Mathematics for the General Reader

by E.C. Titchmarsh

"A first-class mathematician's lucid, unhurried account of the science of numbers from arithmetic through the calculus." — James R. Newman, The World of Mathematics.
This highly accessible introduction to mathematics is geared toward readers seeking a firm grasp of the essentials of mathematical theory and practice. The treatment also offers a concise outline of mathematical history and a clearer notion of why mathematicians do what they do.
Author E. C. Titchmarsh, who served for many years as Savilian Professor of Geometry at Oxford University, begins with counting and the fundamentals of arithmetic. He guides readers through the complexities of algebra, fractions, geometry, irrational numbers, logarithms, infinite series, complex numbers, quadratic equations, trigonometry, functions, and integral and differential calculus. Titchmarsh's graceful, fluid style helps make complicated topics easier to grasp, and his inclusion of numerous examples will prove especially helpful to readers with little or no background in mathematics.

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1981

Reviews

[Carlos · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not sure what I was expecting from this book but I was certainly expecting something more readable. What I found was a strange combination of a cursory math textbook and a tract on mathematical philosophy. Titchmarsh seems to swing between complicating the simple aspects of math, i.e., getting into a philosophical discussion of what a number is, and merely listing other areas of mathematics. This is not to say that there weren’t moments of brilliance, like his discussion regarding fractions and complex numbers. Unfortunately these moments are drown out by dull and mechanical accounts of mathematical concepts, like arithmetic and geometric series, without any attempt to enlighten the reader as to their significance. Overall it felt as if the author thought the general reader was someone who finds math fascinating for its own sake.

[Mills College Library]

510 T617 1981