This lively, entertaining book shows how the growth of mathematics as a science has arisen from the growth of civilization. Man first began to count by putting down one pebble for one animal or thing, two pebbles for two things; any quantity over three was simply "a heap." His first "written" record was a notch on wood or stone to mark the passage of days. Slowly, through the ages, he learned to measure, to add and subtract, to multiply and divide. The demands for building, surveying, and navigation encouraged him to add to his stock of mathematical ideas. Through trade, travel, and conquest there was an interchange of mathematical knowledge between widely differing civilizations. And today mathematical science plays a basic part in the technological world in which we live. All this makes a fascinating story. But it also brings to life such basic mathematical concepts as the working of the decimal system, the measurement of angles, the solution of equations, and the measurement of change on a graph.
This is an ideal introduction to the fundamentals of mathematics, a fresh and stimulating approach for the young student. The illustrated Glossary of Arithmetical Terms at the end of the book provides, in addition, a permanent reference source to refresh and enlarge the student's knowledge.
The author, Lancelot Hogben, is an internationally distinguished scholar, who has written many popular books on scientific subjects. He is perhaps best known as the author of the international best sellers Mathematics for the Million, Science for the Citizen, and Mathematics in the Making.
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