This ten-part history of mathematics reveals the personalities behind the calculations: the passions and rivalries of mathematicians struggling to get their ideas heard. Professor Marcus du Sautoy shows how these masters of abstraction find a role in the real world and proves that mathematics is the driving force behind modern science...

A Brief History of Mathematics was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 14 and 24 June 2010. Over the course of this ten-part series, we explore the relationship between Newton and Leibniz, the men behind the calculus; and, look at how the mathematics that Euler invented 200 years ago paved the way for the Internet and discover how Fourier transformed our understanding of heat, light and sound.

In addition, we find out how Galois's mathematics describes the particles that make up our universe, how Gaussian distribution underpins modern medicine, and how Riemann's maths helped Einstein with his theory of relativity.

Finally, we are introduced to Cantor, who discovered infinite numbers; Poincare, whose work gave rise to chaos theory; and, G.H. Hardy, whose work inspired the millions of codes that help to keep the Internet safe, and Nicolas Bourbaki, the mathematician who never was.

As you can download this series for free on iTunes... I'm wondering why anyone would spend £13.25 buying it. However, assuming you'll be downloading this for free... this is an interesting series that breaks down some of the mystery and history behind maths so that even those that failed GCSE maths can get to grasps with the majority of the content.

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Darren Rea