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From mythology, religion and maths to science, fiction and language, this entertaining and accessible guide uncovers the lore and intriguing information behind the numbers that shape our world.
About the author
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.
Summary
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
Taking a quirky and insightful look at the world of numbers, As Easy As Pi will delight and entertain any number enthusiast.
