Monday, September 27, 2010

In Our Time - the number series

This IOT season starts with bang. In the first 3 minutes of Imaginary Numbers our guest professor runs through thousands of years of the develop of number, from positive integer to zero (ok, I think he skipped zero) to fraction to irrational to negative to imaginary to infinity.

As he spoke I realized IOT has done a programme on all of these save fractions. Taken together, it is a wonderful introduction to mathematics and some of the better sides of human history.

Nice way to start the year.

PS. Love the archives Melvyn, but you do realize they could be vastly improved, right? Also, how about selling episodes on iTunes for $1 apiece? I understand the BBC needs new revenue. Time to rethink the fruit aversion.

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