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The Art of More: How Mathematics Created Civilization



by
Michael Brooks

Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Imprint
Pantheon (Adult)
ISBN
9781524748999
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
$21.90   $18.25
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QTY
Out of stock

An illuminating, millennia-spanning history of the impact mathematics has had on the world, and the fascinating people who have mastered its inherent power, from Babylonian tax officials to the Apollo astronauts to the eccentric professor who invented the infrastructure of the online world.

Counting is not innate to our nature, and without education humans can rarely count past three—beyond that, it’s just “more.” But once harnessed by our ancestors, the power of numbers allowed humanity to flourish in ways that continue to lead to discoveries and enrich our lives today.

Ancient tax collectors used basic numeracy to fuel the growth of early civilization, navigators used clever geometrical tricks to engage in trade and connect people across vast distances, astronomers used logarithms to unlock the secrets of the heavens, and their descendants put them to use to land us on the moon. In every case, mathematics has proved to be a greatly underappreciated engine of human progress.

In this captivating, sweeping history, Michael Brooks acts as our guide through the ages. He makes the case that mathematics was one of the foundational innovations that catapulted humanity from a nomadic existence to civilization, and that it has since then been instrumental in every great leap of humankind. Here are ancient Egyptian priests, Babylonian bureaucrats, medieval architects, dueling Swiss brothers, and renaissance painters. Their stories clearly demonstrate that the invention of mathematics was every bit as important to the human species as was the discovery of fire. From first page to last, The Art of More brings mathematics back into the heart of what it means to be human.

Author’s note. Notes. Index. Black-and-white illustrations and graphs.

POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None

Details

Format

Print

Page Count

336

Trim Size

9 3/10" x 6"

Dewey

909

AR

0: points 0

Genre

Nonfic

Scholastic Reading Counts

0

JLG Release

Apr 2022

Book Genres

Narrative Nonfiction

Topics

Mathematics and civilization. History of mathematics. Mathematicians. Geometry. Algebra. Calculus. Logarithms. Statistics.

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Cover Art

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Praise & Reviews

The Horn Book

Moving from ancient Egyptian priests to a hobbyist who solved a mapmaking puzzle that confounded NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, science writer Brooks aims to persuade readers that mathematics was one of the great innovations that made civilization happen. Following The Quantum Astrologer's Handbook, a Daily Telegraph Book of the Year.

Praise & Reviews

The Horn Book

Moving from ancient Egyptian priests to a hobbyist who solved a mapmaking puzzle that confounded NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, science writer Brooks aims to persuade readers that mathematics was one of the great innovations that made civilization happen. Following The Quantum Astrologer's Handbook, a Daily Telegraph Book of the Year.

Grades 11 & Up
Adult Crossover Nonfiction Plus
For Grades 11 & Up

For the more advanced high school reader who is ready for adult reading and enjoys nofiction, our ACN Category is a great choice. With more sophisticated and challenging themes, these books open up new worlds for teen readers. Help them experience a new world monthly with the 12 books in ACN.

Take note: These selections often contain mature situations and language that could be considered controversial.

14 books per Year
$309.26 per Year
Interests
Diversity,Mature Readers,LGBTQ+,Nonfiction,Biographies,History
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