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Unknown Quantity (Paperback)

by John Derbyshire (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Atlantic Books (1 Aug 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1843545705
  • ISBN-13: 978-1843545705
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 245,027 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #49 in  Books > Science & Nature > History & Philosophy > History of Mathematics

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Product Description

Review

"* 'Unknown Quantity buzzes with rivalries, frustrations and breakthroughs... A first-rate account that even algebraphobes will struggle to fault.' New Scientist * 'Derbyshire is a virtuoso at simplifying mathematics... This is more than an engaging history; it records an entire, perhaps endangered, way of thinking.' Simon Ings, Daily Telegraph * 'Everything a popular mathematics book should be: gentle, chatty, anecdotal and full of mind-aching equations... Worth reading twice.' Alexander Masters, Literary Review * 'Derbyshire offers a very real and very entertaining survey of the development of algebra.' Publishers Weekly (US)"


Literary Review

John Derbyshire cleverly chooses one or two simple mathematical examples to illustrate horridly difficult ideas and, using metaphor and fine writing, investigates them closely. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Rollercoaster ride through the history of algebra... Hold on tight!, 5 Jul 2006
By Neal Morgan "Phd Student" (Cambridge, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Unknown Quantity: A Real and Imaginary History of Algebra (Hardcover)
I've long been interested in the history of science and mathematics and have to say that this book is an absolute treat to read.

I read John Derbyshire's other historical mathematics book - "Prime Obsession" - about a year ago and was mightly impressed. His ability to weave historical facts with some of the more complicated mathematics is something that a lesser author would stumble with. Not Derbyshire. "Unknown Quantity" takes "Prime Obsession" further - as it were - leaving behind one specific area of mathematical intregue (the Reimann Hypothesis) and covering this time the entire field of the history and development of algebra. Its a interesting feat to attempt given the huge subject base and the literally hundreds (if not few thousands) of years of history that have to be covered, but he does it well. Along the way we encounter ALL of the big names in maths: Galois, Lagrange, Euler (to name but a few) and some others that you may not have heard of, all of them though have their own backstories that make the characters come alive on the page (it is amazing how often some form of tragedy befalls a member of the mathematical elite of the 18th and 19th centuries).

But it's not all history. Derbyshire deftly takes us through some simple examples - how to solve the general cubic equation (and extend this to the general quartic) in a detailed yet unpatronising way - and goes further into some of the more abstract areas of modern mathematics (fields, algebras and manifolds).

This is a fabulous book that takes us from ancient civilisations in the middle-east through europe in the 18th and 19th centuries and out to the present day, and leaves you with a sense of awe at what was achieved and what could yet be discovered in this most intreguing of mathematical fields.
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Sadly, not a book for everyone, 25 Jun 2007
By Alex_JJ (London) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Unknown Quantity: A Real and Imaginary History of Algebra (Hardcover)
Really interesting book which puts currently taught mathematics into its historical context. I bought the hardback which has "even algebraphobes will struggle to find fault" - don't believe a word of it: I don't think I would have understood much of the book without having done first year university pure maths already and would not recommend it to non math-inclined friends. There were a few typos in my edition but not enough to cause too many problems.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Helps to make the unknown less so, 14 Jul 2009
By Allister Steele (Bristol, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Easy to read summary history of the key dates and movers in the development of modern algebra. I particularly recommend it to UK students of A-level Further Maths, as it contextualises many of the topics covered.
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4.0 out of 5 stars A significant quantity
This is an engaging and thoroughly competent history. John Derbyshire both knows and loves the subject, and it shows. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Andrew Ross

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