The Number Sense: How the Mind Creates Mathematics (Hardcover)

by Stanislas Dehaene (Author) "Books on natural history have recounted the following anecdote since the eighteenth century: A nobleman wanted to shoot down a crow that had built its..." (more)
Key Phrases: final water level, internal accumulator, mental number line, United States, Karen Wynn, Laurent Cohen (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
This may surprise those who have trouble carrying the remainder in division or figuring out a 15 percent tip on a $20 lunch bill, but according to mathematician and psychologist Stanislas Dehaene, mathematics is an inborn skill. In The Number Sense, Dehaene makes a compelling case for the human mind's innate grasp of mathematics. Take, for example, the fact that place value systems (such as the Arabic numeral system we use) arose independently in four separate civilizations--evidence of a universal sense of number. Dehaene's book is filled with examples to support his thesis, from young babies' ability to "count" (i.e., to react when single objects are replaced by two or more) to examples of how brain damage affects various individuals' number sense. Even more fascinating is his discussion of the relationship between language and numbers. Though Dehaene's book is about mathematics, even those readers with the worst math anxiety will find The Number Sense an intriguing exploration of the world of numbers--and the human mind.

From Library Journal
This interesting and informative book sets forth the latest findings by Dehaene (research affiliate, Institut de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale, Paris) and other psychologists trying to determine how the brain understands and manipulates numbers and other forms of mathematical information. Included are many startling results of experiments involving animals and infants that shed light on the extent and nature of our inborn number sense. Dahaene also describes how brain scans and computer simulations can help us understand possible differences in the ways the brain handles similar mathematical topics such as approximation, arithmetic computations, and algebra. These findings, if they receive the consideration they merit, should have a major impact on the way mathematics is taught at the elementary and secondary level. Highly recommended.?Harold D. Shane, Baruch College, CUNY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 6, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195110048
• ISBN-13: 978-0195110043
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #512,628 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delight!, January 25, 2000

By	Mark Rosa (Anjiki Nakamachi, Japan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I immediately gave this book a glance-through upon seeing the title. The resemblance to Steven Pinker's 'The Language Instinct' and his quote at the bottom hooked me, and the inside didn't disappoint. A lot of people have written books questioning why we don't understand math; here's someone who wonders why we do.

Regarding the part about memorization - I assume that the numbers shown to the test subjects were our European numerals in all cases. I wonder what would happen if Chinese digits were used -- they all look distinct, in comparison to, say, our ambiguous 6 and 9, which can be confusing (ever see "1 2 3 4 5 SIX 7 8 NINE" on a gambling table to avoid this?). Can people recognize Chinese digits faster?

(And Ronald, I too immediately formed a Japanese mnemonic upon seeing the string of digits in that chapter. Unconsciously, in fact. The five/nine ambiguity disappeared!)

One quibble is that Dehaene seems to fall into the trap that many people - mathematicians included - blindly accept as fact; the idea that the European numerals that we use every day are superior to anything else. 'It's hard to see how they could be improved upon', he says, (or something to that effect - I'm doing this from memory). Arabic numerals (by which I mean those used by Arabic-speaking people, not the European variations that 'we' use) have the advantage of all being written without lifting your pen, and Chinese digits, for which trying to distinguish between, say, "160" and "180" in very small print is no problem. When you think about it, any place-value system with a zero is equally effective regardless of the forms of the numerals.

All in all a fascinating and informative look at a subject that's been largely neglected; at least in the popular press. Well worth reading. Does Dehaene have another book in the works?

(Recommendations from me? 'The Great Mental Calculators' by Steven Smith, which is tough to find, 'Innumeracy' by John Allen Paulos, and most of all 'From One to Zero/The Universal History of Numbers' by Georges Ifrah. All fantastic.)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't say enough good things about this wonderful book!, December 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Number Sense: How the Mind Creates Mathematics (Paperback)

If you are interested in mathematics, psychology, neuroscience / cognitive science, biology, linguistics, and/or all of the above, you will love this book. Don't get me wrong, not only is this book for those with technical interests but is well written enough and accessible enough for even laymen to get into. Read this great book!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, objective research scores an A!, January 1, 2002

By	"rodjackson" (Paducah, KY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Number Sense: How the Mind Creates Mathematics (Paperback)

Fascinating. That's the word I've been using to describe this book. From the information on numerical experiments with animals to the solid evidence presented for the hardwired concept of numbers from birth, the author ties together an amazing work.

The clear organization of the book, described from the onset, was my first clue that this was a bit more polished than other works. From a gradual examination of an innate "number sense" in even lower animals, through babies identifiying that 1+1 is not 1 or 3 but 2, up to the examination of innate calculatory facilities, this book covers it all. By the end, you will have been presented with practically all the evidence you need to make your own conclusion--and the case for the existance of the "number sense" is incredible. Psychology and neurology are both linked to the examination.

As a math teacher, I've even gleaned a few points to help in the presentation of the topic to my students. While I don't agree with all of the authors views on education, I do think he made some very profound points (the comment that standardized education has probably stunted natural development ofthe culture--specifically language--is a good example.)

Probably my only real disappointment with the book is the author's overemphasis on evolution throughout the text. Yes, most technical types unfortunately seem to be passionate about evolution's role in everything nowadays; it wouldn't have been that big a deal had the last few pages of the book not delved wholeheartedly into a philosophical expository of how mathematicians of the past were silly to have attributed the apparent design of the mind to match the universe numerically to a God, when evolution is an available alternative. However, this small distasteful thread didn't really detract from the research. (In fact, in practically all other maters the author is refreshingly objective and unbiased, examining counterpoints to his theories and conclusions.)

In all, the book still earns its five stars for rigor, fascinating material, objective examination, and clear presentation. Well worth the read, well worth the purchase.