How Not to Be Wrong: The Hidden Maths of Everyday Life

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title How Not to Be Wrong: The Hidden Maths of Everyday Life
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Jordan Ellenberg
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:480
Dimensions(mm): Height 198,Width 129
ISBN/Barcode 9780718196042
ClassificationsDewey:510
Audience
General

Publishing Details

Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
Publication Date 26 May 2015
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

How a little mathematics goes a long way in helping you not to be wrong The maths we learn in school can seem like an abstract set of rules, laid down by the ancients and not to be questioned. In fact, Jordan Ellenberg shows us, maths touches on everything we do, and a little mathematical knowledge reveals the hidden structures that lie beneath the world's messy and chaotic surface. In How Not to be Wrong, Ellenberg explores the mathematician's method of analyzing life, from the everyday to the cosmic, showing us which numbers to defend, which ones to ignore, and when to change the equation entirely. Along the way, he explains calculus in a single page, describes G del's theorem using only one-syllable words, and reveals how early you actually need to get to the airport.

Author Biography

Jordan Ellenberg is a Professor of Mathematics at University of Wisconsin, and the 'Do the Math' columnist at Slate. He has lectured around the world on his research in number theory, and delivered one of the plenary addresses at the 2013 Joint Mathematics Meetings, the largest math conference in the world. His novel The Grasshopper King was shortlisted for the NYPL Young Lions Award, and he writes regularly for The New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post and Wired.