Algebra marked the beginning of modern mathematics, moving it beyond arithmetic, which involves calculations featuring given numbers, to problems where some quantities are unknown. Now, it stands as a pillar of mathematics, underpinning the quantitative sciences, both social and physical. This Very Short Introduction explains algebra from scratch. Over the course of ten logical chapters, Higgins offers a step by step approach for readers keen on developing their understanding of a...

When do the hands of a clock coincide? How likely is it that two children in the same class will share a birthday? Should you play Roulette or the Lottery? How do we calculate the volume of a doughnut? Why does the android Data in Star Trek lose at poker? What is Fibonacci's Rabbit Problem? Many things in the world have a mathematical side to them, as revealed by the puzzles and questions in this book. It is written for anyone who is curious about mathematics and would like a simple and en...

Numbers are integral to our everyday lives and feature in everything we do. In this Very Short Introduction Peter M. Higgins, the renowned mathematics writer, unravels the world of numbers; demonstrating its richness, and providing a comprehensive view of the idea of the number. Higgins paints a picture of the number world, considering how the modern number system matured over centuries. Explaining the various number types and showing how they behave, he introduces key concepts su...

What can you do with your maths? You can use it to thoroughly understand all manner of things that cannot be dealt with in any other way. This book serves up a variety of problems and shows how mathematics answers them. Topics range from cracking codes to the persistence of recessive genes; from logic puzzles to classical geometry; and from planetary motion questions to predicting the market share of competing companies. And there are other problems where the mathematics itself is intrinsi...

What do road and railway systems, electrical circuits, mingling at parties, mazes, family trees, and the internet all have in common? All are networks - either people or places or things that relate and connect to one another. Only relatively recently have mathematicians begun to explore such networks and connections, and their importance has taken everyone by surprise. The mathematics of networks form the basis of many fascinating puzzles and problems, from tic-tac-toe and circular sudoku...

Numbers are integral to our everyday lives and factor into almost everything we do. In this Very Short Introduction, Peter M. Higgins, a renowned popular-science writer, unravels the world of numbers, demonstrating its richness and providing an overview of all the number types that feature in modern science and mathematics. Indeed, Higgins paints a crystal-clear picture of the number world, showing how the modern number system matured over many centuries, and introducing key conce...

Beginning in 1982, The Adam's Round Table— a group of America's most talented and successful mystery writers— convened every month in New York to discuss their craft. When agent and author Bill Adler suggested they each write a short story located in a different section of Manhattan, their enthusiastic response resulted in Murder in Manhattan. This quartet of short stories featuring a suspenseful cast of characters and plots set in the world's greatest city includes:" Luck...

Full-cast dramatisations of three of Jack Higgins’ best-known novelsJack Higgins (the pen name of Henry Patterson) was the internationally bestselling author of 85 novels. He shot to fame with The Eagle Has Landed, which sold 50 million copies worldwide and became a hit film. Adapted for radio, it is included here, together with its gripping sequel The Eagle Has Flown and the sensational Falklands War thriller Exocet.T...

Professor Matt Hunter is an atheist ex-minister and expert on religion, brought in by the police to advise on cases where there is a supernatural overtone. When they receive a report of strange whispers behind a blood-soaked door, they are baffled to discover a man, who will only speak in whispers under his breath, with the name Baal-barith tattooed on his chest. They have no choice but to call in Matt Hunter. Matt knows that Baal-barith is an ancient Canaanite demon and was known as the s...

Transnational Cinematography Studies introduces new perspectives to the discipline of film and media studies. First, this volume focuses on a crucial yet largely unexplored area in film and media studies: the substantial communication between critical studies of cinema and film production practices. This book integrates theories and practices of cinematographic technology. Secondly, Transnational Cinematography Studies expands the scope of film and media studies into the arena of transnati...

During a communion service, the teenage son of a vicar attacks his father with an axe. The horrified congregation watch the son escape and rumours arise that the boy was involved in devil worship. Professor Matt Hunter is brought in to advise, yet he quickly suspects the church attack may have a far more complex cause. Meanwhile, a ten-year-old boy called Ever grows up in a small Christian cult. The group believe they are the only true humans left and they're working on a ritual that will ...

This volume is fourth in the series of annuals created under the auspices of The Association for Feminist Ethics and Social Theory (FEAST). It includes papers by philosophers offering cutting-edge feminist perspectives on ethical issues of global and transnational significance. Feminist approaches to global issues address a great many questions that grip people who are not philosophers, nor even necessarily feminists. These questions include: What are the obligations of global citizenship?...