As Easy As Pi
Stuff about numbers that isn't (just) maths
Published on 25. June 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
176 pages
978-1-78243-433-7 (ISBN)
Description
Taking a quirky and insightful look at the world of numbers, As Easy As Pi will delight and entertain any number enthusiast.
In this day and age it's hard to imagine a world without numbers. Our lives are centred around commerce and money, and it is the only language that's the same the world over. However, did you know that for a long period of time people could not get their heads around the idea of zero, a figure representing nothing, and that it was even regarded as heretical in some circles?
As Easy As Pi is an entertaining and accessible guide, written for those who love numbers - and those who don't - and uncovers a great deal of lore and intriguing information. Including:
- Snippets of fascinating numerical facts
- Myths and mysticism in the world of numbers
- Numbers in language and used as slang
- Pop culture trivia
- Useful mathematical rules to remember
In this day and age it's hard to imagine a world without numbers. Our lives are centred around commerce and money, and it is the only language that's the same the world over. However, did you know that for a long period of time people could not get their heads around the idea of zero, a figure representing nothing, and that it was even regarded as heretical in some circles?
As Easy As Pi is an entertaining and accessible guide, written for those who love numbers - and those who don't - and uncovers a great deal of lore and intriguing information. Including:
- Snippets of fascinating numerical facts
- Myths and mysticism in the world of numbers
- Numbers in language and used as slang
- Pop culture trivia
- Useful mathematical rules to remember
Reviews / Votes
Fascinating... as much for those who hated maths at school as it is for those who love numbers * The Lady * A fab gift for anyone who loves facts and figures about numbers. It'll keep anoraks like me amused for hours. I loved it! * Now * A hotchpotch of facts about numbers.. interesting in the Stephen Fry style * Irish Examiner * An entertaining and accessible introduction to the world of numbers... offers a selection of offbeat information to delight any enthusiast of the subject * Waterstones Books Quarterly * Buchan explores [numbers'] inescapable influence in everything... Astonishingly comprehensive for its size, this little book is wonderfully addictive * The Good Book Guide *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
152 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78243-433-7 (9781782434337)
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 Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
03/2011
1st Edition
Michael O'Mara Books Ltd
€1.99
Available for download
Person
Jamie Buchan, formerly a Queen's Scholar of Westminster School and now an undergraduate at the University of Edinburgh, has always been interested by the mathematical and cultural significance of numbers. He is a great-grandson of the writer and statesman John Buchan (first Lord Tweedsmuir), whose definitive thrillers, among them The Thirty-Nine Steps and Greenmantle, have been bestsellers for many years; The Thirty-Nine Steps has been filmed three times - memorably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935, with Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. A nephew of the highly regarded novelist James Buchan and the gardening writer and journalist Ursula Buchan, he is also related to the bestselling novelist Elizabeth Buchan. In short, books are in his blood, although he makes no claim for his own writing as against the works of his distinguished relations. This, his first book, shows that numbers are also in his blood; not only did John Buchan write The Thirty-Nine Steps, but among his other novels are The Three Hostages and The House of the Four Winds.