What is a natural number? We can’t pick it up. We can’t see it. It cannot be felt, touched, smelled or looked at. A number is an idea…
Whilst mathematics is often regarded as a very logical subject, the development of the language of counting was not necessarily logical. Systems of counting developed over time, arising in response to new needs as societies evolved. The system which we use today is a result of this evolution, an evolution which has a fascinating history.
A Story of Natural Numbers is a nonfiction offering which explores and explains how numbers came to be, where they came from, and what they mean. As well as this explanation, the book offers a wide range of facts, anecdotes and even jokes, with the text spread out in a design which is both colourful and nonthreatening. There is plenty of graphical support and interest, with rocket ships, silly sheep and more on every page.
Aimed at upper primary and lower secondary readers, A Story of Natural Numbers is suitable both for individual reading and classroom use.
A Story of Natural Numbers, by David Demant
Black Dog, 2008
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