Numbers have frequently been called a universal language for their ability to transmit information across cultures. The scoreboard at an Olympic basketball game, for example, needs no translation no matter the
number of languages spoken by the fans. When asked “What time is it?” in a foreign city, all a tourist must do is hold up her watch to provide the answer. For everything from sports to shopping to computer cryptography, numbers are fundamental to everyday life today. This book offers an overview of the development of numbers, their expression in mathematics and measurement, and profi les of visionaries who saw order amidst the numbers.