Have you ever wondered how mathematics was used with
little to no verbal language? Have you ever wondered why we calculate time the
way we do in base 60? Or have you simply even wondered how currency came about? If you
answered yes to any of these questions with a spark of interest, then Quite Right: The Story of Mathematics,
Measurement, and Money, by Norman Biggs, is the book for you! Through the
progression of this book, you will learn many aspects of the history of
mathematics, measurement, and money.
Some strong points of this book are the explanations and
the amount of content covered. Throughout the book, the reader will be taken
through many different mathematical concepts that have been around for
centuries and how those concepts played a role in society based on the given
region’s culture. Readers will be able to visit places like Egypt and visit
people like the Babylonians! This book does use the history of mathematics as a
stronghold for the content area, but it also has a lot of solid tie-in material
that involve forms of measurement and money.
Some of the weak points of the book have to deal with the
disbursement of content and the ability to comprehend certain mathematical
topics. As said before, the history of mathematics is the majority of this
book, so if one is going in hoping to learn more about measurement or money, it
would be best to find a different book. However, if a solid mix in of measurement
and money is well enough, then this is an excellent choice! Along with some
disbursement issues, the pacing can be odd as well, but can be overlooked quickly
with the next upcoming possibly more interesting topic. The recommended
mathematical reading level definitely requires some college level mathematics,
as the mathematics can go fairly in depth and abstract enough where some deeper
mathematical knowledge is required.
All in all, anyone that is looking for some interesting
facts about the history of mathematics, measurement, and money, then this is a
great read! As long as the reader has a fairly good sense of mathematics, the
book will be a pleasant experience to read through. I would say that this book gave me a greater understanding of why mathematics is a thing in society from a theoretical point of view. For a rating, I would give this book a solid 7.5 out of 10.
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