Best known for his integer sequence (in which each term is the sum of the two previous terms -- 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, and so on), Fibonacci's most important contribution to mathematics was, in fact, the replacement of Roman numerals with the Hindu-Arabic notation we use today. Keith Devlin here unpacks the history behind this breakthrough, which revolutionized European trade as the Renaissance dawned, in a fascinating book reminescent of Dava Sobel's Longitude.
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