Over the holiday break, I was looking for some reading that was fun but still related to engineering and science. I got recommendations for two books: Ada’s Algorithm by James Essigner and Zero by Charles Seife.
Ada’s Algorithm is a look at Ada Lovelace’s contributions to the digital revolution. Her work with Charles Babbage is particularly impressive. The book also questions where we could have been had her ideas been taken more seriously. Overall, a fascinating read.
Zero examines the idea of the number zero. It seems crazy that a 215 page book can be written about 0, but it is fantastic. It goes into the history as well as the philosophy of basically nothing.
Both books were lovely and I recommend them to anyone looking for a good read.