Uncover the language of our universe - numbers - in this wide-ranging whistle-stop tour of the history and majesty of mathematics.

Our world simply wouldn''t function if we didn''t have numbers. But where do they come from? Why do we cut cake the wrong way? How can there be different sizes of infinity?

All these questions and more are answered in this engaging romp through the history of numbers by acclaimed science writer, Colin Stuart. From the mathematicians who have (and haven''t) shouted ''Eureka!'' to the theories that affect and inform our everyday lives; Numbers shows us that maths was never boring - we were just being taught it in the wrong way.

Consisting of ten bite-sized essays, there''s no better guide to this fundamental science.