The Search for Certainty: A Journey Through the History of Mathematics, 1800-2000

By Frank J. Swetz

Book Overview

Authoritative and highly readable, this global survey is suited to those with no background in math as well as more informed readers and teachers. Presented in a chronological and thematic manner, these twenty-six absorbing and entertaining essays focus on the era from 1800 to 2000. Contributors such as Henri Poincar , Judith V. Grabiner, and H. S. M. Coxeter discuss topics ranging from logic and infinity to Fermat's Last Theorem. Additional subjects include the evolution of group theory, the development of modern statistics, and ENIAC, the first computer. Each of the brief, self-contained articles features an illuminating introduction and an extensive bibliography. Numerous relevant and provocative illustrations appear throughout the book.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486474429
• ISBN13: 9780486474427
• Release Date: September 2012
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.9" x 9.9"

Customer Reviews

Excellent resource for any high-school math teacher

I read this book during the summer, and I know it will help my teaching. The amount of historical information this book contains is extraordinary, and I truly believe that this would be a valuable resource to any high school math teacher looking to make a class more interesting, more alive. Get the book!