Unknown Quantity
A Real and Imaginary History of Algebra
by John Derbyshire · first published 2006
67% recommend33% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Popular history of algebra tracing the subject's development and placing ideas in their human and historical context; an accessible companion to Derbyshire's other math history for readers curious how the field grew.
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Excellent read. I also liked his history of algebra: Unknown Quantity (https://www.amazon.com/Quantity-Real-Imaginary-History-Algeb...).
on “The Riemann Hypothesis (Part 2)” ↗I got a lot out of "Unknown Quantity" by John Derbyshire. Subtitle a real and imaginary history of algebra. I particularly enjoyed the lead up to the Chapter "Assault on the Quintic". Also, I hold "The Dictionary of Curious and Interesting…
on “Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?” ↗…are in my home library and I try to flip through some of them once a year. For maths, books like Prime Obsession by John Derbyshire, e The story of a Number by Eli Moar, Number by Tobias Dantzig, The Unknown Quantity by John Derbyshire provide good orientation for number theory, analysis & calculus and algebra. The second book might be tough to finish as its really really deep for a thin book. You might also look…
on “Ask HN: How do I learn math/physics in my thirties?” ↗"Prime Obsession" and "Unknown Quantity", both by John Derbyshire, contain significant sections on her (more so in "Unknown Quantity", as it is a popular history of algebra). Both are excellent books, though I'd have to give "Prime Obsession"…
on “The Mighty Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of” ↗…Hypothesis: A Resource for the Afficionado and Virtuoso Alike (Peter Borwein et.al, 2007) 3. Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics (John Derbyshire, 2004) 4. Unknown Quantity: A Real and Imaginary History of Algebra (John Derbyshire, 2007) 5. Journey through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics (William Dunham, 1991) 6. Riemann’s Zeta Function (H. M. Edwards, 1971)…
on “The Riemann Hypothesis, explained” ↗I can second this recommendation. These books are excellent popular primers on the history of mathematics; "Prime Obsession" is the story of the Riemann hypothesis, "Unknown Quantity" is the story of modern algebra. Also, if anyone has concerns because they don't agree with Derbyshire on his political views, rest assured that both books are entirely apolitical.
on “The Mighty Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of” ↗I can recommend the following: John Derbyshire's Unknown Quantity - A real and imaginary history of algebra David Well's The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers William Dunham's The Mathematical Universe - An Alphabetical Journey Through the Great…
on “Ask HN: Books that made you fascinated to learn more mathematics?” ↗…al-Khwarizmi. Name of work: al-Kitab al-mukhtasar fi hisab al-jabr wa'l-muqabala ("A Handbook of Calculation by Completion and Reduction"). John Derbyshire examines al-Khwarizmi's work in chapter 3 of Unknown Quantity: A Real and Imaginary History of Algebra [ISBN 978-0-452-28853-9], which I just finished reading a few days ago. The first part of al-Khwarizmi's book concerns finding the roots of first- and second-order…
on “Send Me Your Nominations for Algorithms That Changed The World” ↗…of simplification does violence to the historical reality. Having read a lot of economic history, to read this essay's simplifications, I feel a bit like John Derbyshire, when he asked, at the end of "Unknown Quantity: A Real and Imaginary History of Algebra," was it possible to get useful work done with Category Theory? Is there any level of abstraction that goes too far? Likewise, here I would ask, if you have to…
on “The Rise of the Decentralized Startup” ↗I just bought the John Derbyshire book "Unknown Quantity."
on “Ask HN: Can you explain Calabi-Yau spaces to me?” ↗