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The Advent
of the Algorithm: The Idea that Rules the
World
Francis Sullivan of the Institute for
Defense Analysis said, "Great algorithms
are the poetry of computation"; David
Berlinski calls the algorithm "the idea
that rules the world." "The Advent of the
Algorithm" is not so much a history of
algorithms as a historical fantasia.
Berlinski spins freely between
semifictional accounts of historical
figures, personal reminiscence, and
mathematical proofs--without ever really
defining an algorithm in so many words.
This is not the book for those who were
maddened by Berlinski's "A Tour of the
Calculus"; his style remains quirky,
digressive, self-referential, and dense:
"And then, by some inscrutable
incandescent insight, Leibniz came to see
that what is crucial in what he had
written is the alternation between God and
Nothingness. And for this, the numbers 0
and 1 suffice.... Twinkies and Diet Coke
in hand, computer programmers can now be
observed pausing thoughtfully at their
consoles."
Berlinski's argument seems to be that
algorithms--step-by-step procedures for
getting answers--superceded logic, and
will be superceded in turn by more
biological, empirical, fuzzy methods. The
structure of the book reflects this
argument--sketches of people such as
Leibniz, Hilbert, Godel, and Turing are
interwoven with proofs and with characters
of Berlinski's own invention. Berlinski's
voice, closer to Hofstadter than to Knuth,
remains unique.
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Zero: The
Biography of a Dangerous
Idea
What is nothing? In mathematics, it's
zero. But history shows that the idea of
zero hasn't been easily accepted. In
Zero, science journalist Charles
Seife takes a look at the history of this
surprisingly controversial idea.
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The Nothing
That Is: A Natural History of
Zero
Next time somebody calls you a "zero,"
point them to Robert Kaplan's The
Nothing That Is: A Natural History of
Zero. This mathematical history tour
examines the origins and usefulness of the
concept of "nothing."
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The Code Book: The Evolution of
Secrecy from Mary, Queen of Scots to
Quantum Cryptography
The Code Book is Simon Singh's
history of secrecy from the 1500s to the
present day. Crypto fans will find lots of
great stories, trivia, and insight here,
not to mention the worldwide Cipher
Challenge -- can you crack the code and
win the prize?
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