Quite Right: The Story of Mathematics, Measurement and Money

Abstract

Mathematics didn't spring spontaneously to life, rules and definitions set in stone for all time. Its progress story has rich connections with measurement and money that have often shaped its development and driven its progress, a process that continues to this day. Quite Right explains how simple mathematical ideas have evolved all the way from prehistoric times so that they pervade almost every aspect of life in the 21st century. Most histories of mathematics look at the narrow role of professional mathematicians through the ages. Professor Biggs' sweeping tale is far wider. Making use of new discoveries of artefacts and documents, he reveals the part that mathematics has played in the human story and reflects on the nature of mathematics itself. The story reveals the power and beauty of mathematical concepts, which often belie their utilitarian origins. The twin paradigms of logical justification and algorithmic calculation recur throughout the book. Another theme is the relationship between mathematics and measurement of all kinds. No other book covers money and measurement in this way.