Simon Singh's NumbersFive NumbersEpisodes Episode guide

Back up to: Simon Singh's Numbers

1. Infinity

   Georg Cantor defined infinity as the size of the never-ending list of counting numbers.
2. The Imaginary Number

   If the square root of +1 is both +1 and -1, then what is the square root of -1?
3. The Golden Ratio

   The ratio of consecutive numbers in the Fibonacci is close to 1.618, the Golden Ratio.
4. Pi

   At its simplest, Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.
5. Zero

   Strangely, 'nothing' had to be invented, and then it took thousands of years to catch on.