Fundamentally, the only thing that computers can do is manipulate numbers. In many ways, the computer's numbers act much like the numbers we were taught in school. But in some (perhaps surprising) ways, they behave very differently. Disastrous bugs have resulted from lack of deep understanding of the differences. Most programmers are not trained or even warned about these differences, making them a danger to themselves and others.

This talk will look at the nature and history of numbers, with recommendations for how we can make better numbers in the future.