Customer Reviews
Zero and infinity - By: Mikko Saari, 07 Aug 2007 
Babylonians invented it, Indians worshipped it, Greeks abhorred it. Zero has been a problematic number for a long time. European mathematicians followed Greek footsteps, until they finally realized how important thing zero was for advanced mathematics.
Seife presents us the history of zero & its sister concept infinity, not onlyin mathematics, but alsoin physics & quantum mechanics. Zero is an entertaining book, if a bit light. For quick popular science entertainment purposes it's a good choice. (Review based on the Finnish translation.)
one of the best maths books around - By: marthiemoo, 08 Dec 2006 
Being an undergraduate philosopher I've had to read a lot of maths books, & this is by far the best. It's true that you don't need much maths background to understand it, but it's also highly enjoyable for those with a lot of maths or physics knowledge - it links up & explains general assumptionsin a way which seems never to occur to most teachers of sciences courses. The proof of 0=1 (and, extrapolating, that winston churchill = a carrot) is excellent & well worth committing to memory just to freak out any maths nerds one knows. Also worth a go is the step-by-step guide to making your own wormhole time machine (Step 1: Make a small wormhole, & attach one end to something really heavy). Really excellent, buy everyone you know a copy for christmas.
Mathematics history - By: Stephen Hill, 11 Apr 2003 A very readable book. This book covers the life story of the number zero, & it is a facinating story which is being told.
You do not need to have a better than average understanding of maths to be able to appreciate this book.
A good read, highly recommended.
Review for Zero:the Biography of a Dangerous Idea - By: , 30 Jul 2002 This book was absolutely wonderful, it delves into the history of mathematics, as far back as the creation of numbers themselves. It looks at the contribution that the Greeks, Babylonians & Hindus made to mathematics, & how religion had restricted the development of mathematics. The book was written very well, it felt like a story book, rather than a factual book. I recommend this book for everyone with an interestin Maths, you do not need to be a mathematician to enjoy this book.
Highly Recommended - By: , 23 Sep 2001 This is an excellent history of number Zero. Charles Seife takes you from the start, tracing the ideas of zero & inifity through time & how their concepts have been feared & embraced, how they've affected & forced evolution upon religious, philosophical, societal, & scientific ideas. I think this book should be part of any mathematics course. Highly recommend this book!
