Reviews and Articles

---

Statistics New Zealand has only recently completed new estimates of national productivity for the economy. The new figures refer to what Statistics calls the “measured sector” of the economy. This definition excludes some industry sectors and local and central government and is said to be more representative of the commercial sector. The new estimates run from 1987/88 to 2004/05 and it has been stated that they will be extended »»

ZERO: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife (Penguin Books, 2000) Number geeks of the world unite! From chapter zero all the way to chapter ∞, this book is a fun way to learn about what is my favourite number. Just co-incidentally, of course, it is also the most important number in the universe. Zero, of course, is a unique number – it is the only number which when added to a number doesn’t change the »»