Zero
Charles Seife
Reading Time
at 250 WPM4h 32m
The average reader, reading at a speed of 250 WPM, would take 4h 32m to read Zero.
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10
days at 30 min/day
272
total minutes
Zero
Published
February 1, 2002
Publisher
Goldmann
Pages
272
ISBN-13
9783442150540
ISBN-10
344215054X
Description
The Babylonians invented it, the Greeks banned it, the Hindus worshiped it, and the Church used it to fend off heretics. Now it threatens the foundations of modern physics. For centuries the power of zero savored of the demonic; once harnessed, it became the most important tool in mathematics. For zero, infinity’s twin, is not like other numbers. It is both nothing and everything. In Zero, Science Journalist Charles Seife follows this innocent-looking number from its birth as an Eastern philosophical concept to its struggle for acceptance in Europe, its rise and transcendence in the West, and its ever-present threat to modern physics. Here are the legendary thinkers—from Pythagoras to Newton to Heisenberg, from the Kabalists to today’s astrophysicists—who have tried to understand it and whose clashes shook the foundations of philosophy, science, mathematics, and religion. Zero has pitted East against West and faith against reason, and its intransigence persists in the dark core of a black hole and the brilliant flash of the Big Bang. Today, zero lies at the heart of one of the biggest scientific controversies of all time: the quest for a theory of everything.
Subjects
Heinemann Mathematics
Elements
Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica
Tractatus logico-philosophicus
De la terre à la lune
Principles of Anatomy and Physiology
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pages are in Zero?
This edition of Zero has approximately 272 pages. Please note, this is an estimate and the exact page count can vary between hardcover, paperback, and e-book versions.
How long does it take to read Zero?
For most readers, Zero typically takes between 5h 40m and 3h 47m to complete. This is based on the book's length of approximately 68,000 words and common reading speeds.
Here's a detailed breakdown: • Continuous reading at 250 WPM: approximately 4h 32m of focused reading • Casual reading (30 minutes/day): you could finish in roughly 10 days • Estimated word count: 68,000 words
Your individual reading time will vary based on your personal reading pace, the amount of daily reading time, and your familiarity with the subject matter.
What is the word count of Zero?
The estimated word count for Zero is approximately 68,000 words. This figure is calculated using industry-standard methods that consider genre-specific word density patterns, typical formatting and layout characteristics, and standard words-per-page ratios for published books.
This is an approximation — actual word count may vary based on font size, formatting, edition, and the presence of illustrations or charts.
Who is the author of Zero?
Zero was written by Charles Seife.
When was Zero published?
The publication date for this specific edition is February 1, 2002. The original work may have been published on a different date.