Product Description

This is a brilliant and sparklingly original account of algebra through the ages, by one of mathematics' great popularizers: '"Unknown Quantity" buzzes with rivalries, frustrations and breakthroughs...A first-rate account that even algebraphobes will struggle to fault.' - "New Scientist".'Here is the story of algebra.' With this deceptively simple introduction, "Unknown Quantity" opens, thirty-eight centuries ago, at the time of Abraham and Isaac. In stylish and accessible prose, Derbyshire shows how the invention of algebra was more than the beginning of a specific discipline of mathematics; it was also the birth of a new way of thinking that altered, forever, the ways in which we see and understand our world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #67793 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
"* 'Unknown Quantity buzzes with rivalries, frustrations and breakthroughs... A first-rate account that even algebraphobes will struggle to fault.' New Scientist * 'Derbyshire is a virtuoso at simplifying mathematics... This is more than an engaging history; it records an entire, perhaps endangered, way of thinking.' Simon Ings, Daily Telegraph * 'Everything a popular mathematics book should be: gentle, chatty, anecdotal and full of mind-aching equations... Worth reading twice.' Alexander Masters, Literary Review * 'Derbyshire offers a very real and very entertaining survey of the development of algebra.' Publishers Weekly (US)"

Literary Review
John Derbyshire cleverly chooses one or two simple mathematical examples to illustrate horridly difficult ideas and, using metaphor and fine writing, investigates them closely.

The Economist
As Mr. Derbyshire shows, algebra today is an essential part of the wider mathematical landscape, with a huge range of applications from encrypting communications to the construction of computer chips. His book is a demanding read, with its fair share of mathematical diagrams and equations, but the fascination of the subject does come across.

Customer Reviews

A Rollercoaster ride through the history of algebra... Hold on tight!
I've long been interested in the history of science and mathematics and have to say that this book is an absolute treat to read.

I read John Derbyshire's other historical mathematics book - "Prime Obsession" - about a year ago and was mightly impressed. His ability to weave historical facts with some of the more complicated mathematics is something that a lesser author would stumble with. Not Derbyshire. "Unknown Quantity" takes "Prime Obsession" further - as it were - leaving behind one specific area of mathematical intregue (the Reimann Hypothesis) and covering this time the entire field of the history and development of algebra. Its a interesting feat to attempt given the huge subject base and the literally hundreds (if not few thousands) of years of history that have to be covered, but he does it well. Along the way we encounter ALL of the big names in maths: Galois, Lagrange, Euler (to name but a few) and some others that you may not have heard of, all of them though have their own backstories that make the characters come alive on the page (it is amazing how often some form of tragedy befalls a member of the mathematical elite of the 18th and 19th centuries).

But it's not all history. Derbyshire deftly takes us through some simple examples - how to solve the general cubic equation (and extend this to the general quartic) in a detailed yet unpatronising way - and goes further into some of the more abstract areas of modern mathematics (fields, algebras and manifolds).

This is a fabulous book that takes us from ancient civilisations in the middle-east through europe in the 18th and 19th centuries and out to the present day, and leaves you with a sense of awe at what was achieved and what could yet be discovered in this most intreguing of mathematical fields.

Sadly, not a book for everyone
Really interesting book which puts currently taught mathematics into its historical context. I bought the hardback which has "even algebraphobes will struggle to find fault" - don't believe a word of it: I don't think I would have understood much of the book without having done first year university pure maths already and would not recommend it to non math-inclined friends. There were a few typos in my edition but not enough to cause too many problems.

Helps to make the unknown less so
Easy to read summary history of the key dates and movers in the development of modern algebra. I particularly recommend it to UK students of A-level Further Maths, as it contextualises many of the topics covered.