Count Us In

Mae mathemateg, megis iaith, yn brofiad cyfanfydol. Mae pob cymdeithas yn cyfrif ac yn cael ei grymuso gan ei gallu i gyfrif a mesur. Mae'r prosesau mathemategol a ddatblygwyd mewn gwahanol ddiwylliannau yn amrywio'n fawr, ac mae Count us in yn archwilio'r cysylltiadau diwylliannol hyn, gan ddefnyddio enghreifftiau o brofiadau personol yr awdur. Mae'r broses o gyfrif, fel y broses o gyfathrebu â geiriau, yn gyffredin i bob cymdeithas ledled y byd ond, yn union fel y mae yna amrywiaeth gyfoethog o ieithoedd, felly hefyd yr amrywiaeth gyfoethog mewn dulliau cyfrif a chofnodi rhifau - dulliau sydd wedi datblygu dros ganrifoedd i ddiwallu anghenion gwahanol grwpiau o bobl. Mae naratif y llyfr ar ffurf casgliad o straeon byrion yn seiliedig ar brofiad personol yr awdur, wedi’u cysylltu â'i gilydd gan nifer o is-themâu.

‘A delightful and fascinating read about the role of maths in Wales, and the role of Wales in maths. Anyone with an interest in Welsh culture, maths history or education will love this book.’

Guardian blogger Alex Bellos, author of Alex’s Adventures in Numberland and Alex Through the Looking-Glass

'I struggled to understand my teacher's explanations in primary school and ended up being kept in every break time after maths class to redo my sums as punishment for not getting them right in the first place. As I hadn't understood what I was meant to be doing in the first place, I just got them all wrong again and fell further and further behind. So of course, I left school hating maths and have always felt stressed if the word is even mentioned. I saw your book in the library and thought it might be worth trying to read because no one needed to know if I couldn't finish it, or didn't understand it, and it's been so helpful. I got stuck on a few of the puzzles, and there were some bits that I didn't understand, but most of it made sense to me, and maths doesn't feel like this horrible thing I have to fear any more - it's just a language that I don't speak very well yet, but that's ok because I can keep practicing, just as I am doing with my (very beginner) Welsh. I'm busy recommending it to all my maths-hating friends.'

Philippa Scott Davidson