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Before the 16th century, most math equations were written as metered verse. Thank god for graphic-design-inclined mathematicians.

THE work before us constitutes an important contribution to the history of mathematics. The development of mathematical notation is a fascinating subject in itself; but, the literature being so vast ...

Excerpted with permission from Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality, by Max Tegmark. Available from Random House/Knopf. Copyright ...