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  • The Secret Lives of Numbers

  • A Global History of Mathematics & Its Unsung Trailblazers
  • By: Kate Kitagawa, Timothy Revell
  • Narrated by: Daphne Kouma
  • Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (2 ratings)
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The Secret Lives of Numbers cover art

The Secret Lives of Numbers

By: Kate Kitagawa, Timothy Revell
Narrated by: Daphne Kouma
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Mathematics shapes almost everything we do. But despite its reputation as the study of fundamental truths, the stories we have been told about it are wrong. In The Secret Lives of Numbers, historian Kate Kitagawa and journalist Timothy Revell introduce readers to the mathematical boundary-smashers who have been erased by history because of their race, gender or nationality.

From the brilliant Arabic scholars of the ninth-century House of Wisdom, and the pioneering African American mathematicians of the twentieth century, to the 'lady computers' around the world who revolutionised our knowledge of the night sky, we meet these fascinating trailblazers and see how they contributed to our global knowledge today.

Along the way, the mathematics itself is explained extremely clearly, for example, calculus is described using the authors' home baking, as they pose the question: how much cake is in our cake? This revisionist, completely accessible and radically inclusive history of mathematics is as entertaining as it is important.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2023 Tomoko L. Kitagawa and Timothy Revell (P)2023 Penguin Audio
Historical Science & Technology Mathematics History
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Profile Image for Dr Alison Agnew

Fascinating review of the history and geography and social politics of mathematics

Elegantly told, and the maths is simply explained - perfect for the layman like me. Well read too. I’m recommending it to everyone!

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