Product Description
These two Studies comprise 28 papers dedicated to Professor George B. Dantzig on the occasion of his 70th birthday. They represent virtually every major topic in the field of mathematical programming: linear and nonlinear programming, discrete and continuous programming, conventional and large-scale programming, deterministic and stochastic programming, theory, applications, network optimization, and complementarity. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Skeptic (Altadena, CA), published by Skeptics Society & Skeptic Magazine on March 22, 1999. The length of the article is 413 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The true story behind this Urban Legend.(Brief Article)
Publication: Skeptic (Altadena, CA) (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1999
Publisher: Skeptics Society & Skeptic Magazine
Volume: 7Issue: 2Page: 102

Article Type: Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
Number is an eloquent, accessible tour de force that reveals how the concept of number evolved from prehistoric times through the twentieth century.Tobias Dantzig shows that the development of math—from the invention of counting to the discovery of infinity—is a profoundly human story that progressed by "trying and erring, by groping and stumbling." He shows how commerce, war, and religion led to advances in math, and he recounts the stories of individuals whose breakthroughs expanded the concept of number and created the mathematics that we know today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

A Feast For The Mind
The history and progression of numbers. Quite an unexpected look into the multidimensional evolution and life of numbers. From the typos of the scribes, to the beauty and elegance of numeric perfection.

Numbers History
If you want to know about the history of numbers, this is the book for you!I am finding it a little dry but interesting.

An inferior edition
This is a reprint of the author's 1954 fourth edition sandwiched between a new Foreword and Afterword.Neither the editor (Joseph Mazur) nor his brother (Barry Mazur, who wrote the Foreword) nor either of the advertised reviewers (Mario Livio or Charles Seife) apparently actually proofread the text as there are a distressing number of readily apparent typographic errors in the printing, both in the text and figures.
For a volume trumpeted on its title page as "The MASTERPIECE SCIENCE Edition" the many errors belie that mantle.In addition, the Afterword, which attempts to bring the reader up to date on relevant mathematical developments that occured after the fourth edition, fails to mention "undecidability" and the immense impact it has had on the issues discussed in the chapter entitled "The Anatomy of the Infinite."

Dantzig's Number continues to be accessible and generally insightful, but it is a shame that no one at Plume Books took due care and responsibility for its production.

Accessible yet comprehensive
I hope the few number of reviews for this title is not indicative of its popularity. This accessible, yet deep, book is delightful to read and thought-provoking.

Review of the 4th revised edition (not the new 2007 edition)
I am a mathematics teacher and have used this book as either a required reading or suggested supplement for a variety of courses, including math history for liberal arts students, number theory for mathematics majors, etc.

The book (4th edition) is divided into Part I and Part II -- the latter comprising only the last 4th of the book.Any successful college student will find Part I informative, and at times wonderfully enlightening about the development of the concepts of number and measurement.This book was written for the armchair reader, so expect a reader-friendly style of writing.However, I have found that Part II can be quite challenging for liberal arts students -- and quite stimulating to those whose studies included a more rigorous tour of mathematics.Do not let this bother you!I think Part I is worth the price of the book on its own.

If you wish to learn more about the history of mathematics and mathematicians, you might wish to examine Notable Mathematicians: From Ancient Times to the Present edited by Robyn V. Young and Zoran Minderovic.
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