{"product_id":"9780486152707","title":"Mathematics of the Incas: Code of the Quipu","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Incas of ancient Peru possessed no writing. Instead, they developed a unique system expressed on spatial arrays of colored knotted cords called quipus to record and transmit information throughout their vast empire. The present book is based on a firsthand study of actual quipus that survived the destruction of the Inca civilization. Written by a mathematician and an anthropologist, this book acquaints the reader with the cultural context of the quipus, the problem of interpreting artifacts from another culture, and the place of the quipu-maker in Inca culture. Although no previous mathematical knowledge is assumed, the reader is introduced to the mathematical ideas embedded in the quipus and learns how to make a quipu.\u003cbr\u003eEnhanced with over 125 illustrations, this unusual and thought-provoking study will interest mathematicians, historians, anthropologists, archeologists, and students of folk art with its unique perspective on the way in which pieces of colored string serve to embody a rich, logical, numerical tradition and are, ultimately, a metaphor for the civilization that created them. Preface. Exercises and answers within chapters.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dover Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47177594765552,"sku":"9780486152707","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780486152707_p0.jpg?v=1763708379","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780486152707","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}