The Number Sense

The Number Sense is an enlightening exploration of the mathematical mi nd. Describing experiments that show that human infants have a rudimen tary number sense, Stanislas Dehaene suggests that this sense is as ba sic as our perception of color, and that it is wired into the brain. D ehaene shows that it was the invention of symbolic systems of numerals that started us on the climb to higher mathematics. A fascinating loo k at the crossroads where numbers and neurons intersect, The Number Se nse offers an intriguing tour of how the structure of the brain shapes our mathematical abilities, and how our mathematics opens up a window on the human mind.