Numbers: A Cultural History provides students with a compelling
interdisciplinary view of the development of mathematics and its
relationship to world cultures over 4,500 years of human history.
Mathematics is often referred to as a "universal language," and
that is a fitting description. Many cultures have contributed to
mathematics in fascinating ways, but despite its "universal"
character, mathematics is also a human endeavor. It has played
pivotal roles in societies at particular times; and it has
influenced, and been influenced by, a wide range of ideas and
institutions, from commerce to philosophy. Ancient Egyptian views
of mathematics, for example, are tied closely to engineering and
agriculture. Some European Renaissance views, on the other hand,
relate the study of number to that of the natural world. Numbers, A
Cultural History seeks to place the history of mathematics into a
broad cultural context. While it treats mathematical material in
detail, it also relates that material to other subject matter:
science, philosophy, navigation, commerce, religion, art, and
architecture. It examines how mathematical thinking grows in
specific cultural settings and how it has shaped those settings in
turn. It also explores the movement of ideas between cultures and
the evolution of modern mathematics and the quantitative,
data-driven world in which we live. Presents mathematics as a human
endeavor, a product of human inquiry and human society Provides
readers with a cumulative history of mathematics that draws on
global cultures over time Places mathematics in multiple cultural
contexts and demonstrates its relationship with other areas of
thought Demonstrates the link between mathematical knowledge and
such practical endeavors as timekeeping, navigation, and commerce
Illustrates the movement of ideas between cultures and the
complexity of intellectual history Explores the complex
relationship between mathematics and technology over time and
cultural space
General
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