50 Mathematical Ideas You Really Need to Know [Hardcover]

Just the mention of mathematics is enough to strike fear into the hearts of many, yet without it, the human race couldn't be where it is today. By exploring the subject through its 50 key insights - from the simple (the number one) and the subtle (the invention of zero) to the sophisticated (proving Fermat's last theorem) - this book shows how mathematics has changed the way we look at the world around us

Table of Contents

Zero Number systems Fractions Squares and square roots I e Infinity Imaginary numbers Primes Perfect numbers Fibonacci numbers Golden rectangles Pascal's triangle Algebra Euclid's algorithm Logic Proof Sets Calculus Constructions Triangles Curves Topology Dimension Fractals Chaos The parallel postulate Discrete geometry Graphs The four-colour problem Probability Bayes's theorem The birthday problem Distributions The normal curve Connecting data Genetics Groups Matrices Codes Advanced counting Magic squares Latin squares Money mathematics The diet problem The travelling salesperson Game theory Relativity Fermat's last theorem The Riemann hypothesis