Waubonsee Community College

Benjamin Franklin's numbers, an unsung mathematical odyssey, Paul C. Pasles

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

illustrationsplates

index present

non fiction

Benjamin Franklin's numbers

bibliography

77486019

Paul C. Pasles

an unsung mathematical odyssey

Few American lives have been as celebrated--or as closely scrutinized--as that of Benjamin Franklin. Yet until now Franklin's biographers have downplayed his interest in mathematics, at best portraying it as the idle musings of a brilliant and ever-restless mind. In Benjamin Franklin's Numbers, Paul Pasles reveals a side of the iconic statesman, scientist, and writer that few Americans know--his mathematical side. In fact, Franklin indulged in many areas of mathematics, including number theory, geometry, statistics, and economics. In this generously illustrated book, Pasles gives us the first mathematical biography of Benjamin Franklin. He draws upon previously unknown sources to illustrate Franklin's genius for numbers as never before. Magic squares and circles were a lifelong fascination of Franklin's. Here, for the first time, Pasles gathers every one of these marvelous creations together in one place. He explains the mathematics behind them and Franklin's hugely popular Poor Richard's Almanac, which featured such things as population estimates and a host of mathematical digressions. Pasles even includes optional math problems that challenge readers to match wits with the bespectacled Founding Father himself --Jacket

The book Franklin never wrote -- A brief history of magic -- Almanacs and assembly -- Interlude: philomath math -- Publisher, theorist, inventor, innovator -- A visit to the country -- The mutation spreads (adventures among the English) -- Circling the square -- Newly unearthed discoveries -- Legacy