In particular, we celebrate in this book the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler (pronounced 'oiler') (1707-1783), surely the greatest mathematician of the eighteenth century and unquestionably one of the greatest of all time. As a result, at whatever point a student leaves the course, he or she ought to have acquired a body of knowledge which has a definite beginning and progresses intelligibly towards a definite end. Where possible, it seeks to present mathematics in the order in which humankind discovered it, giving passing references to the discoverers of particular branches as it does so, and showing how one discovery led to the next.
It differs from conventional texts primarily in terms of the sequence in which its material is presented, and in the connecting threads between topics.
This book is intended for anyone who wants to learn, or refresh their understanding of, some of the basic elements of mathematics and how they relate to each other.
