Zero to Infinity: A History of Numbers

The Magical and Spiritual Allure of Numbers (1x5)

: 01, 2007

As numbers developed from tools into a branch of learning, they gained power and mystery. Mesopotamians used numbers to name their gods, for example, while Pythagoreans believed that numbers were divine gifts. Humans have invoked the power of numbers for millennia to ward off bad luck, to attract good luck, and to entertain the curious—uses that have drawn some to explore numbers' more serious and subtle properties.