Really Big Numbers

194 Pages·2014·2.541 MB·English

by  Richard Evan Schwartz

This book talks about really big
numbers in terms of everyday
things, such as the number of
basketballs needed to cover
New York City. Read this book
and satisfy your thirst for truly
huge numbers. Travel part of
the way to infinity!
“
A superb, beautifully illustrated book for kids — and those of us
still children at heart — that takes you up (and up, and up, and
up, and up, and ...) through the counting numbers, illustrating the
power of the different notations mathematicians have invented to talk
about VERY BIG NUMBERS. Many of us use words to try to describe
the beauty and the power of mathematics. Schwartz does it
”
with captivating, full-color drawings.
Keith Devlin, NPR Math Guy and author of The Math Instinct
and The Math Gene.
For notes on the book, including
answers to the questions, visit
www.ams.org/bookpages/mbk-84
Really Big Numbers
Richard Evan Schwartz
2010 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 00-XX.
For notes on the book, including answers to the questions,
visit www.ams.org/bookpages/mbk-84
Schwartz, Richard Evan
Really Big Numbers
ISBN 978-1-4704-1425-2
Copying and reprinting. Individual readers of this publication, and nonprofit libraries
acting for them, are permitted to make fair use of the material, such as to copy a
chapter for use in teaching or research. Permission is granted to quote brief passages
from this publication in reviews, provided the customary acknowledgment of the source
is given.
Republication, systematic copying, or multiple reproduction of any material in this
publication is permitted only under license from the American Mathematical Society.
Requests for such permission should be addressed to the Acquisitions Department,
American Mathematical Society, 201 Charles Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02904-
2294 USA. Requests can also be made by email to [email protected].
© 2014 by the author. All rights reserved.
Printed in India.
∞ The paper used in this book is acid-free and falls within the guidelines established to
ensure permanence and durability.
Visit the AMS home page at http://www.ams.org/
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 19 18 17 16 15 14
To my daughters
Lilith and Lucina
When I was a kid,
2
I liked to think 1?
about shapes ? ? 3
?
?
and numbers.
7
5
0
=
{ E 7 , , 1 E 7 , 2 {
1
- 1
Z
p1
k 2
=
100
Z
1 4
n
Z
8
Z
16
I never stopped thinking
about them, so I became
a mathematician.
Now after I tell some kid
that I am a mathematician...
sometimes the kid asks me to
name a REALLY big number.
So, I decided to write a book
about REALLY big numbers.
6
5
4
3
2
1
We'll start small
and climb up 0
to the big ones.