Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers

Some favorites below. Books 0-3 are accessible. The remaining books are more difficult but I'd highly recommend them to math students. 0. Jan Gullberg, Mathematics, From the Birth of Numbers. A highly accessible popular survey on different branches of higher mathematics. I read this over the Summer between high school and starting my undergraduate degree. It's what made me want to study math. Previously I'd wanted to be a guitar player, but had to find a new ambition after an injury left me unable to play. 1. The high school mathematics series by Israel Gelfand. Algebra, Trigonometry, The Method of Coordinates, and Functions and Graphs. I didn't have much mathematics background in high school, but working through these really solidified my grasp on the basics. 2. George Polya. How to Solve it. A short book giving excellent high level advice on mathematical problem solving.…

I discovered Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers in the summer of 2003 at my local library. At the time I was a high school student taking a summer Algebra 2 class in order to be able to take calculus my senior year for college admissions purposes. This book instilled in me a love for mathematics, even if I sometimes struggled with the topic. Just a few hours ago my copy of Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning just arrived; I bought this book as a reference of undergraduate-level math concepts based on Hacker News recommendations since I'm right now in the process of reviewing undergraduate-level math to strengthen my understanding of deep learning fundamentals. I had the opportunity to glance through this book, and I wish I had discovered this book when I was in high school or during my undergraduate years; it appears to be an excellent, more technical companion to Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers.…

Jan Gullberg - Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/039304002X Amazon.com Review What does mathematics mean? Is it numbers or arithmetic, proofs or equations? Jan Gullberg starts his massive historical overview with some insight into why human beings find it necessary to "reckon," or count, and what math means to us. From there to the last chapter, on differential equations, is a very long, but surprisingly engrossing journey. Mathematics covers how symbolic logic fits into cultures around the world, and gives fascinating biographical tidbits on mathematicians from Archimedes to Wiles. It's a big book, copiously illustrated with goofy little line drawings and cartoon reprints. But the real appeal (at least for math buffs) lies in the scads of problems--with solutions--illustrating the concepts. It really invites readers to sit down with a cup of tea, pencil and paper, and (ahem) a calculator and start solving. Remember the first time you "got it" in math class? With Mathematics you can recapture that bliss, and maybe learn something new, too. Everyone from schoolkids to professors (and maybe even die-hard mathphobes) can find something useful,…

I'm currently reading "Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers by Jan Gullberg" with my 3 sons (16, 12 and 10), and by taking it slow (one minor number per day) with lots of work together its helping build things up for them from first principles. I read it myself years ago and it was a great and entertaining way to fill in the gaps from my meager math education. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/383087.Mathematics

"Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers". If you've ever read "Code" by Charles Petzold, it's as illuminating as that was. Also a little bit tragic, makes you realize there is a lot of fun and beauty and even social history in math. I didn't realize there is also a lot of complaints in how math is taught, and that the arithmetic we all learn is considered the most boring part.

Jan Gullberg wrote an excellent book: Mathematics: from the Birth of Numbers. It's mainly pure math but is a great foundation. I mean really better than anything else I've read.

This might be along the lines of what you're looking for: http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Birth-Numbers-Jan-Gullberg... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Birth-Numbers-Jan-Gullberg/dp/039304002X) "This extraordinary work takes the reader on a long and fascinating journey--from the dual invention of numbers and language, through the major realms of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus, to the final destination of differential equations, with excursions into mathematical logic, set theory, topology, fractals, probability, and assorted other mathematical byways. The book is unique among popular books on mathematics in combining an engaging, easy-to-read history of the subject with a comprehensive mathematical survey text."