Skip to main content
M:N3:2 4
Edit position
Edit position

Last set 5 days, 1 hour ago. Manual moves override automatic placement until the next shelfie/spine match.

The irrationals
Diagnose this book
Open in Vernon Browser

The irrationals

by Julian Havil

This work traces the history of irrational numbers from antiquity to the twenty-first century, examining the development of their rigorous definition. It details the challenges these numbers have posed to mathematicians and the unresolved questions that still surround them.

Accession 12716 ISBN 9780691143422 Publisher Princeton University Press
Book Images
Reference and live side by side Hover to see live images
Reference
The irrationals spine
The irrationals cover
Live
The irrationals live spine
No live
The irrationals spine The irrationals live spine
The irrationals cover
No live
TAGS
Curated Derived
Mathematics Science
CONNECTIONS
No connections
State
on_shelf
True
position_updated_at
2026-06-01 16:32
orientation
vertical
Details

Physical

binding_type
Hard Back
dimensions
none captured
spine_text
none captured

Metadata

Book form
LOCATION HISTORY
M:N3:2 4 Current vertical
1 week, 3 days ago
Book Location
Updated 5 days, 1 hour ago
Vernon snapshot
View live

Frozen copy of Vernon's record from the last sync. Fields tagged → flow back into the Pulse record.

Last synced 2026-05-21 00:58 (2 weeks, 2 days ago)

Identity

name→ title
The irrationals
vernon_id
19891
accession_no→ accession_number
12716
vernon_slug
the-irrationals-julian-havil

Drives Pulse state

curr_loc_status→ on_shelf
On Shelf
location_name
Zone N3/Level 2 (Mezzanine)/Phrontisterion/MONA
location_reason
On Shelf
isbn_issn→ isbn (when valid)
9780691143422

Descriptive

production_date
2012
object_type
Books/Document genres/Information forms/Visual and Verbal Communication
object_status
Accessioned
brief_description
ancient Greeks discovered them, but it wasn t until the nineteenth century that irrational numbers were properly understood and rigorously defined, and even today not all their mysteries have been revealed. In The Irrationals, the first popular and comprehensive book on the subject, Julian Havil tells the story of irrational numbers and the mathematicians who have tackled their challenges, from antiquity to the twenty-first century. Along the way, he explains why irrational numbers are surprisingly difficult to define--and why so many questions still surround them.

Subjects & people

authors→ author (initial fill only)
Julian Havil
tags→ tags
Science, Mathematics, Numbers, Real, Numbers, Complex, Mathematics -- Philosophy
subject_people
—
subject_objects
—

Cover image

vernon_cover_image_id→ cover_image
19951

Raw Vernon JSON

click to inspect

The source payload behind the snapshot above.
Use ⌘F to search once expanded.
{7 keys}
"slug": "the-irrationals-julian-havil"
"opacObjectId": "19891"
"opacCollection": {1 keys}
"opacCollectionId": "1"
"imagesCollection": {2 keys}
"images": [1 items]
"[0]": {5 keys}
"imageId": "19951"
"cssColors": [3 items]
"[0]": {9 keys}
"hex": "faf0e6"
"hue": 30
"rank": 1
"presence": 34.98
"colorName": "linen"
"lightness": 94
"colorGroup": "white"
"saturation": 67
"formattedColorName": "linen"
"[1]": {9 keys}
"hex": "a0522d"
"hue": 19
"rank": 2
"presence": 40.26
"colorName": "sienna"
"lightness": 40
"colorGroup": "brown"
"saturation": 56
"formattedColorName": "sienna"
"[2]": {9 keys}
"hex": "d2b48c"
"hue": 34
"rank": 3
"presence": 9.95
"colorName": "tan"
"lightness": 69
"colorGroup": "brown"
"saturation": 44
"formattedColorName": "tan"
"rawColors": [7 items]
"[0]": {6 keys}
"hex": "f4efe3"
"hue": 42
"rank": 1
"presence": 34.98
"lightness": 92
"saturation": 43
"[1]": {6 keys}
"hex": "915541"
"hue": 15
"rank": 2
"presence": 40.26
"lightness": 41
"saturation": 38
"[2]": {6 keys}
"hex": "e3cdad"
"hue": 35
"rank": 3
"presence": 9.95
"lightness": 78
"saturation": 49
"[3]": {6 keys}
"hex": "c3a592"
"hue": 23
"rank": 4
"presence": 4.35
"lightness": 66
"saturation": 28
"[4]": {6 keys}
"hex": "ba9659"
"hue": 37
"rank": 5
"presence": 7.97
"lightness": 53
"saturation": 41
"[5]": {6 keys}
"hex": "dc925e"
"hue": 24
"rank": 6
"presence": 1.79
"lightness": 61
"saturation": 64
"[6]": {6 keys}
"hex": "433c2f"
"hue": 39
"rank": 7
"presence": 0.71
"lightness": 22
"saturation": 17
"imageLabels": [10 items]
"[0]": {5 keys}
"count": 15171
"score": 89.79
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Book"
"imageLabelId": 67
"[1]": {5 keys}
"count": 19018
"score": 85.62
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Publication"
"imageLabelId": 23
"[2]": {5 keys}
"count": 19411
"score": 83.1
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Font"
"imageLabelId": 12
"[3]": {5 keys}
"count": 12694
"score": 74.55
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Book cover"
"imageLabelId": 90
"[4]": {5 keys}
"count": 11006
"score": 69.83
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Art"
"imageLabelId": 4
"[5]": {5 keys}
"count": 5931
"score": 68.6
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Illustration"
"imageLabelId": 25
"[6]": {5 keys}
"count": 4262
"score": 57.32
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Fiction"
"imageLabelId": 91
"[7]": {5 keys}
"count": 4954
"score": 55.07
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Science"
"imageLabelId": 180
"[8]": {5 keys}
"count": 5351
"score": 54.83
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Advertising"
"imageLabelId": 71
"[9]": {5 keys}
"count": 5750
"score": 52.64
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Graphic design"
"imageLabelId": 17
"imageDerivatives": [6 items]
"[0]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/large/6404/31f56947164b6d3407aa4fbdd10aa92b92c48323.jpg"
"width": "533"
"height": "800"
"identifier": "LARGE"
"[1]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/medium/6404/31f56947164b6d3407aa4fbdd10aa92b92c48323.jpg"
"width": "267"
"height": "400"
"identifier": "MEDIUM"
"[2]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/nano/6404/31f56947164b6d3407aa4fbdd10aa92b92c48323.jpg"
"width": "23"
"height": "35"
"identifier": "NANO"
"[3]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/small/6404/31f56947164b6d3407aa4fbdd10aa92b92c48323.jpg"
"width": "100"
"height": "150"
"identifier": "SMALL"
"[4]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/tiny/6404/31f56947164b6d3407aa4fbdd10aa92b92c48323.jpg"
"width": "50"
"height": "75"
"identifier": "TINY"
"[5]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/xlarge/6404/31f56947164b6d3407aa4fbdd10aa92b92c48323.jpg"
"width": "800"
"height": "1200"
"identifier": "XLARGE"
"totalImages": 1
"objectSearchScore": 0.3118719
"opacObjectFieldSets": [40 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "accession_no"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "12716"
"[1]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "name"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "The irrationals / Julian Havil"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "title"
"value": "The irrationals / Julian Havil"
"[2]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "other_name"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "The irrationals : a story of the numbers you can't count on"
"[3]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "artist_last_first"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Havil, Julian"
"[4]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "prod_pri_date"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "2012"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [2 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "earliest_date"
"value": "2012-01-01Z"
"[1]": {2 keys}
"key": "latest_date"
"value": "2012-12-31Z"
"[5]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "prod_pri_date_notes"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[6]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "edition"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[7]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "brief_desc"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": " ancient Greeks discovered them, but it wasn t until the nineteenth century that irrational numbers were properly understood and rigorously defined, and even today not all their mysteries have been revealed. In The Irrationals, the first popular and comprehensive book on the subject, Julian Havil tells the story of irrational numbers and the mathematicians who have tackled their challenges, from antiquity to the twenty-first century. Along the way, he explains why irrational numbers are surprisingly difficult to define--and why so many questions still surround them."
"[8]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "measure_desc"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[9]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "credit_line"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[10]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "curr_loc_status"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "On Shelf"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "curr_loc_status:"On Shelf""
"[11]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "ob_status"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Accessioned"
"[12]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "lender"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[13]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "copyright_owner"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[14]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "copyright_type"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[15]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "copyright_start"
"opacObjectFields": [0 items]
"[16]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "copyright_expiry"
"opacObjectFields": [0 items]
"[17]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "copyright_notes"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[18]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "curr_loc"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Zone N3/Level 2 (Mezzanine)/Phrontisterion/MONA"
"[19]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "object_type"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "Books/Document genres/Information forms/Visual and Verbal Communication"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "object_type:"Books/Document genres/Information forms/Visual and Verbal Communication""
"[20]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "collection"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "Main Collection/Library"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "collection:"Main Collection/Library""
"[21]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "prod_pri_place"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Princeton/New Jersey/United States of America"
"[22]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "prod_pri_publisher"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Princeton University Press"
"[23]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "physical_notes"
"opacObjectFields": [2 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "298 pages ; 24 cm."
"[1]": {1 keys}
"value": "Includes bibliographical references and index."
"[24]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "language"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "English"
"[25]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "isbn_issn"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "9780691143422"
"[26]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "user_sym_1"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "512.786 HAV"
"[27]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "usual_loc_being"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Zone N3/Level 2 (Mezzanine)/Phrontisterion/MONA"
"[28]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_class"
"opacObjectFields": [3 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "Mathematics -- Philosophy/Science"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_class:"Mathematics -- Philosophy/Science""
"[1]": {2 keys}
"value": "Mathematics/Science"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_class:"Mathematics/Science""
"[2]": {2 keys}
"value": "Numbers, Real/Numbers, Complex"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_class:"Numbers, Real/Numbers, Complex""
"[29]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_date"
"opacObjectFields": [0 items]
"[30]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_event"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[31]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_period"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[32]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_object"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[33]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_person"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[34]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_place"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[35]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "assoc_person"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[36]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "assoc_place"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[37]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "assoc_event"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[38]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "assoc_object"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[39]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "user_sym_9"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"relationshipsCollection": {2 keys}
"relationships": [1 items]
"[0]": {4 keys}
"relatedRecords": [1 items]
"[0]": {3 keys}
"slug": "julian-havil"
"title": "Julian Havil"
"relatedRecordId": "12110"
"relationshipId": "object_prod_pri_person"
"relatedRecordType": "person"
"totalRelatedRecords": 1
"totalRelationships": 1
Topics and Themes