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WORK TITLE: Wonders Beyond Numbers
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S): Ball, Graham
BIRTHDATE: 5/23/1938
WEBSITE: http://www.johnnyball.co.uk/home
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: British
father of BBC Radio 2 DJ Zoë Ball. Phone: 01753 643621
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born May 23, 1938; married; wife’s name Di; children: Zoe, Nick, Dan.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, educator, producer, and television personality. Glasgow University, Scotland, lord rector, 1993-96. Has written and hosted twenty television series; has appeared in educational stage musicals. Previously, worked in the aircraft industry, as a standup comic, and as a Butlin’s Redcoat (children’s entertainer). Ambassador for British Engineering, 1995—.
MIILITARY:British Royal Air Force, 1957-59.
AWARDS:BAFTA award, for Think of a Number, 1978; World TV Awards (two), for Think Again (television show); ITVA Craft Award as Presenter of the Year, 1986.
WRITINGS
Also writer of educational stage musicals.
SIDELIGHTS
Johnny Ball is a British writer, educator, producer, and television personality. He is the host of numerous educational television series, many of which he has written, as well. Ball also served as the lord rector at Scotland’s Glasgow University. He has worked variously as a performer in stage musicals, in the aircraft industry, as a standup comic, and as a Butlin’s Redcoat (children’s entertainer). Ball has served as the Ambassador for British Engineering since 1995.
Go Figure!
In 2005, Ball released his first book, Go Figure!. The volume is geared toward young readers. It is divided into four sections. The first offers historical information on numbers and counting. Other sections include information on the importance of the number zero, the discovery of Pi, and aspects of number theory. Ball also discusses fractals and logic. He cites the work of celebrated thinkers and mathematicians, including Albert Einstein and Ahmose. The book includes diagrams, puzzles, photos, and word problems. Answers to the problems appear at the end of the volume.
Though Jennifer Mattson, critic in Booklist, highlighted the difficulty of some of the material in the book, Mattson suggested: “Some discussions and exercises … are spot-on for inquisitive kids who like to fiddle and ponder.” “Go Figure! takes an adventurous approach to stimulating young minds and exploring mathematical mysteries,” noted a Children’s Bookwatch writer. Erlene Bishop Killeen, reviewer in School Library Journal, described Go Figure! as “a dynamic book” and “a fun romp for number and puzzle lovers.”
Wonders Beyond Numbers
Ball again discusses math in his 2017 book, Wonders Beyond Numbers: A Brief History of All Things Mathematical. The first section in his volume is devoted to early examples of mathematics discovered in excavations of sites in the ancient world. Papyri from ancient Egypt demonstrate mathematical calculations used in the construction of the great pyramids. Other ancient examples of mathematical equations come from Sumer, Greece, Central America, India, China, and Babylon. Ball profiles important mathematicians from the ancient world, including Pythagoras and Archimedes. He goes on to highlight other key mathematical discoveries throughout history from thinkers, including Tycho Brahe, Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, Robert Hooke, Albert Einstein, Florence Nightingale, and Ada Augusta Byron. In an interview with Nick Smith, contributor to the E&T website, Ball explained why he decided to release another book about mathematics. He stated: “Without maths we simply can’t understand the world around us. It is the language of the physical world. … Galileo said that everything in the universe is written in the language of mathematics.” In the same interview with Smith, Ball noted that The Ascent of Man, a documentary series created by Jacob Bronowski, was an inspiration for Wonders Beyond Numbers. He stated: “This is because he discussed the whole of the history of mankind and its development. I have done the same thing, only with maths. But I have illustrated this with examples from architecture, Renaissance art and all those things. And what you find is that if you get an understanding of the mathematics and are not scared of it, little bits of it will illuminate the situation for you and will help you understand it better.”
A Publishers Weekly reviewer asserted: “Excellent as an introduction to the field, this is a brisk, well-rounded history of mathematics and its practitioners.” Referring to Ball, Louise Jones, critic on the Bookbag website, remarked: “His latest book proves that he has lost none of his passion and enthusiasm for his subject.” Jones added: “Throughout the book, Johnny keeps his trademark enthusiasm, which shines through on each page. … This is an author who is truly excited and inspired by his specialist subject, and it rubs off on his readers.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, October 15, 2005, Jennifer Mattson, review of Go Figure!, p. 44.
Children’s Bookwatch, October, 2005, review of Go Figure!.
Publishers Weekly, October 23, 2017, review of Wonders Beyond Numbers: A Brief History of All Things Mathematical, p. 77.
School Library Journal, January, 2006, Erlene Bishop Killeen, review of Go Figure!, p. 147.
ONLINE
Bookbag, http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/ (August 1, 2017), Louise Jones, review of Wonders Beyond Numbers.
E&T, https://eandt.theiet.org/ (January 22, 2018), Nick Smith, author interview.
Johnny Ball Website, http://www.johnnyball.co.uk (March 19, 2018).
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Johnny's latest book, "Wonders Beyond Numbers - A Brief History of all things Mathematical" was published on 5th October 2017, by Bloomsbury Press. Five 5* Amazon reviews (no lesser reviews) it has sold to China, Russia, Japan, Spain as well as English speaking countries - USA, Australia, Canada, etc.
Johnny has been entertaining for 60 years, 12 in Stand Up, 50 in TV, 35 in education.
He is best known for his award winning TV shows, of which he wrote and presented 20 Series including
Think of a Number, Think Again - BBC TV, Johnny Ball Reveals All - ITV
which inspired a generation towards confidence in mathematics and science.
Johnny wrote/produced and starred in 5 educational stage musicals between 1993 and 2003 playing to 160,000 annually.
His Millenium Dome Mind Zone Live Show, "With Your Mind and Tomorrow's Engineering, Anything is Possible" - Sponsored by BAE Systems, Sold Out throughout 2000
He was the oldest ever Contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012.
He has produced and presented many award winning videos, educational, promotional and motivational projects.
His Dorling Kindersley Books, “Think of a Number” 2005 and "Mathmagicians" 2009 still sell worldwide.
Available for Conferences, Inset Training, Awards Ceremonies, Promotional Work, Media Days, Commercials, Voice Overs.
Retiring is not an option! Contact Johnny directly by email: Or Phone 01753 643621
email.jpg
Email jballprods@aol.com
Johnny left school with 2 O-levels, but scoring 100% in Maths. He then got three more on his own and started his career in the Aircraft Industry in 1954, followed by three years in the RAF from 1957 to 1959 - his University.
From 1960 to 1962 he was a Butlin’s Redcoat at Pwllheli, North Wales and The Metropole Hotel, Blackpool.
Johnny performed as a drummer in Liverpool in 1960/61.
Johnny was a successful stand-up comic from 1964, appearing with Val Doonican and Harry Secombe in their respective shows, and he compered the 90 minute 1967 ITV Christmas Night Spectacular.
Also in 1967 he began presenting BBC’s Playschool. He also wrote Cabbages and Kings, (3 series) most of the comedy for Playaway and Star Turn as well as for adult TV shows.
Johnny conceived, wrote and presented Think of a Number for the BBC in 1978 winning a BAFTA. Think Again followed and won two World TV Awards and an International Emmy Nomination and Johnny’s shows over the next 10 years inspired a whole generation of children towards careers in mathematics and science.
Johnny Ball Reveals All for ITV followed from 1989 to 1994.
He wrote and presented the BISFA Sales Video of the Year and received the ITVA Craft Award as Presenter of the Year, both in 1986.
From 1993 to 2003 he wrote and toured five educational stage musicals which sold around 160,000 tickets per year.
His Mind Zone Live Show in the Millenium Dome for 2000 was a Total Sell Out for the Year.
He has been an Ambassador for British Engineering since 1995. He staged the DofE Exhibition Maths Stands, National STEM Projects and many educational and public awareness projects.
Johnny was Lord Rector of Glasgow University 1993/6 and has Honourary Degrees from Glasgow, Salford, Sheffield Hallam, Liverpool John Moores (Fellowship), Bishop Grossteste Lincoln/Leicester, Brighton and The Institute of Teaching.
In 2012, he became the oldest ever contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.
He lives in Buckinghamshire with his wife Di and dog Holly. His children are all doing well, Zoe doing BBC TV’s It Takes Two, Nick writing for 21st Century Fox and on major TV Commercials and Dan with his own company Centre Space Design in Henley. Johnny’s new book, Wonders Beyond Numbers - A History of all things Mathematical, will be published by Bloomsbury Press in May 2017.
QUOTED: "Without maths we simply can’t understand the world around us. It is the language of the physical world. ... Galileo said that everything in the universe is written in the language of mathematics."
"This is because he discussed the whole of the history of mankind and its development. I have done the same thing, only with maths. But I have illustrated this with examples from architecture, Renaissance art and all those things. And what you find is that if you get an understanding of the mathematics and are not scared of it, little bits of it will illuminate the situation for you and will help you understand it better."
Book interview: Johnny Ball, ‘Wonders Beyond Numbers’
By Nick Smith
Published Monday, January 22, 2018
If mathematics is the objective language with which to describe the universe, then ‘Wonders Beyond Numbers’ is its travel guide. Who better than Johnny Ball to take us on a magical tour of everything mathematical?
When we look at the world in terms of technology, engineering and mathematics, it’s tempting to assume that modern thinking has rescued the past from the dark shadow of a cloud of ignorance. But as Johnny Ball says: “Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the age of the Ancient Greeks was pretty amazing, and as for the Egyptians – despite not knowing much about them – the ruins that they left behind are amazing, too. If you look at the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza, this was done by constructing huge ramps of sand in order to elevate these huge blocks of stone, after which they took the ramps away. Now this was a massive feat of engineering.”
The Pyramid is one of the starting points of Ball’s new book ‘Wonders Beyond Numbers’, which offers ‘a brief history of all things mathematical’. It has been described by no less a figure than the popular mathematician Ian Stewart as “a winner”. With some justification. In a shade under 500 pages, TV celebrity and autodidact maths expert Ball tells us just about everything we need to know about his world. From the first telescopes to Alan Turing, Pythagoras to Max Plank, from Galileo to Gödel, it’s all here.
It’s entertaining, enriching and, above all, consistent with the entertainer’s endless sense of fun, entirely readable. Even if you know nothing of mathematics – and at this point Ball inserts his hope that most engineers will have at least a mild obsession with the subject – you will come away better for the experience of reading ‘Wonders Beyond Numbers.’
Ball is probably best known for his unstinting work as a TV presenter, popularising mathematics in programmes such as ‘Think of a Number’ (the associated books still sell by the tens of thousands, especially in China, where elementary mathematics is still taught ‘the proper way’). Despite having no formal university education, the former stand-up comedian, who is approaching his 80th birthday, regularly lectures to enthralled audiences of all ages.
An inspiration to a generation of young engineers, Ball says he never gets tired of hearing the words ‘I became an engineer because of you’. “One day, of course, someone will come up to me and thump me while they are saying it. But it hasn’t happened yet.”
As Ball says, ‘Wonders Beyond Numbers’ tells one of the greatest stories of all. “Without maths we simply can’t understand the world around us. It is the language of the physical world.” His book explains how over the millennia we have built up an understanding of shapes, numbers and patterns, leading to the technological world we live in today.
“Galileo said that everything in the universe is written in the language of mathematics,” and this is Ball’s primer to that language. When the maths gets tough, as it sometimes does, there are handy sidebars in the text that delve into greater depth. When it gets even tougher, there are ‘wow factor’ appendices for the aficionado.
‘WONDERS BEYOND NUMBERS’
We read it for you
“The ocean of mathematics is full of amazing things and extraordinary stories of the heroic people who opened up this world of wonders to us,” says Johnny Ball in his superb book on the subject.
‘Wonders Beyond Numbers’ is simply a complete history of mathematics, from the earliest of mathematical legends to the modern possibilities of infinity. And because it is by Ball – who many of us will remember for his ground-breaking kids’ TV shows such as ‘Think of a Number’ – it’s written from the viewpoint of a man whose complex, brilliant mind loves nothing more than to entertain and have fun, while sneaking in some good old-fashioned book learning.
It helps if you like maths, but even if you don’t ‘Numbers Beyond Wonders’ will leave you mesmerised because, as Galileo said, “everything in the Universe is written in the language of numbers”. Fantastic stuff.
Maths is only one part of Ball’s rich tale of how we got to where we are today. His text bristles with extraordinary characters who most definitely existed (such as Kepler and Copernicus) as well as those who possibly didn’t (such as Pythagoras). We are treated to humorous anecdotes about mathematicians who were so insecure about their discoveries that they had most of their books burned, through to builders of ‘impossible’ structures and even a painter, who on discovering the world of maths, put down his brush never to pick it up again.
The inspiration for Ball’s book goes back to Jacob Bronowski’s 1973 television documentary series ‘The Ascent of Man’. “This is because he discussed the whole of the history of mankind and its development. I have done the same thing, only with maths. But I have illustrated this with examples from architecture, Renaissance art and all those things. And what you find is that if you get an understanding of the mathematics and are not scared of it, little bits of it will illuminate the situation for you and will help you understand it better.”
These ‘little bits’ are drawn from “following a historical tack”. On p216, Ball treats us to the background of the grid system of Elizabethan maths, which in fact dates back to the Library of Baghdad many centuries earlier, the name of whose long-term chief librarian Al-Khwarizmi gave us the word ‘algorithm’.
Try as you might, you won’t find any statistics here, and this is because “while I am fascinated by every aspect of mathematics, I can’t tolerate statistics”. Ball tells a story about how he was once a roommate of the British statistician Frank Duckworth (who along with Tony Lewis devised the target resetting formula for one-day cricket matches), before dismissing the subject altogether.
“Machines are perfect for doing statistics, shuffling numbers around and giving an answer. Today at least a third of the school curriculum is devoted to this sort of maths and it is soul-destroying.” He throws down the gauntlet by claiming he could teach statistics to a 13-year-old “in one term. Finished. In half of one term. And that would be all they need to work in the statistical world of marketing and training and things like that. It could be taught so quickly. But we’re pedantic about it and I can’t stand it.”
This last statement will come as no surprise to those familiar with Ball’s penchant for shooting from the hip. Pro-nuclear power and with little time for the conventional arguments for climate change, the former rector of Glasgow University clearly cares deeply about education, but doesn’t seem to care about upsetting the establishment. It follows that ‘Wonders Beyond Numbers’ is also something of a howl of pain from an elderly polymath who deeply dislikes the way in which mathematics is broadcast on TV today. “It’s awful. The BBC should be the best educator in the world, but the way in which the subject is presented to children has been destroyed. It’s criminal.”
‘Wonders Beyond Numbers’ by Johnny Ball is published by Bloomsbury Sigma, £16.99
QUOTED: "Excellent as an introduction to the field, this is a brisk, well-rounded history of mathematics and its practitioners."
Wonders Beyond Numbers: A Brief
History of All Things Mathematical
Publishers Weekly.
264.43 (Oct. 23, 2017): p77.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Wonders Beyond Numbers: A Brief History of All Things Mathematical
Johnny Ball. Sigma, $27 (512p) ISBN 978-14729-3999-9
Ball, a British comedian and pop-math celebrity, charms in this lively, accessible history of mathematics.
Relating anecdotes and historical points with equal enthusiasm, Ball begins his work in the ancient world
with descriptions of Egyptian papyri showing how to calculate the amount of stone needed to build a
pyramid and clay tablets from Sumer and Babylon recording everyday business transactions. Ancient
Greeks such as Pythagoras, with his work on music theory and geometry, and Archimedes, of the "eureka"
moment and array of siege weapons, come to life in Ball's account. Stories about astronomer Tycho Brahes
prosthetic nose, Leonardo da Vinci's restless inventiveness, and Isaac Newton's petty feud with rival
scientist Robert Hooke reveal personal details about people who are often just names in a textbook. Ball's
book brims with other oddball facts: for example, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, and Ada Augusta
Byron (Countess of Lovelace and the "world's first computer programmer") were all diehard fans of
Euclid's Elements. Adelard of Bath, a 12th-century English monk, traveled the Middle East in disguise to
learn Arabian mathematics; Florence Nightingale invented pie charts. Ball also explores math contributions
from ancient China, India, and Central America. Excellent as an introduction to the field, this is a brisk,
well-rounded history of mathematics and its practitioners. (Dec.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Wonders Beyond Numbers: A Brief History of All Things Mathematical." Publishers Weekly, 23 Oct.
2017, p. 77. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A512184219/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=8fef718c. Accessed 3 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A512184219
QUOTED: "Some discussions and exercises ... are spot-on for inquisitive kids who like to fiddle and ponder."
3/3/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1520127052195 2/4
Ball, Johnny. Go Figure! A Totally Cool
Book about Numbers
Jennifer Mattson
Booklist.
102.4 (Oct. 15, 2005): p44+.
COPYRIGHT 2005 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Ball, Johnny. Go Figure! A Totally Cool Book about Numbers. 2005. 96p. illus. DK, $15.99 (0-7566-1374-
4). 510.
Gr. 4-7. Ball aims straight at kids' natural enthusiasm for puzzles and nifty phenomena in this wide-angle
view of math. Readers will find the usual number history, finger-counting tricks, and magic squares here,
but Ball extends his purview well beyond typical classroom subjects to touch upon topology, chaos theory,
and fractals. Some discussions and exercises will challenge even grown-up brainiacs ("It's possible to make
a hole in a postcard-sized piece of paper that a person can step through. Can you work out the pattern?"),
but many others (making an icosahedron; performing probability-based card tricks) are spot-on for
inquisitive kids who like to fiddle and ponder. Perhaps the only real drawback is the book's design.
Fragments of text appear beside distractingly scattered photos, and the jacket's cheerful primary colors seem
to target a younger audience than will be capable of absorbing the concepts. Try this on kids who ask for
books on Sudoku number squares, and give it to teachers at many levels, who will want to borrow from
Bali's pedagogical toolbox.--Jennifer Mattson
Mattson, Jennifer
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Mattson, Jennifer. "Ball, Johnny. Go Figure! A Totally Cool Book about Numbers." Booklist, 15 Oct. 2005,
p. 44+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A138396978/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=47681fd6. Accessed 3 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A138396978
QUOTED: "Go Figure! takes an adventurous approach to stimulating young minds and exploring mathematical mysteries."
3/3/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1520127052195 3/4
Go Figure!
Children's Bookwatch.
(Oct. 2005):
COPYRIGHT 2005 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
Full Text:
Go Figure!
Johnny Ball
DK Publishing, Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
0756613744 $15.99, www.dk.com
Go Figure! A Totally Cool Book About Numbers is a book specifically designed to show young readers that
the science of math and numbers can be cool, fun, and crucial to understanding the universe's secrets. Each
two-page spread teaches the reader about fascinating numerological concepts in plain and simple terms,
from brain-twisting logic puzzles (a TV game show host has you pick from three garage doors, each with a
car behind it. After you pick one, he knowingly reveals that one of the doors you didn't pick is empty.
Should you switch your choice?) to the amazing shapes of fractals to the fascinating properties of the
"golden ratio" phi and much more. Illustrated throughout with full-color diagrams and photographs, Go
Figure! takes an adventurous approach to stimulating young minds and exploring mathematical mysteries.
Very highly recommended for both elementary school and homeschooling science studies reading lists.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Go Figure!" Children's Bookwatch, Oct. 2005. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A137783437/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=a88974e5.
Accessed 3 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A137783437
QUOTED: "a dynamic book"
"a fun romp for number and puzzle lovers."
3/3/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1520127052195 4/4
Ball, Johnny. Go Figure!
Erlene Bishop Killeen
School Library Journal.
52.1 (Jan. 2006): p147.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No
redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
BALL, Johnny. Go Figure! 96p. charts. diags. illus. photos. reprods. index. DK. 2005. Tr $15.99. ISBN 0-
7566-1374-4. LC number unavailable.
Gr 4-8--A dynamic book filled with puzzles and problems to solve. Blocks of color, diagrams, and photo
collages contribute to the exciting layout. Four sections ("Where do numbers come from?" "Magic
numbers," "Shaping up," and "The world of math") cover the history of counting, zero, number theory, Pi,
chance, logic, fractals, and much more. The contributions of mathematical greats, from Ahmose to Albert
Einstein, are described in brief. Many of the examples and questions are popular culture items; answers are
provided in the back of the book. There is an error; the book attributes selecting animals to take on the ark
to Moses rather than Noah. Not all sources are attributed (such as the chance of dying front various causes),
although all images are. This title is well indexed and has a detailed table of contents. A fun romp for
number and puzzle lovers.--Erlene Bishop Killeen, Fox Prairie Elementary School, Stoughton, WI
Killeen, Erlene Bishop
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Killeen, Erlene Bishop. "Ball, Johnny. Go Figure!" School Library Journal, Jan. 2006, p. 147. General
OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A141092153/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=5cb21770. Accessed 3 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A141092153
QUOTED: "His latest book proves that he has lost none of his passion and enthusiasm for his subject."
"Throughout the book, Johnny keeps his trademark enthusiasm, which shines through on each page. ... This is an author who is truly excited and inspired by his specialist subject, and it rubs off on his readers."
Wonders Beyond Numbers: A Brief History of All Things Mathematical by Johnny Ball
Wonders Beyond Numbers: A Brief History of All Things Mathematical by Johnny Ball
Ball Wonders.jpg
Buy Wonders Beyond Numbers: A Brief History of All Things Mathematical by Johnny Ball at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Popular Science
Rating: 5/5
Reviewer: Louise Jones
Reviewed by Louise Jones
Summary: A concise history of the world, showing the contribution that mathematics has made to the progress of civilization.
Buy? yes Borrow? yes
Pages: 480 Date: August 2017
Publisher: Bloomsbury Sigma
ISBN: 9781472939982
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Like many people of a certain age, I have fond memories of tuning in to watch Johnny Ball enthusiastically extolling the virtues of maths and science; succeeding where our schoolteachers had failed and actually making these subjects fun. Although decades have passed since those classic TV shows, his latest book proves that he has lost none of his passion and enthusiasm for his subject.
The book itself is certainly an ambitious one; a brief history of all things mathematical, squeezed into 470 pages. The result is a potted history of the world, starting with the Egyptians and then working its way through the Sumerians, Greeks, Romans and subsequent civilizations up to the present day. As we read about the discoveries and developments over the centuries, we see that mathematics is the central thread weaving everything together. Advances in the fields of architecture, art, astronomy, finance, science, transport and engineering simply would not have been possible without the mathematical principles that underpin them.
We learn about some of the greatest minds the world has even known: Archimedes, Pythagoras, Newton and Einstein; to name a few. But what about lesser-known heroes who still made a valuable contribution to mathematical history? People like Heron, Hipparchus, Mendeleev and many others made discoveries that changed the world and yet we barely know their names. This book gives them all a chance to shine.
It is amazing to see how far the human race has come in understanding the world around us and even our place in the universe. It is fascinating to see how these great minds arrived at their conclusions, and how sometimes progress moved backwards, as well as forwards. This is certainly true when it comes to the ancient concept that the Earth was the centre of the universe; an idea so entrenched in the minds of people that it was difficult to break free and think outside of the box, as it were.
Throughout the book, Johnny keeps his trademark enthusiasm, which shines through on each page. There is even an index at the back of the book that explores some of the mathematical ideas in more depth, which he aptly calls the WOW Factor Mathematical Index. This is an author who is truly excited and inspired by his specialist subject, and it rubs off on his readers.
I thoroughly enjoyed my brief trip through history and although maths was never my strongest subject, I do have a newfound respect for it; so many of the things we take for granted are due to mathematical discoveries, including the computer that I am typing on right now! Many thanks to the publishers for my review copy.