---
product_id: 1699095
title: "Mathematics for the Nonmathematician"
price: "COP 149092"
currency: COP
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.co/products/1699095-mathematics-for-the-nonmathematician
store_origin: CO
region: Colombia
---

# Mathematics for the Nonmathematician

**Price:** COP 149092
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- **What is this?** Mathematics for the Nonmathematician
- **How much does it cost?** COP 149092 with free shipping
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- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co](https://www.desertcart.co/products/1699095-mathematics-for-the-nonmathematician)

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## Description

Practical, scientific, philosophical, and artistic problems have caused men to investigate mathematics. But there is one other motive which is as strong as any of these — the search for beauty. Mathematics is an art, and as such affords the pleasures which all the arts afford." In this erudite, entertaining college-level text, Morris Kline, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at New York University, provides the liberal arts student with a detailed treatment of mathematics in a cultural and historical context. The book can also act as a self-study vehicle for advanced high school students and laymen. Professor Kline begins with an overview, tracing the development of mathematics to the ancient Greeks, and following its evolution through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the present day. Subsequent chapters focus on specific subject areas, such as "Logic and Mathematics," "Number: The Fundamental Concept," "Parametric Equations and Curvilinear Motion," "The Differential Calculus," and "The Theory of Probability." Each of these sections offers a step-by-step explanation of concepts and then tests the student's understanding with exercises and problems. At the same time, these concepts are linked to pure and applied science, engineering, philosophy, the social sciences or even the arts. In one section, Professor Kline discusses non-Euclidean geometry, ranking it with evolution as one of the "two concepts which have most profoundly revolutionized our intellectual development since the nineteenth century." His lucid treatment of this difficult subject starts in the 1800s with the pioneering work of Gauss, Lobachevsky, Bolyai and Riemann, and moves forward to the theory of relativity, explaining the mathematical, scientific and philosophical aspects of this pivotal breakthrough. Mathematics for the Nonmathematician exemplifies Morris Kline's rare ability to simplify complex subjects for the nonspecialist.

Review: As a certified nonmathematician, I pronounce this book excellent! - For a long time, I've been searching for a book exactly like this one. Somewhat embarrassed by my ignorance of math, I wanted to relearn what I had forgotten in college, and perhaps go further. But I didn't want to simply learn math; I wanted to learn its history, how it shaped and was shaped by the cultures in which it grew. This is a tall order, requiring both historical and mathematical understanding; but Kline is equal (or, perhaps, almost equal) to the task. Before I get into the positive qualities of this book, I should note its flaws. As another reviewer pointed out, Kline's beginning chapter on history is inept, even offensive. He heaps praise upon praise when describing the accomplishments of the Greeks, and dismisses the contributions of the Arabs, Babylonians, Egyptians, and Indians with a wave of the hand. He even relays the story of the Arabs destroying the library, which historians have seen fit to doubt as far back as Edward Gibbon. For Kline, mathematics made a brilliant beginning with the Greeks, and then stayed more or less the same until the Enlightenment. The extent to which that is true, I know not; but it at least seems unlikely to me. Thankfully, the book gets markedly better after that. (One shouldn't judge a book by the cover, or even the first chapter, apparently.) For, whatever Kline lacks as a historian, he makes up as a pedagogue. Kline doesn't simply move from arithmetic to geometry to algebra to trigonometry, but instead situates every subject within a specific historical period and practical problem. For example, he teaches trigonometry by using the kind of problems that the Alexandrian Greeks, such as Ptolemy and Eratosthenes, were tackling: the distance from the earth to the moon, the radius of the earth, the establishment of longitude and latitude. Every chapter comes with biographical sketches of the major thinkers involves, as well as some practical problem that the mathematical theory would solve. Following this procedure, Kline manages to take the most abstract of all abstract subjects, and to make it exquisitely human. In school, we are taught trigonometry by showing us how to plug numbers into a calculator. Kline shows us that trigonometry allows us to chart the earth, and measure the heavens. We encounter Newton measuring the refraction of light, and Galileo plotting the course of cannonballs. We learn how sinusoidal motion allows us to measure time, and how the Renaissance painters invented projective geometry in their attempt to create realistic perspective. In sum, Kline shows mathematics for what it is: a tremendously exciting intellectual endeavor--one that has expanded our knowledge of the universe immeasurably. Math is not born of the dreams of philosophers (at least, not exclusively), but has been, and continues to be, integral to the solution of everyday problems. It's curious that something only accessible to the mind allows us to make sense of our senses. In short, Kline has given me the greatest gift a teacher can give--not knowledge, but wonder.
Review: The math book I wish I had as a young person. Recommended. - Wow. I am definitely a non-mathematician. This is the book I sincerely wish had vbeen made available to me as a young person. It explains the WHY of mathematics better than most of my teachers and explains what the point of the equations were that were like Greek, Chinese and pictographs to me as a young student. A bargain for this price point and interesting to read. Don't let the age of the book fool you, it is a classic volume and well worth buying for yourself or for a intellectually curious HS age student struggling with these concepts. Recommended. And actually somewhat fin to read through and engage with the exercises in the back. At least this time I don't have grades depending on this stuff!

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #248,834 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #37 in Popular & Elementary Pre-Calculus (Books) #86 in Mathematics History #701 in Homeschooling (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 393 Reviews |

## Images

![Mathematics for the Nonmathematician - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71GddS2iZ7L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ As a certified nonmathematician, I pronounce this book excellent!
*by R***Z on November 16, 2014*

For a long time, I've been searching for a book exactly like this one. Somewhat embarrassed by my ignorance of math, I wanted to relearn what I had forgotten in college, and perhaps go further. But I didn't want to simply learn math; I wanted to learn its history, how it shaped and was shaped by the cultures in which it grew. This is a tall order, requiring both historical and mathematical understanding; but Kline is equal (or, perhaps, almost equal) to the task. Before I get into the positive qualities of this book, I should note its flaws. As another reviewer pointed out, Kline's beginning chapter on history is inept, even offensive. He heaps praise upon praise when describing the accomplishments of the Greeks, and dismisses the contributions of the Arabs, Babylonians, Egyptians, and Indians with a wave of the hand. He even relays the story of the Arabs destroying the library, which historians have seen fit to doubt as far back as Edward Gibbon. For Kline, mathematics made a brilliant beginning with the Greeks, and then stayed more or less the same until the Enlightenment. The extent to which that is true, I know not; but it at least seems unlikely to me. Thankfully, the book gets markedly better after that. (One shouldn't judge a book by the cover, or even the first chapter, apparently.) For, whatever Kline lacks as a historian, he makes up as a pedagogue. Kline doesn't simply move from arithmetic to geometry to algebra to trigonometry, but instead situates every subject within a specific historical period and practical problem. For example, he teaches trigonometry by using the kind of problems that the Alexandrian Greeks, such as Ptolemy and Eratosthenes, were tackling: the distance from the earth to the moon, the radius of the earth, the establishment of longitude and latitude. Every chapter comes with biographical sketches of the major thinkers involves, as well as some practical problem that the mathematical theory would solve. Following this procedure, Kline manages to take the most abstract of all abstract subjects, and to make it exquisitely human. In school, we are taught trigonometry by showing us how to plug numbers into a calculator. Kline shows us that trigonometry allows us to chart the earth, and measure the heavens. We encounter Newton measuring the refraction of light, and Galileo plotting the course of cannonballs. We learn how sinusoidal motion allows us to measure time, and how the Renaissance painters invented projective geometry in their attempt to create realistic perspective. In sum, Kline shows mathematics for what it is: a tremendously exciting intellectual endeavor--one that has expanded our knowledge of the universe immeasurably. Math is not born of the dreams of philosophers (at least, not exclusively), but has been, and continues to be, integral to the solution of everyday problems. It's curious that something only accessible to the mind allows us to make sense of our senses. In short, Kline has given me the greatest gift a teacher can give--not knowledge, but wonder.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The math book I wish I had as a young person. Recommended.
*by N***T on February 6, 2018*

Wow. I am definitely a non-mathematician. This is the book I sincerely wish had vbeen made available to me as a young person. It explains the WHY of mathematics better than most of my teachers and explains what the point of the equations were that were like Greek, Chinese and pictographs to me as a young student. A bargain for this price point and interesting to read. Don't let the age of the book fool you, it is a classic volume and well worth buying for yourself or for a intellectually curious HS age student struggling with these concepts. Recommended. And actually somewhat fin to read through and engage with the exercises in the back. At least this time I don't have grades depending on this stuff!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A history of ideas mathematical non-specialists will appreciate.
*by V***R on January 16, 2025*

Am gifting this book to a young person not drawn to mathematics but who is finding a grounding in mathematics essential. This book provides that access and will be well-received.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Mathematics for the Nonmathematician (Dover Books on Mathematics)
- Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach (Second Edition) (Dover Books on Mathematics)
- Mathematics and the Physical World (Dover Books on Mathematics)

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*Product available on Desertcart Colombia*
*Store origin: CO*
*Last updated: 2026-06-03*