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Charles Seife Books

1 book·~10 min total read

Charles Seife is an American author, journalist, and professor at New York University. He specializes in mathematics, science, and technology writing, and has contributed to publications such as Science and New Scientist.

Known for: Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

Books by Charles Seife

Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

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Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea explores the history and philosophical implications of the number zero, tracing its origins from ancient civilizations to modern mathematics and physics. Charles Seife examines how zero challenged religious and scientific thought, revolutionized mathematics, and became central to understanding the universe, from calculus to black holes.

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Ancient Beginnings

The earliest humans had no pressing need for nothingness. The Babylonians, brilliant astronomers and architects of one of the first positional number systems, recognized the need for a placeholder — a mark to distinguish 100 from 101 — but stopped short of granting that placeholder actual numerical ...

From Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

2

The Indian Invention

The story shifts dramatically when we look eastward. In India, a different intellectual temperament took root — one in which emptiness was not feared but embraced. Philosophical traditions like Buddhism and Hinduism already spoke of Śūnyatā, the void that is full, the nothing that gives rise to all ...

From Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

About Charles Seife

Charles Seife is an American author, journalist, and professor at New York University. He specializes in mathematics, science, and technology writing, and has contributed to publications such as Science and New Scientist. His works often explore the intersection of mathematics, information, and soci...

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Charles Seife is an American author, journalist, and professor at New York University. He specializes in mathematics, science, and technology writing, and has contributed to publications such as Science and New Scientist. His works often explore the intersection of mathematics, information, and society.

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Charles Seife is an American author, journalist, and professor at New York University. He specializes in mathematics, science, and technology writing, and has contributed to publications such as Science and New Scientist.

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