Rob Eastaway – Much Ado About Numbers

What’s the connection between Shakespeare and Numbers? A lot, as it turns out! Shakespeare grew up in a time when numbers were going through a revolution. His was the first generation in England to be taught about our modern “zero” digit – and he was fascinated by it. From astronomy to probability, music to multiplication, other new mathematical ideas were taking off too – and much of this was reflected in Shakespeare’s work.

Find out how Tudors multiplied, why Shakespeare never ended a line with the word orange, and why dice-playing was a serious hazard for the unwary. With historical asides about games, optics, astronomy, music and magic, you might never think about maths or Shakespeare the same way again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rob Eastaway has written several bestselling books connecting maths with everyday life, including Why do Buses Come in Threes? and How Many Socks Make a Pair? His first book, What is a Googly?, an introduction to cricket, was famously presented by John Major to President Bush (snr) in 1992.

He appears frequently on radio in the UK, include the BBCs award-winning podcast More Or Less, and is much in demand as a speaker.  He lives in London, roughly two score and eight furlongs from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.