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Shakespeare’s era was abuzz with mathematical progress, from the new concept of “zero” to Galileo’s redraft of the heavens. Now, Rob Eastaway uncovers the many surprising ways math shaped Shakespeare’s plays—and his world—touring astronomy, code-breaking, color theory, navigation, music, sports, and more.
How reliable was a pocket sundial?
Was math illusionist John Dee the real-life Prospero?
How long was a Scottish mile, and what could you buy for a groat?
Do Jupiter’s moons have a cameo in Cymbeline?
How did ordinary people use numbers day to day?
And might Shakespeare have tried that game-changing invention—the pencil?
Author Biography
Rob Eastaway has authored and coauthored several bestselling books that connect math with everyday life, including Why Do Buses Come in Threes? and How Many Socks Make a Pair? He is the director of Maths Inspiration, an interactive lecture program that has reached over 250,000 teenagers in the United Kingdom, New York, and Sydney. In 2017, he received the Zeeman medal for excellence in the public communication of mathematics, and in 2025, he delivered the BSHM Gresham College Lecture on the subject of Shakespeare and mathematics. He lives in London.
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