Doubleday, 1976. — 280 p. — ISBN 9780385120746, 0385120745.
In his clear, informal, engaging style, Isaac Asimov explains historic brainteasers and numerical oddities in the fascinating universe of numbers. From man's first act of counting to higher mathematics, from the smallest living creature to the dazzling reaches of outer space, Asimov is a master at "explaining complex material better than any other living person." (The New York Times) You'll learn: HOW to make a trillion seem small; WHY imaginary numbers are real; THE real size of the universe - in photons; WHY the zero isn't "good for nothing;" AND many other marvelous discoveries, in «
Asimov on numbers».
Introduction
Numbers and countingNothing Counts
One, Ten, Buckle My Shoe
Exclamation Point!
T-Formation
Varieties of the Infinite
Numbers and MathematicsA Piece of Pi
Tools of the Trade
The Imaginary That Isn't
Numbers and measurementForget It!
Pre-fixing It Up
IV Numbers and the calendar
The Days of Our Years
Begin at the Beginning
Numbers and BiologyThat's About the Size of It
Numbers and AstronomyThe Proton-Reckoner
Numbers and the EarthWater, Water, Everywhere
Up and Down the Earth
The Isles of Earth
Index