Number: The Language of Science

If you have any interest in Mathematics, this is a book that is well worth reading.

Fascinating and useful. Enthralling.

I first read this book as a junior in high school and I'm not sure why I even picked it up. My sophomore year I barely squeaked by with a D in Algebra 2 my first semester and a C the next. But when I began this book, so many things started to click. This book, for me, started the process of unlearning. I took copious notes, I started asking questions in my Trig class-- this book was instrumental in my education.Dantzig told me how I thought, and why math was special. Because of this book, I started reading other math books, and by the time I left my high school I had read every single math book in the library. Because of this book, I got a BS in mathematics-- a guy with a D in Algebra 2!I reread this book just recently and heck, I'm learning all sorts of stuff from it again! Somehow, and I don't know how he does it, Dantzig eloquently explains the history, the culture, and the minds behind the most interesting concepts and the most pervasive subject in the world. And he does it in a way that taught me as a D high school math student, and has taught me again now-- things that my undergraduate degree in math never could.Buy this book and fall in love with it.

Great historical explanations of numbers, number theory, and the people who developed them to give us the mathematics we have today. Great for budding thinkers and inquisitive young minds (12+). This book serves as a great reference to how zero and irrational numbers solved problems and changed the way we see numerical information.My father gave me this book when I was in the sixth grade, and it opened up a whole new world to me. The author's structure allows the reader to select areas of interest or to read from front to back.I've bought copies for my children and now grandchildren, seeing their excitement as major concepts become clearer, making it easier to succeed and excel in school.

It satisfies my research

Mathematics is a 'learned' process, part of man's upbringing. It is not provided by Nature at birth. Most of us in 'developed' societies have laboured in the task of learning Maths. The lucky gifted few enjoyed the learning process and delved further into it. The outcome has become an essential tool to all humanity. The book explains beautifully how this came about over the centuries.The first chapters explain the remote historical part of the development of mathematics. Here is explained how the early development came about; how the various counting systems developed and how they were conditioned by the natural world. This was of special interest as the historical aspect in more remote and its history still need to be updated, in the light of new developments.

If you’re interested in the history of math, I highly suggest to read this book!

I came to write this review to address the Kindle version of this book. I looked forward to reading this book, and from what I was able to make it through, the book seems to be well-written and a good read. BUT, the formatting of this book on Kindle makes it UNREADABLE. I wish I would have decided to return this book during the return window because I simply cannot read it. Just to name a few of the most glaring issues so far:1) The page numbers are in the middle of the pages,2) The digital bookmarks for the chapters are missing or out of order,3) Some of the text seems jumbled, out of place, or perhaps incorrectly transcribed,4) The formatting/typesetting of the chapter titles and other items is a mess,5) The tables are a string of unordered text/numbers, and6) The figures/pictures are completely missing.This is my first time getting a book on Kindle and having it be totally awful. I have read a wide variety of books on Kindle, even some that were older books or which included figures/tables/illustrations, and have not had any major issues. In some cases, I have seen reviews that indicated how bad the book was on Kindle and gladly took those people's advice and bought it in print instead. In the case of the book in question, I did not see any reviews to this effect, so I am taking the time to leave such a review myself. If you are considering this book, please buy it in print instead!