Author: Keith Devlin
Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
ISBN: 0471672998
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 317
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Book Description
Why do leopards grow spots when tigers grow stripes? Is the universe round, square, or some other shape? How do the dimples in a golf ball give it greater lift? Is there such a thing as a public mood? If so, how can we accurately take its pulse? Only one tool of the human mind has the power and versatility to answer so many questions about our world—mathematics. Far from a musty set of equations and proofs, mathematics is a vital and creative way of thinking and seeing. It is the most powerful means we have of exploring our world and how it works, from the darkest depths of the oceans to the faintest glimmers of far-away galaxies, and from the aerodynamics of figure-skating jumps to the shadows of the fourth dimension. In this captivating companion to the landmark PBS series Life by the Numbers, acclaimed author Keith Devlin reveals the astonishing range of creative and powerful ways in which scientists, artists, athletes, medical researchers, and many others are using mathematics to explore our world and to enhance our lives. On this exhilarating tour you will explore deep-sea volcanoes with oceanographer Dawn Wright, go behind the scenes of blockbuster movies with special-effects designer Doug Trumbull, and probe the strange lives of viruses with microbiologist Sylvia Spengler. Listen to astronomer Robert Kirshner describe how he is charting the curve of space; discover how biologist Mike Labarbara visualizes the way a Tyrannosaurus rex carried its massive frame; and, along with brain researcher Brad Hatfield, peer into the mind of an Olympic markswoman at the moment she takes a shot. Glimpse a future of wearable computers and silicon "butlers" with computer scientist Pattie Maes, and watch a lilac come to life on screen with "computer botanist" Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz. Lavishly illustrated and beautifully written, Life by the Numbers brings mathematical exploration and invention to life through the stories of some of the most creative practitioners of the art. It imparts an appreciation of the ingenuity and the sheer fun of seeing our world through mathematical eyes.
Author: Bobby Seagull
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0753552825
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 288
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Book Description
If you found maths lessons at school irrelevant and boring, that’s because you didn’t have a teacher like Bobby Seagull. ***As seen on Monkman & Seagull's Genius Guide to Britain*** Long before his rise to cult fandom on University Challenge, Bobby Seagull was obsessed with numbers. They were the keys that unlocked the randomness of football results, the beauty of art and the best way to get things done. In his absorbing book, Bobby tells the story of his life through numbers and shows the incredible ways maths can make sense of the world around us. From magic shows to rap lyrics, from hobbies to outer space, from fitness to food – Bobby’s infectious enthusiasm for numbers will change how you think about almost everything. Told through fascinating stories and insights from Bobby’s life, and with head-scratching puzzles in every chapter, you’ll never look at numbers the same way again.
Author: Pablo Jensen
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030651037
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 114
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Book Description
More than 300 years ago, Isaac Newton created a mathematical model of the solar system that predicted the existence of a yet unknown planet: Neptune. Today, driven by the digital revolution, modern scientists are creating complex models of society itself to shed light on topics as far-ranging as epidemic outbreaks and economic growth. But how do these scientists gather and interpret their data? How accurate are their models? Can we trust the numbers? With a rare background in physics, economics and sociology, the author is able to present an insider’s view of the strengths, weaknesses and dangers of transforming our lives into numbers. After reading this book, you’ll understand how different numerical models work and how they are used in practice. The author begins by exploring several simple, easy-to-understand models that form the basis for more complex simulations. What follows is an exploration of the myriad ways that models have come to describe and define our world, from epidemiology and climate change to urban planning and the world chess championship. Highly engaging and nontechnical, this book will appeal to any readers interested in understanding the links between data and society and how our lives are being increasingly captured in numbers.
Author: Alex Bellos
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451640129
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 352
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Book Description
From triangles, rotations and power laws, to cones, curves and the dreaded calculus, Alex takes you on a journey of mathematical discovery with his signature wit and limitless enthusiasm. He sifts through over 30,000 survey submissions to uncover the world’s favourite number, and meets a mathematician who looks for universes in his garage. He attends the World Mathematical Congress in India, and visits the engineer who designed the first roller-coaster loop. Get hooked on math as Alex delves deep into humankind’s turbulent relationship with numbers, and reveals how they have shaped the world we live in.
Author: Theodore M. Porter
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691210543
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 336
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Book Description
A foundational work on historical and social studies of quantification What accounts for the prestige of quantitative methods? The usual answer is that quantification is desirable in social investigation as a result of its successes in science. Trust in Numbers questions whether such success in the study of stars, molecules, or cells should be an attractive model for research on human societies, and examines why the natural sciences are highly quantitative in the first place. Theodore Porter argues that a better understanding of the attractions of quantification in business, government, and social research brings a fresh perspective to its role in psychology, physics, and medicine. Quantitative rigor is not inherent in science but arises from political and social pressures, and objectivity derives its impetus from cultural contexts. In a new preface, the author sheds light on the current infatuation with quantitative methods, particularly at the intersection of science and bureaucracy.
Author: John Armitage
Publisher:
ISBN: 9788792964113
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 514
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Book Description
Size Matters: How Visual Analytics Will Bring Numbers to Life The increasing volume of quantitative data in modern communication is calling for more effective visualization design techniques to improve clarity and decision-making. The LAVA visual analytic design language proposes a new vernacular to take big data to big audiences. Big Data. The Internet of Things. Cloud Computing. Predictive Analytics. Any trip through today's information technology news will surely include some of these terms. Just as the Web and social media allow more people and institutions to connect with each other to exchange sentiment and ideas, a parallel system exists to do the same thing with quantitative facts. An ever-more automated array of sensors and monitors embedded in our businesses, governments, physical infrastructures, vehicles, the environment, and even our bodies, are being added to the more traditional practice of manual observation and data entry in the effort to record and store the daily up-and-down states of stuff we care about. The variables are called Measures, and include things like sales, windspeed, steps taken, or heart rate. The things being measured are called Entities, such as a car model, an airport, your family, or your heart. Combining Measures with Entities creates Metrics - Sales at a cash register or of a car model, windspeed at the airport, steps taken by your family today, your resting heart rate. Metrics are how we understand quantitative data from the world around us. Analytics is the science of working with metrics to make better, more informed decisions in our work and lives. Visual Analytics is the expression of metrics geometrically - with lines and shapes versus with numbers in spreadsheets - so as to make them easier to understand and interpret. As more metrics are made available and relevant to more people, presenting them visually is a key aspect of ensuring that audiences find them legible - or clear and able to be read - and readable - or enticing and likely to be read. While these dual masters of function and elegance are present in all design practice, visual analytics require a balance skewed in favor of clarity, efficiency, mathematical precision, and measureable audience cognition.
Author: William Field
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781407565668
Category : Numerology
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Through a combination of many systems, traditions, and beliefs, learn what numbers are significant for you and what they say about your personality, your life, and your future.
Author: Daniel Tammet
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 0316250805
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 288
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Book Description
The irresistibly engaging book that "enlarges one's wonder at Tammet's mind and his all-embracing vision of the world as grounded in numbers" (Oliver Sacks, MD). Thinking in Numbers is the book that Daniel Tammet, mathematical savant and bestselling author, was born to write. In Tammet's world, numbers are beautiful and mathematics illuminates our lives and minds. Using anecdotes, everyday examples, and ruminations on history, literature, and more, Tammet allows us to share his unique insights and delight in the way numbers, fractions, and equations underpin all our lives. Inspired variously by the complexity of snowflakes, Anne Boleyn's eleven fingers, and his many siblings, Tammet explores questions such as why time seems to speed up as we age, whether there is such a thing as an average person, and how we can make sense of those we love. His provocative and inspiring new book will change the way you think about math and fire your imagination to view the world with fresh eyes.
Author: Donna Guthrie
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780761302513
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 140
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Book Description
A guide outlining how math is used in everyday situations such as banking, using credit, and buying a car. Offers tips on ways to avoid problems with money.
Author: Mark Gruner
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fortune-telling
Languages : en
Pages : 200
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Book Description
