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Liked It “An insightful view into the world and history of the universe's two most compelling numbers, both symbols of God himself: zero and infinity, two sides of the same coin.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“An insightful view into the world and history of the universe's two most compelling numbers, both symbols of God himself: zero and infinity, two sides of the same coin.”
Nick E wrote this review 6 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Did you ever know the fate of our entire universe lies on a number? That number is 0. In this book , unlock the secrets that rumble the foundations of physics, from the Arabs to Rome, and all around the world. Discover heat deaths, sinking ships, black holes, and other scenes of destruction. For as you know, are universe is dying...
Mr. Kimzey's Class at the American School in Singapore wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
If you like complicated books, read this. ”
“I have no qualms with the writing of this book. Aside from one oddly out of place chapter where the writer begins to refer to themselves it is engaging and fluent. It accomplishes its purpose and more but the more is the problem. Unless you have an unshakable belief in religion this book is depressing, it spends several chapters depicting the end of the universe, as we know it. It gives two scenarios and according to Einstein and we get the short end of the stick (the concept was so mind-boggling that Einstein tried to claim he was wrong and cover up his work). However there and entertaining moments and parts of the book that make you look and think carefully about the world and how it has developed. Word to the wise though is that this book spends as much time talking about the infinite as it does talking about zero, although the two are clearly linked it was in the book to much for it to be called zero I my mind.”
GRIFFIN B wrote this review Tuesday, October 6 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Who thought math could be fun? This book explores the history of the idea "zero", and also gives its fundamental uses and reasons for its importance.”
Okasha wrote this review Monday, August 3 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Even if you're not interested in mathematics or sciences, read this book! The scary fact about zero is that it’s nothing, but at the same time everything. In Brunelleschi’s painting for example, zero was the center- also known as the vanishing point. I learned that the vanishing point represents a spot infinitely far from the viewer. This shows that zero is equal to infinity.Mathematicians figured out that rational numbers take up no space on the number line. Irrational numbers, on the other hand, take up all of it. The infinity of irrationals is zero. Another example is the big bang. How can one explain that everything- the starts, planets, galaxies, were created out of absolutely nothing? Since zero is so complex, scientists and mathematicians tended to simply ignore it.Pascal tried to prove the existence of God by mixing zero with infinity. His calculations made sense. Newton came up with a function of fluxion. The problem with his equation is that it required him to divide by zero. If you try dividing any number by zero on your calculator, you will soon find out that you made an error. The scary thing about Newton’s function of fluxion is that it actually worked! This book appealed to me a lot because it taught me many new things. I used to think that zero was even smaller than .0001, absolutely nothing. Seife showed me that zero has another meaning- infinity. ”
JULIA K wrote this review Sunday, June 14 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book does a great job telling the history and importance of the number zero.
Dan R wrote this review Sunday, June 14 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Though I was somewhat familiar with zero's importance, I was far from aware of the entire story.
My only precaution is that you would likely need at least a moderate interest in mathematics or science to find this book interesting.”
“I was inspired to read Zero by Fermat's Enigma, as it was somewhat in the same vein. I loved Zero just as much, but for different reasons. Zero is more historically driven, and doesn't feel like a story, like Fermat's Enigma did. But it was still amazing.
Dan Pease wrote this review Thursday, June 11 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The thing I really liked about Zero was the way it took something I thought was familiar to me and turned everything I thought about it on its head. It never occured to me that Zero would have to be 'discovered;' I thought of it as being just as obvious as one or two or three. Furthermore, the perils of using zero incorrectly were totally unknown to me, and I gained new respect for mathematicians because of it.
Zero is one of those books you really have to read. It is incredibly fascinating, and changed the way I saw math and the world. It opened my eyes to the rich history of math, and motivated me to find more books to read on the subject. Most importantly, however, this book made me realize how far humanity has come, and how far we have left to go. Perhaps one day we will understand zero, but I think that day is far away.”“This was a great book. It starts out with basic concepts and history and develops it into a knowledge rich book. Not only does it have something to show the reader but it leaves the reader with a lasting impression about the deveopment, growth, and life of the concept of zero.
BRANDEN S wrote this review Saturday, March 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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“You can't escape infinity or zero! Interesting read, not too technical.”
Tracy W wrote this review Sunday, March 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Zero was about, well, the concept of zero. I thought it was an extremely interesting account of how zero came to be. The book goes back to the ancient times when people were so afraid of embracing the zero and the infinity. I think people today are still scared of these two concepts. It was really interesting, and this book helped me understand better some things we're currently learning in math. The most interesting thing that I learned from the book is how time is determine by speed. I'm not sure if I interpreted this piece of information correctly, but the author says that the faster a person is moving, the longer time is prolonged. Overall, I would recommend this book for anyone who likes math or someone who just needs an interesting read. ”
MEI NGA W wrote this review Tuesday, January 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
