The invention of numerals is perhaps the greatest abstraction the human mind has ever created. Virtually everything in our lives is digital, numerical, or quantified. The story of how and where we got these numerals, which we so depend on, has for thousands of years been shrouded in mystery. Finding Zero is an adventure filled saga of Amir Aczel's lifelong obsession: to find the original sources of our numerals. Aczel has doggedly crisscrossed the ancient world, scouring dusty, moldy texts, cross examining so-called scholars who offered wildly differing sets of facts, and ultimately penetrating deep into a Cambodian jungle to find a definitive proof. Here, he takes the reader along for the ride. The history begins with the early Babylonian cuneiform numbers, followed by the later Greek and Roman letter numerals. Then Aczel asks the key question: where do the numbers we use today, the so-called Hindu-Arabic numerals, come from? It is this search that leads him to explore uncharted territory, to go on a grand quest into India, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and ultimately into the wilds of Cambodia. There he is blown away to find the earliest zero—the keystone of our entire system of numbers—on a crumbling, vine-covered wall of a seventh-century temple adorned with eaten-away erotic sculptures. While on this odyssey, Aczel meets a host of fascinating characters: academics in search of truth, jungle trekkers looking for adventure, surprisingly honest politicians, shameless smugglers, and treacherous archaeological thieves—who finally reveal where our numbers come from.

In 1996, Allan Weisbecker sold his home and his possessions, loaded his dog and surfboards into his truck, and set off in search of his long-time surfing companion, Patrick, who had vanished into the depths of Central America. In this rollicking memoir of his quest from Mexico to Costa Rica to unravel the circumstances of Patrick's disappearance, Weisbecker intimately describes the people he befriended, the bandits he evaded, the waves he caught and lost en route to finding his friend. In Search of Captain Zero is, according to Outside magazine, "A subtly affecting tale of friendship and duty. [It] deserves a spot on the microbus dashboard as a hell of a cautionary tale about finding paradise and smoking it away." In Search of Captain Zero: A Surfer's Road Trip Beyond the End of the Road is a Booksense 76 Top Ten selection for September/October.

You can have abundance in your life. Chris Lianos invites you to discover the abundance from within by Finding Zero. This book illustrates how you can use metaphysics and neurolinguistic programming to solve the problems that confront you every day. Metaphysics is the study of the universe beyond what we can see. Neurolinguistic programming is the study of excellence and how you can achieve success using your mind, focus and language. Chris brings these two practices together to teach you how to release negative emotions and take practical steps to achieve abundance. You’ll contemplate key questions, such as the nature of reality and why you are here. Discover truths, including: • How you can access your divine guidance system • How to go beyond the veils that hide your abundance • How to crack the creation code and manifest your dream life • How to use universal prosperity laws linked to your abundance • How to avoid self-sabotaging behaviours • How to control your focus Filled with inspirational quotes, worksheets that promote self-discovery and diagrams that explain concepts, this book allows you to gain control over your life and achieve abundance by Finding Zero.

This handbook describes the diagnostic process clearly and logically, aiding medical students and others who wish to improve their diagnostic performance and to learn more about the diagnostic process.

Physical Properties of Materials for Engineers, Second Edition introduces and explains modern theories of the properties of materials and devices for practical use by engineers. Introductory chapters discuss both classical mechanics and quantum mechanics to demonstrate the need for the quantum approach. Topics are presented in an uncomplicated manner; extensive cross-references are provided to emphasize the inter-relationships among the physical phenomena. Illustrations and problems based on commercially-available materials are included where appropriate. Physical Properties of Materials for Engineers, Second Edition is an excellent introduction to solid state physics and practical techniques for students and workers in aerospace industry, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, materials science, and mechanical and metallurgical engineering.