Numbers at Work

Drawing primarily from historical examples this book explains the tremendous role that numbers and in particular mathematics play in all aspects of our civilization and culture. The lively style and illustrative examples will engage the reader who wants to understand the many ways in which mathematics enables science technology art music politics and rational foundations of human thought. Each chapter focuses on the influence of mathematics in a specific field and on a specific historical figure such as Pythagoras: Numbers and Symbol; Bach: Numbers and Music; Descartes: Numbers and Space.