Istoria si semnificatia numerelor

Dan-Silviu Boerescu looks at how numbers shape our world. He covers science, culture, myth, and belief. He contrasts their exact use in maths with their use as symbols. This is a nonfiction book for readers drawn to the past. It also suits those who like numerology and cultural lore. It links number systems to key figures, events, and old tales.

The book covers Roman and Arabic ways to write numbers. It looks at decimal and binary systems, which use bases ten and two. It also gives numbers a place in our genetic code's story. Its look at culture spans zero and one through thirteen. Zero and one form a pair with an obsessive bond. Two evokes a primal being with both male and female traits. Three brings in the Trinity and questions in philosophy. Images from card games link four to success. They link five to knowledge. Six brings in senses and tastes. Seven points to the world's wonders.

Eight leads to states of mind, including those linked to psychedelic drugs. Nine links to the Ode to Joy. Ten links to divine laws, and eleven to football. Twelve leads to hurricane strength, and thirteen to bad luck.

The book goes past whole numbers to infinity, pi, and the golden ratio. It weighs a link between infinity and God. It shows how pi helps find a circle's circumference, or distance around it. It shows how pi helps find its area, too. The golden ratio serves as a model of beauty. The book explores Matila Ghyka's account of it. It also looks at its use in art by his friend Dalí.