Listen
Archive
2013
January
February
March
April
May
June
2012
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2011
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2010
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2009
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2008
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2007
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Subscribe
Aug. 12, 2011
How Fibonacci Introduced The World To Numbers
|
|
|
Tweet |
| To carry out their calculations, merchants in the early 13th century used an abacus or a system called finger reckoning. Commerce changed when Leonardo of Pisa -- known today as Fibonacci -- published the first arithmetic textbook. Mathematician Keith Devlin talks about the history of arithmetic and his new book The Man of Numbers: Fibonacci's Arithmetic Revolution. |
Produced by Aleszu Bajak
Guests
-
Keith Devlin
Author, "The Man of Numbers: Fibonacci's Arithmetic Revolution" (Walker & Company, 2011)
Coauthor, "The Numbers Behind Numb3rs" (Plume Books, 2007)
Mathematician at Stanford University and Executive Director of Stanford's Human Sciences and Technologies Advanced Research Institute (H-STAR)
Palo Alto, California



Discussion