One of my all time most treasured books was written by a British gentleman named Lancelot Hogben F.R.S. The title of the book is Mathematics For The Million, first printed by W.W. Norton 1937.
I have about 15 books about math. Mr. Hogbens' book is one of the better, more interesting, and lucid ones despite its' early publishing date. It is loaded with historic accounts that relate to the math that is being explained. Incidentally the author was clearly an atheist although he never says that he is... That is not the point however.
Please tell me what the Letters F.R.S. signify.......... I know that certain British educators are given the title; readers. Is that what the R in his tile means? The author offers his "excuse" for writing the book in the introduction. He was in Hospital for a long illness. He did the book for what he says was for fun while incapacitated. I do not know what one does for fun while in hospital but perhaps Lancelot did. I reckon that his use of the term fun was part of the proud Brit stiff upper lip commitment.
I found:
Fellow of the Royal Society (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fellow_of_the_Royal_Society) :bigspecs:
Not to be confused with F.R.S.A.: Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society_of_Arts)
Icarus, got anything by Sylvanus P. Thomson? His 1910 "Calculus Made Easy" is still in print and actually contains jokes!
QuoteCalculus Made Easy: Being a Very-Simplest Introduction to Those Beautiful Methods of Reckoning which Are Generally Called by the Terrifying Names of the Differential Calculus and the Integral Calculus
NB DO NOT BUY THE KINDLE VERSION. THEY ARE CRAP, UNREADABLE DIGITISATIONS.
Thank you both.
Yes I have one of Sylvanus P. Thomsons books. It is one of my treasures.