Get a copy of Vol 2 and read section 4.1 - Positional number systems - before tackling 4.3 - Multiple-precision arithmetic. It will give you the necessary grounding and notation. It's also an absolutely fascinating topic and will change the way you think about numbers.
If you have vol 2 you also might as well read at least the intro to chapter 3 which is beautiful.
Comments
I appreciate the info but it’s unfortunately no help.
I have a passing interest in mathematics and especially comp sci but I routinely find myself stymied just by trying to understand the notation.
Get a copy of Vol 2 and read section 4.1 - Positional number systems - before tackling 4.3 - Multiple-precision arithmetic. It will give you the necessary grounding and notation. It's also an absolutely fascinating topic and will change the way you think about numbers.
If you have vol 2 you also might as well read at least the intro to chapter 3 which is beautiful.