Overview

This fascinating narrative history of math in America introduces readers to the diverse and vibrant people behind pivotal moments in the nation's mathematical maturation. Once upon a time in America, few knew or cared about math. In Republic of Numbers, David Lindsay Roberts tells the story of how all that changed, as America transformed into a powerhouse of mathematical thinkers. Covering more than 200 years of American history, Roberts recounts the life stories of twenty-three Americans integral to the evolution of mathematics in this country. Beginning with self-taught Salem mathematician Nathaniel Bowditch's unexpected breakthroughs in ocean navigation and closing with the astounding work Nobel laureate John Nash did on game theory, this book is meant to be read cover to cover. Revealing the marvelous ways in which America became mathematically sophisticated, the book introduces readers to Kelly Miller, the first black man to attend Johns Hopkins, who brilliantly melded mathematics and civil rights activism; Izaak Wirszup, a Polish immigrant who survived the Holocaust and proceeded to change the face of American mathematical education; Grace Hopper, the ""Machine Whisperer,"" who pioneered computer programming; and many other relatively unknown but vital figures. As he brings American history and culture to life, Roberts also explains key mathematical concepts, from the method of least squares, propositional logic, quaternions, and the mean-value theorem to differential equations, non-Euclidean geometry, group theory, statistical mechanics, and Fourier analysis. Republic of Numbers will appeal to anyone who is interested in learning how mathematics has intertwined with American history.

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9781421433080

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Reviews

Roberts is to be congratulated for reminding us that the history of mathematics includes those who teach and practice useful mathematics as well as those who create abstract mathematics. --Scott Guthery MAA Reviews This charming collection of 20 unexpected stories of mathematical Americans through history focuses not only on the greatest US mathematical minds... Abraham Lincoln, self-trained as a surveyor, later studied Euclid -- as demonstrated in his Gettysburg Address, dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal . --Andrew Robinson Nature In Republic of Numbers, author and alum David Lindsay Roberts weaves eclectic and entertaining stories about math and mathematicians across two centuries of U.S. history... Pleasure in math links lives across more than two centuries in Roberts' elegant and eye-opening work of intellectual history. Mathematicians and math teachers will find in it an eclectic family history of their fields, with special attention to lesser-known characters, especially ones whose achievements beat the odds set against their race, sex, or background. But readers not excited by higher math will also enjoy these 20 deeply researched and gracefully narrated biographical essays. --Rosemary Hutzler Raun Johns Hopkins University HUB

This charming collection of 20 unexpected stories of mathematical Americans through history focuses not only on the greatest US mathematical minds... Abraham Lincoln, self-trained as a surveyor, later studied Euclid - as demonstrated in his Gettysburg Address, dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal . -- Andrew Robinson * Nature * In Republic of Numbers, author and alum David Lindsay Roberts weaves eclectic and entertaining stories about math and mathematicians across two centuries of U.S. history... Pleasure in math links lives across more than two centuries in Roberts' elegant and eye-opening work of intellectual history. Mathematicians and math teachers will find in it an eclectic family history of their fields, with special attention to lesser-known characters, especially ones whose achievements beat the odds set against their race, sex, or background. But readers not excited by higher math will also enjoy these 20 deeply researched and gracefully narrated biographical essays. -- Rosemary Hutzler Raun * Johns Hopkins University HUB * Roberts is to be congratulated for reminding us that the history of mathematics includes those who teach and practice useful mathematics as well as those who create abstract mathematics. -- Scott Guthery * MAA Reviews *

Roberts is to be congratulated for reminding us that the history of mathematics includes those who teach and practice useful mathematics as well as those who create abstract mathematics. --Scott Guthery MAA Reviews In Republic of Numbers, author and alum David Lindsay Roberts weaves eclectic and entertaining stories about math and mathematicians across two centuries of U.S. history... Pleasure in math links lives across more than two centuries in Roberts' elegant and eye-opening work of intellectual history. Mathematicians and math teachers will find in it an eclectic family history of their fields, with special attention to lesser-known characters, especially ones whose achievements beat the odds set against their race, sex, or background. But readers not excited by higher math will also enjoy these 20 deeply researched and gracefully narrated biographical essays. --Rosemary Hutzler Raun Johns Hopkins University HUB This charming collection of 20 unexpected stories of mathematical Americans through history focuses not only on the greatest US mathematical minds... Abraham Lincoln, self-trained as a surveyor, later studied Euclid -- as demonstrated in his Gettysburg Address, dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal . --Andrew Robinson Nature

Author Information

David Lindsay Roberts is an adjunct professor of mathematics at Prince George's Community College. He is the author of American Mathematicians as Educators, 1893–1923: Historical Roots of the ""Math Wars.""

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