Ranging from the Ishango Bone of central Africa and the Inca quipu of South America to the dawn of modern mathematics, this book points out that human beings everywhere have been capable of advanced and innovative mathematical thinking. It shows us the deep influence that the Egyptians and Babylonia[...]
Admired long after his death by the likes of Lord Rayleigh and Einstein, Thomas Young (1773-1829) was the definition of a polymath. By the age of fourteen he was proficient in thirteen languages, including Greek, Hebrew and Persian. After studies in Edinburgh, London, Gottingen and Cambridge he esta[...]