EAN: 9781633887602

THE SECRET LIVES OF NUMBERS - ALFRED S POSAMENT...

We see numbers on automobile license plates  addresses  weather reports  and  of course  on our
smartphones. Yet we look at these numbers for their role as descriptors  not as an entity in
and unto themselves. Each number has its own history of meaning  usage  and connotation in the
larger world. The Secret Lives of Numbers takes readers on a journey through integers 
considering their numerological assignments as well as their significance beyond mathematics
and in the realm of popular culture. Of course we all know that the number 13 carries a certain
value of unluckiness with it. The phobia of the number is called Triskaidekaphobia  Franklin
Delano Roosevelt was known to invite and disinvite guests to parties to avoid having 13 people
in attendance  high-rise buildings often skip the 13th floor out of superstition. There are
many explanations as to how the number 13 received this negative honor  but from a mathematical
point of view  the number 13 is also the smallest prime number that when its digits are
reversed is also a prime number. It is honored with a place among the Fibonacci numbers and
integral Pythagorean triples  as well as many other interesting and lesser-known occurrences.
In The Secret Lives of Numbers  popular mathematician Alfred S. Posamentier provides short and
engaging mini-biographies of more than 100 numbers  starting with 1 and featuring some
especially interesting numbers -like 6 174  a number with most unusual properties -to provide
readers with a more comprehensive picture of the lives of numbers both mathematically and
socially.

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