Paulo Ribenboim
This text originated as a lecture delivered November 20, 1984, at Queen’s University, in the undergraduate colloquim series established to honor Professors A. J. Coleman and H. W. Ellis and to acknow ledge their long lasting interest in the quality of teaching under graduate students. In another colloquim lecture, my colleague Morris Orzech, who had consulted the latest edition of the Guilllless Book oj Records, remainded me very gently that the most 'innumerate' people of the world are of a certain tribe in Mato Grosso, Brazil. They do not even have a word to express the number 'two' or the concept of plurality. 'Yes Morris, I’m from Brazil, but my book will contain numbers different from ’one.’ ' He added that the most boring 800-page book is by two Japanese mathematicians (whom I’ll not name), and consists of about 16 million digits of the number 11. 'I assure you Morris, that in spite of the beauty of the apparent randomness of the decimal digits of 11, I’ll be sure that my text will include also some words.' Acknowledgment. The manuscript of this book was prepared on the word processor by Linda Nuttall. I wish to express my appreciation for the great care, speed, and competence of her work.
