Why is 7 such a lucky number and 13 so unlucky? Why does a jury traditionally have '12 good men and true', and why are there 24 hours in the day and 60 seconds in a minute? This fascinating new book explores the world of numbers from pin numbers to book titles, and from the sixfold shape of snowflakes to the way our roads, houses and telephone numbers are designated in fact and fiction. Using the numbers themselves as its starting point it investigates everything from the origins and meaning of counting in early civilizations to numbers in proverbs, myths and nursery rhymes and the ancient 'science' of numerology. It also focuses on the quirks of odds and evens, primes, on numbers in popular sports - and much, much more. So whether you've ever wondered why Heinz has 57 varieties, why 999 is the UK's emergency phone number but 911 is used in America, why Coco Chanel chose No. 5 for her iconic perfume, or how the title Catch 22 was chosen, then this is the book for you. Dip in anywhere and you'll find that numbers are not just for adding and measuring but can be hugely entertaining and informative whether you're buying a diamond or choosing dinner from the menu.
Sprache
Verlagsort
Maße
Höhe: 203 mm
Breite: 156 mm
Dicke: 22 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-910821-17-6 (9781910821176)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Ruth Binney has been studying the natural world for most of her life. She holds a degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and has been involved in countless publications during her career as an editor. She is the author of many successful natural history and gardening books including Weeds on Trial 9781910821275, Flower Garden Secrets 9781910821428, The English Countryside 9781910821459 and Coasts 9781910821398. She lives in Cardiff.
1 Introduction 8
2 Numbers of many sorts 10
3 Numbers and counting 12
4 1 - The number of unity 17
5 2 - The duality 19
6 3 - The trinity of perfection 21
7 4 - Truth and justice 23
8 5 - The number of nature 26
9 6 - Without a fault Six and the snowflake 29
10 7 - The symbol of fortune 32
11 The seven wonders of the world 35
12 Puzzles to solve 37
13 8 - Harmony and balance 38
14 9 - Unbounded 40
15 The nine muses 43
16 10 - On our fingers and toes 44
17 11 - The final hour 46
18 12 - A number in time 47
19 The twelve labours of Hercules 49
20 13 - And other teens 53
21 0 - The story of zero 54
22 Lucky - and unlucky - numbers 56
23 Odds and evens 59
24 Many favourite numbers 60
25 The secrets of numerology 62
26 Big numbers 66
27 Small numbers 68
28 The appeal of primes 69
29 Making shapes with numbers 72
30 Numbers - more different types 74
31 - the most famous number 75
32 Fibonacci - the brilliant number sequence 77
33 The golden ratio 79
34 Numbers in use 81
35 The world we live in 84
36 Our planet earth 86
37 Lines on the map 89
38 Measuring the world 94
39 A matter of weight 98
40 By volume 101
41 More about money 104
42 Inventing the calendar 106
43 Time and the circle 109
44 The living world 110
45 The human body 114
46 A number for your home 120
47 Addresses in fiction 121
48 A dark history 123
49 The streets of power 124
50 Numbers for the post 126
51 Roads to take - navigating by numbers 127
52 The number to call 130
53 PIN - what's your number? 132
54 Edible connections 134
55 Sizing up our drinks 137
56 Of yarns, fabrics and clothes 139
57 All that glitters 140
58 Beauty by numbers 142
59 For our leisure and entertainment 144
60 Proverbs and sayings 146
61 Bingo lingo 147
62 Books with numbers 149
63 In the film title 156
64 Counting in song 161
65 Jazz numbers 163
66 A musical miscellany 165
67 Poetry's secrets revealed 167
68 The beautiful game 170
69 The oval ball game - rugby football 174
70 The game of golf 176
71 Throwing darts 178
72 Cricket - bat on ball 179
73 On court - the game of tennis 182
74 Snooker and other cue games 185
75 The game of baseball 187
76 Chancing your luck 189
77 Throwing dice 192
78 Playing dominoes 194
79 Solving the square 195
80 Index 200
81 About the author 208
