Numbers in Minutes

The quickest explanation of math, in 200 essential numbers.

Why 60 seconds in a minute? Who invented zero? What exactly is pi? Why do mathematicians hunt prime numbers? And how can you get a number bigger than infinity?

To find out, take a tour through 200 important, fascinating and unusual numbers - the easy and entertaining way to grasp mathematics.

Numbers in Minutes demystifies the math surrounding the key numbers including: zero, 1-40, negatives, percentages, prime numbers, fractions, decimals, pi, exponentials, imaginary numbers, squares and cubes, roots and powers, Fibonacci numbers, the golden ratio, millions and trillions, a googol, 'perfect,' 'kissing,' 'vampire' and 'weird' numbers, infinity, infinity+1 and other sizes of infinity...

Every number is explained in a few short paragraphs with a helpful picture, making the maths simple to understand and remember.

Julia Collins has a PhD in 4-dimensional Knot Theory from the University of Edinburgh where she was also the Mathematics Engagement Officer, before becoming Outreach Officer at the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute. She has won the How to Talk Maths in Public competition and co-organized the world's first Maths Craft Festival. Julia has been published in Nature and The Best Writing on Mathematics, and is the author of Get Smart: Maths.