What would make you write a book about writing a book you recently published on a 13th-century mathematician? When you’re Stanford University’s Keith Devlin (aka, NPR’s “The Math Guy”) and the mathematician is Leonardo of Pisa (aka, “Fibonacci”), the story of researching the first book, The Man of Numbers, becomes an incredible story in itself: Finding Fibonacci: The Quest to Rediscover the Forgotten Mathematical Genius Who Changed the World.
What makes Devlin’s story so compelling is that it involves many other people, multiple countries, 900+ years, and enough setbacks, twists and turns, courage, and fortitude to rival fictional adventure. Throw in the idea that Leonardo’s work helped revolutionize the world forever, parallels with another earth-shaking revolutionary, Steve Jobs, sprinkle well with the best-known number sequence of all time, and you have yourself a real page-turner.
I don’t want to spoil Devlin’s tale, but it’s impossible to resist mentioning the key notion that Leonardo gave us the mathematical tools needed to make much of the business transactions of the millennium that followed him conceivable and possible, as well as providing the framework for much more that we take for granted in every mathematically-based arena of modern civilization. Absent Leonardo’s genius, there’s no telling how long Europe would have remained hobbled by Roman numerals, counting boards, and mathematical computations reserved for a relatively small number of specialists. Instead, the European merchant community had put into its hands the perfect means to grow almost boundlessly.
Devlin’s book will serve to enlighten anyone fortunate enough to read it as to the pivotal role Leonardo played in the rise of the West out of its Dark Ages. By taking crucial ideas from India via the greatness of Islamic civilization, bringing them to Italy, developing practical methods for doing complicated calculations including those of vital importance to merchants and tradespeople, Leonardo of Pisa gave us the modern world. And Keith Devlin helps give this genius the long-overdue credit he deserves.
Devlin is one tough Math genius. I love this quote of him, “You cannot hold on to two things. If you use two hands to hold two things, the strength would be half. So it is best to let go of one and hold on tightly to the other.” ― Keith Devlin. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about him. My friend is math enthusiast like you and she has written a new kids book. Let’s help support her work and make math more kid-friendly: https://kck.st/2scQL5Q
Just started a new blog on mathematics. https://www.beautifulmathuncensored.de/
The authors of this blog sorta seem to be my “brothers in arms”… 🙂
I’m really looking forward to read this book. It sounds really amazing.
All the best, Becky
I have recently found myself with a high interest for mathematics and fibonacci numbers, series golden rectangle/spirals found through out our world. I have recently posted in my blog that i think mathematics was not created by humans but discovered as other mathematicians have stated, and that when fully understood math will give us the answers to everything. We are mathematics, math is the truth and the rabbit hole is infinitely deep. I will check out the above books on fibonacci and browse your recommended math books thanks.
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