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Zero : The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife (2000, UK-B Format Paperback)

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Zero has pitted East against West and faith against reason, and its intransigence persists in the dark core of a black hole and the brilliant flash of the Big Bang. He lives in New York City. Author Charles Seife.

About this product

Product Information

Popular math at its most entertaining and enlightening. " Zero is really something"-Washington Post A New York Times Notable Book. The Babylonians invented it, the Greeks banned it, the Hindus worshiped it, and the Church used it to fend off heretics. Now it threatens the foundations of modern physics. For centuries the power of zero savored of the demonic; once harnessed, it became the most important tool in mathematics. For zero, infinity's twin, is not like other numbers. It is both nothing and everything. In Zero , Science Journalist Charles Seife follows this innocent-looking number from its birth as an Eastern philosophical concept to its struggle for acceptance in Europe, its rise and transcendence in the West, and its ever-present threat to modern physics. Here are the legendary thinkers--from Pythagoras to Newton to Heisenberg, from the Kabalists to today's astrophysicists--who have tried to understand it and whose clashes shook the foundations of philosophy, science, mathematics, and religion. Zero has pitted East against West and faith against reason, and its intransigence persists in the dark core of a black hole and the brilliant flash of the Big Bang. Today, zero lies at the heart of one of the biggest scientific controversies of all time: the quest for a theory of everything.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Penguin Publishing Group
ISBN-10
0140296476
ISBN-13
9780140296471
eBay Product ID (ePID)
1717429

Product Key Features

Book Title
Zero : the Biography of a Dangerous Idea
Number of Pages
256 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2000
Topic
History & Surveys / General, History & Philosophy, Number Theory, Physics / General
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Science, Mathematics, Philosophy
Type
Textbook
Author
Charles Seife
Format
Uk-B Format Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height
0.7 in
Item Weight
7.4 Oz
Item Length
8 in
Item Width
5.2 in

Additional Product Features

Intended Audience
Trade
Dewey Edition
21
Reviews
"Mathematicians, contrary to popular misconception, are often the most lucid of writers (Bertrand Russell won a Nobel Prize not in mathematics but in literature), and Seife is a welcome example. He writes with an understated charm that takes account of human fear, the mistakes of geniuses and the mind's grandest ambitions." -- Atlanta Journal Constitution "Zero emerges as a daunting intellectual riddle in this fascinating chronicle. With remarkable economy, Seife urges his readers to peer through the zero down into the abyss of absolute emptiness and out into the infinite expanse of space. . . . Deftly and surely, Seife recounts the historical debates, then swiftly rolls the zero right up to the present day, where he plunges through its perilous opening down into the voracious maw of a black hole, and then out into the deep freeze of an ever cooling cosmos. A must read for every armchair physicist." -- Booklist (starred review) "His narrative . . . shifts smoothly from history and philosophy to science and technology, and his prose displays a gift for making complex ideas clear." -- The Dallas Morning News "Seife keeps the tone as light as his subject matter is deep. By book's end, no reader will dispute Seife's claim that zero is among the most fertile--and therefore most dangerous--ideas that humanity has devised. . . . Seife's prose provides readers who struggled through math and science courses a clear window for seeing both the powerful techniques of calculus and the conundrums of modern physics. . . . In doing so . . . this entertaining and enlightening book reveals one of the roots of humanity's deepest uncertainties and greatest insights." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Even innumerates . . . can appreciate the intricate web of conceptual connections Seife illuminates." -- Boston Globe "The greater part of this book tells a fascinating human story with skill and wit . . . we come to appreciate the surprising depth and richness of 'simple' concepts such as zero and infinity--and their remarkable links to the religion and culture of earlier civilizations and to present-day science." -- The Philadelphia Inquirer "Seife . . . recounts his story as an accomplished science journalist, standing on the outside to bring clarity to complex ideas. . . . the crisp explanations are refreshing . . . straightforward and bright." -- The New York Times "Seife has a talent for making the most ball-busting of modern theories . . . seem fairly lucid and common sensical." -- Salon
Grade from
Twelfth Grade
Dewey Decimal
513
Grade to
Up
Lc Classification Number
Qa107
Table of Content
Chapter 0: Null and Void Chapter 1: Nothing Doing: The Origin of Zero Chapter 2: Nothing Comes of Nothing: The West Rejects Zero Chapter 3: Nothing Ventured: Zero Goes East Chapter 4: The Infinite God of Nothing: The Theology of Zero Chapter 5: Infinite Zeroes and Infidel Mathematicians: Zero and the Scientific Revolution Chapter 6: Infinity's Twin: The Infinite Nature of Zero Chapter 7: Absolute Zeroes: The Physics of Zero Chapter 8: Zero Hour at Ground Zero: Zero at the Edge of Space and Time Chapter Infinity: Zero's Final Victory: End Time Appendix A: Animal, Vegetable, or Minister? Appendix B: The Golden Ratio Appendix C: The Modern Definition of a Derivative Appendix D: Cantor Enumerats the Rational Numbers Appendix E: Make Your Own Wormhole Time Machine Selected Bibliography Acknowledgments Index

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Would recommend

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Most relevant reviews

5 out of 5 stars
by zuzigirl19 Oct, 2007
ZERO---The Troublemaker
I have had this book for a while and it has been passed around to a few people interested in reading about "ZERO." I really have very little interest in math itself, but this book is not what you'd call a "math" book in that sense but more a history book. What you will read is that the concept of zero is paradoxical and troubling and has the power to bring computers crashing to a halt and transform a collapsing sun into a black hole. How? Long ago, zero seemed a necessary abstraction in the realm of mathematics and science. The Greeks and Romans really hated it and the Catholics feared it, but the Muslims revered it! Seife traces the development of zero from Babylonians' accidental invention of it as a place-holder in counting, and from there to ancient India and Arabia to its acceptance in the Western world. Zero's importance in Renaissance art and Reformation politics to the Big Bang theory has continued to alter our views of the universe, God and religion. Seife describes, with humor, how this one single digit has bedeviled and fascinated thinkers from ancient Athens to Los Alamos. I think you'll get a good grasp on the most misunderstood number in this witty book.Read full review
5 out of 5 stars
by baasyl_029 Oct, 2019
Great book.
The way he describes sometimes complex math stuff is so easy to understand. He talks about zero in history, math, physics and so many many different fields. The book was in great condition, despite its low price.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
5 out of 5 stars
by ultrazweihander29 May, 2022
Good Book
A friend recommended this book to me. It’s a great read.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
5 out of 5 stars
by roberth736216 May, 2020
worth reading
great book
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
5 out of 5 stars
by farnssteve08 Sep, 2020
Classic in my house
Fun book.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned

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Picture 1 of 1

Zero : The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife (2000, UK-B Format Paperback)

About this product

Product Information

Product Identifiers

Product Key Features

Dimensions

Additional Product Features

Ratings and reviews

Most relevant reviews

ZERO---The Troublemaker

Great book.

Good Book

worth reading

Classic in my house

Best Selling in Books

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Mum, I Want To Hear Your Story: A Mothers Journal To Share Her Life, Stories, Love And Special Memories by The Life Graduate Publishing Group (Paperback, 2020)

Atomic Habits: the life-changing million-copy #1 bestseller by James Clear (Paperback, 2018)

The Fast 800: How to combine rapid weight loss and intermittent fasting for long-term health by Dr Dr Michael Mosley (Paperback, 2019)

Dad, I Want to Hear Your Story: A Father's Guided Journal to Share His Life & His Love by Jeffrey Mason (Hardcover, 2019)

The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery by Brianna Wiest (Paperback, 2020)

Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins (Paperback, 2018)

Save on Books

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