numbers.” —The New York Times

Virtually everything in our lives is digital, numerical, or quantified. But 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 the saga of Amir Aczel’s lifelong obsession: to find the original sources of our numerals, perhaps the greatest abstraction the human mind has ever created.

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 Babylonian cuneiform numbers, followed by Greek and Roman letter numerals. Then Aczel asks: 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 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.

“A historical adventure that doubles as a surprisingly engaging math lesson . . . rip-roaring exploits and escapades.” —Publishers Weekly

© 2024 St. Martin's Press (E-bog): 9781466879102

Release date

E-bog: 26. marts 2024

Andre kan også lide...

  1. The Philosophy of Christian Curriculum R. J. Rushdoony
  2. Spiritual Lessons from WWII Eric Ludy
  3. The World Philosophy Made: From Plato to the Digital Age Scott Soames
  4. Burns and Allen Black Eye Entertainment
  5. Bedeviled: A Shadow History of Demons in Science Jimena Canales
  6. The Insiders’ Game: How Elites Make War and Peace Elizabeth N. Saunders
  7. Completely Free: The Moral and Political Vision of John Stuart Mill John Peter DiIulio
  8. Evolution and Ethics Thomas Henry Huxley
  9. Revolt Against Maturity R. J. Rushdoony
  10. The Morality of Pluralism John Kekes
  11. Hobbesian Moral and Political Theory Gregory S. Kavka
  12. Local Histories/Global Designs: Coloniality, Subaltern Knowledges, and Border Thinking Walter D. Mignolo
  13. The Concise Princeton Encyclopedia of American Political History Michael Kazin
  14. Global Discord: Values and Power in a Fractured World Order Paul Tucker
  15. Economy of the Unlost: (Reading Simonides of Keos with Paul Celan) Anne Carson
  16. Development, Democracy, and Welfare States: Latin America, East Asia, and Eastern Europe Robert R. Kaufman
  17. John the Baptist F.B. Meyer
  18. An Informed Faith: The Position Papers of R. J. Rushdoony R. J. Rushdoony
  19. A Teachable Spirit: The Virtue of Learning from Strangers, Enemies, and Absolutely Anyone A. J. Swoboda
  20. Publics and Counterpublics Michael Warner
  21. The Secret of Eternal Life Ian Miller
  22. Putting on Christ: A Road Map for Our Heroic Journey to Spiritual Rebirth and Beyond Steven Anthony Bishop
  23. Routes and Radishes: And Other Things to Talk about at the Evangelical Crossroads Mark L. Russell
  24. The Cross-Shaped Life: Taking on Christ's Humanity Jeff Kennon
  25. Remarkable: The Diversely United, Blood-Bought Church of Jesus Christ Christopher N. Beard
  26. The Incarnation of Hanuman: Neem Karoli Baba Sripad Jagannatha Das
  27. The Serengeti Rules: The Quest to Discover How Life Works and Why It Matters Sean B. Carroll
  28. First Love: Philippians J.D. Walt
  29. Jesus the Stranger: The Man from Galilee and the Light of the World Kenneth J. Collins
  30. Genesis: Volume I of Commentaries on the Pentateuch R. J Rushdoony

Vælg dit abonnement

  • Over 600.000 titler

  • Download og nyd titler offline

  • Eksklusive titler + Mofibo Originals

  • Børnevenligt miljø (Kids Mode)

  • Det er nemt at opsige når som helst

Flex

For dig som vil prøve Mofibo.

89 kr. /måned
  • 1 konto

  • 20 timer/måned

  • Gem op til 100 ubrugte timer

  • Eksklusivt indhold hver uge

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Ingen binding

Prøv gratis
Den mest populære

Premium

For dig som lytter og læser ofte.

129 kr. /måned
  • 1 konto

  • 100 timer/måned

  • Eksklusivt indhold hver uge

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Ingen binding

Start tilbuddet

Unlimited

For dig som lytter og læser ubegrænset.

149 kr. /måned
  • 1 konto

  • Ubegrænset adgang

  • Eksklusivt indhold hver uge

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Ingen binding

Start tilbuddet

Family

For dig som ønsker at dele historier med familien.

Fra 179 kr. /måned
  • 2-6 konti

  • 100 timer/måned pr. konto

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Kun 39 kr. pr. ekstra konto

  • Ingen binding

2 konti

179 kr. /måned
Start tilbuddet