The Maths Gene explains how the human mind came to – and continues to – perform mathematical reasoning. Where does this ability come from? Our prehistoric ancestors’ brains were essentially the same as ours, so they must have had the same underlying ability. What purpose could it serve in 50,000bc? And what exactly goes on in our brains when we multiply 15 by 36 or prove Fermat’s last theorem? 
The answer, according to Keith Devlin, lies within our genes and more specifically with the pattern-making abilities with which we are born. He uses this insight to reveal why some people feel that they ‘can’t do maths’, while a select few excel at the subject and to suggest ways in which we can improve our mathematical skills. He also answers the following questions: • Are there things I can do to improve my mathematical skills? (YES) • Can new-born babies do mathematics? (YES) • Do mathematicians have a key secret that enables them to do mathematics with apparent ease? (YES) • Do Chinese and Japanese children have a built-in advantage over American and European children when it comes to learning mathematics? (YES)

The Maths Gene : Why Everyone Has It, but Most People Don't Use It

Science & Math

Keith, Devlin

Mathematics

Weidenfeld&Nicolson

The purpose of this book is to provide the student beginning undergraduate mathematics with a solid foundation in the basic logical concepts necessary for most of the subjects encountered in a university mathematics course. The main distinction between most school mathematics and university mathematics lies in the degree of rigour demanded at university level. In general, the new student has no experience of wholly rigorous definitions and proofs, with the result that, although competent to handle quite difficult problems in, say, the differential calculus, he/she is totally lost when presented with a rigorous definition oflimits and derivatives. In effect, this means that in the first few weeks at university the student needs to master what is virtually an entire new language {'the language of mathematics'} and to adopt an entirely new mode ofthinking. Needless to say, only the very ablest students come through this process without a great deal of difficulty.

Sets, functions, and logic: Basic concepts of university mathematics

Chapman and Hall

Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )

In the hands of Keith Devlin, "the Math Guy" from NPR's "Weekend Edition," each Millennium Problem becomes a fascinating window onto the deepest and toughest questions in the field. For mathematicians, physicists, engineers, and everyone else with an interest in mathematics' cutting edge, The Millennium Problems is the definitive account of a subject that will have a very long shelf life.

The Millennium Problems : The Seven Greatest Unsolved Mathematical Puzzles of Our Time

Biographies & Memoirs

True Crime

Barnes&Noble, Inc.

The Millennium Problems: The Seven Greatest Unsolved Mathematical Puzzles of Our Time

Humor & Entertainment

Puzzles & Games

Basic Books

In 1202, a 32-year old Italian finished one of the most influential books of all time, which introduced modern arithmetic to Western Europe. Devised in India in the seventh and eighth centuries and brought to North Africa by Muslim traders, the Hindu-Arabic system helped transform the West into the dominant force in science, technology, and commerce, leaving behind Muslim cultures which had long known it but had failed to see its potential. The young Italian, Leonardo of Pisa (better known today as Fibonacci), had learned the Hindu number system when he traveled to North Africa with his father, a customs agent. The book he created was Liber abbaci, the `Book of Calculation', and the revolution that followed its publication was enormous. Arithmetic made it possible for ordinary people to buy and sell goods, convert currencies, and keep accurate records of possessions more readily than ever before. Liber abbaci's publication led directly to large-scale international commerce and the scientific revolution of the Renaissance. Yet despite the ubiquity of his discoveries, Leonardo of Pisa remains an enigma. His name is best known today in association with an exercise in Liber abbaci whose solution gives rise to a sequence of numbers - the Fibonacci sequence - used by some to predict the rise and fall of financial markets, and evident in myriad biological structures. In The Man of Numbers, Keith Devlin recreates the life and enduring legacy of an overlooked genius, and in the process makes clear how central numbers and mathematics are to our daily lives.

Man of Numbers: Fibonacci's Arithmetic Revolution

Historical

Bloomsbury UK

The Man of Numbers: Fibonacci's Arithmetic Revolution

Professionals & Academics

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

In 2000, the Clay Foundation of Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced a historic competition: Whoever could solve any of seven extraordinarily difficult mathematical problems, and have the solution acknowledged as correct by the experts, would receive $1million in prize money. They encompass many of the most fascinating areas of pure and applied mathematics, from topology and number theory to particle physics, cryptography, computing and even aircraft design. Keith Devlin describes here what the seven problems are, how they came about, and what they mean for mathematics and science. In the hands of Devlin, each Millennium Problem becomes a fascinating window onto the deepest questions in the field.

Granta Books

This unique study guide contains a CD-ROM with multimedia coverage in both review and self-test modes, and a print workbook with additional explanation, applied worked examples, and problems.

An Electronic Companion to Calculus¿

Cogito Learning Media Inc.

Muster der Mathematik: Ordnungsgesetze des Geistes und der Natur (German Edition)

Spektrum-Akademischer Vlg

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Books by Keith, Devlin