Étienne Ghys is CNRS emeritus research Director in Mathematics at ENS de Lyon and Permanent Secretary of the Académie des Sciences. He is the author of Ma petite histoire des nombres, published by Odile Jacob.
Ma petite histoire des nombres
"My little story of numebrs"
Étienne Ghys
Éditions Odile Jacob
In this original book for all audiences, mathematicians and non-mathematicians alike, Étienne Ghys sets out to show that mathematics, calculations and numbers are not always synonymous with problems and difficulties. On the contrary, while distilling information on mathematical language, numbers and their uses, he suggests that readers look at numbers differently, for all they are: their meaning, their shape, the memories or emotions we sometimes associate with them, measurements and the many words that can be attached to them, such as a date, a size, an address, a telephone, a code, a place on public transport... The aim is to play down maths and reconcile even the most recalcitrant to this multi-faceted discipline.
Here's a short extract from Ma petite histoire des nombres: "This little book is certainly not a lesson in arithmetic. Its aim is simply to show that you can have a friendly relationship with numbers, even if you're not a mathematician. We'll be evoking their history and magic, singing about them, and stacking them to draw triangles, squares and cubes. [...] Numbers are not the enemy. On the contrary, when we try to get to know them, we often meet good friends who have surprises in store for us. They're all around us, they've changed our civilization in profound ways, and Pythagoras even dared to say that they're “the best of the best”".
Étienne Ghys is also author of La Petite Histoire des flocons de neige (Odile Jacob edition, 2021) and La Petite Histoire du ballon de foot (Odile Jacob edition, 2023)