Mathematics for the million
by Lancelot Thomas Hogben · first published 1936
86% recommend14% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Teaches math from scratch up to calculus by following its history from ancient Egypt onward, tying ideas to their context and practical use; suits self-learners, history fans, and anyone rekindling an interest in math.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Taking only the most elementary knowledge for granted, Lancelot Hogben leads readers of this famous book through the whole course from simple arithmetic to calculus. His illuminating explanation is addressed to the person who wants to understand the place of mathematics in modern civilization but who has been intimidated by its supposed difficulty. Mathematics is the language of size, shape, and order—a language Hogben shows one can both master and enjoy.
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…which really hasn't changed much since I was in high school and hadn't taken calculus: W.W. Sawyer, What is Calculus About? and Mathematician's Delight Courant and Robbins, What is Mathematics? Hogben, Mathematics for the Million Steinhaus, Mathematical Snapshots Ivars Peterson, The Mathematical Tourist Davis and Hersh, The Mathematical Experience Polya, How to Solve It Huff, How to Lie With Statistics McGervey, Probabilities…
on “Ask HN: Good books on mathematics for somebody who's only taken high school math?” ↗…teach the fundamentals of math through a narrative as humans discovered the various parts: "Mathematics for the Nonmathematician" https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Nonmathematician-Morris-K... or "Mathematics for the Million" https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Million-Master-Magic-Numb... Of the two I prefered Kline's book but they are both good, albeit a bit heavy on geometery as that was a big focus of early math research.…
on “Georgia Tech's free math textbook collective” ↗I've always liked "Mathematics for the Million" by Lancolet Hogben.
on “Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?” ↗You could try Mathematics for the Million http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Million-Master-Magic-Numbe... .
on “I suck at math, please divulge resources” ↗I found Lancelot Hogben's "Mathematics for the Million", originally published in 1937, to combine history and biography, concepts and calculations, explanations and illustrations, in a very engaging manner.
on “How I faced my fears and learned to be good at math” ↗The one that immediately springs to mind is "Mathematics For The Million" by Lancelot Hogben. I really enjoyed it because it places mathematical developments in their historical context.
on “Ask HN: Books Like 'Calculus Made Easy'?” ↗Another book similar to Morris Kline's _Mathematics for the Nonmathematician_, which the OP mentioned, is Lancelot Hogben's _Mathematics for the Million_. Originally published in 1937, it has been in print ever since, through several revisions. This also takes a historical approach, beginning with numbers and counting, measure and Greek geometry; and…
on “Mathematics for the Adventurous Self-Learner” ↗Mathematics for the Million by Lancelot Hogben Available on Amazon/Kindle. PDF online.
on “Ask HN: How do I learn mathematics starting from almost no knowledge?” ↗To go from scratch to calculus, there is Mathematics for the Million by Lancelot Hogben. I did not see it on gutenberg. But it is on archive.org. https://archive.org/details/HogbenMathematicsForTheMillion/p...
on “Free public domain ebooks in PDf, ePub, mobi formats” ↗I know it's kinda cliche, but as a youngster (10 years old) I read "Mathematics for the Million" by Lancelot Hogben and life was never the same. At 14 I read "How to lie with Statistics" by Darrell Huff, and I learned that maths was not the certainty I had thought. Everything after that was just…
on “Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?” ↗There is Mathematics for the Million by Lancelot Hogben, which not only covers math, but the history of math and why it was developed over the centuries. It starts with numbers, then geometry, arithmetic, trig, algebra, logarithms and calculus,…
on “The Lost Art of Logarithms” ↗Mathematics for the Million by Lancelot Hogben
on “Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?” ↗…art, music, philosophy as mnemonic digressions to explore one very advanced mathematical proof (Godel's incompleteness theorem) and a lot of foundational computer science concepts. Lancelot Hogben's Mathematics for the Million, an old-fashioned (1936) work aimed at the under- or reluctantly-educated person who wants to catch up. Much more about developing the skills to do math with pencil and paper (and perhaps a slide rule)…
on “Ask HN: How to learn mathematical proofs from scratch?” ↗_Mathematics for the Million_ by Lancelot Hogben.
on “Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?” ↗…old and has some funny advice/a picture on wearing a fedora to protect yourself from the heat flash... some book from 1924 on mathematics which takes a historical analysis approach to teaching called mathematics for the million which is pretty cool. It has a lot of 'field trip' kind of exercises which makes me feel like learning math was probably a hell of a lot more of a fun thing to people back in the day. a more modern book…
on “Ask HN: Digital Nomads: What's Your Setup?” ↗